Fruit Tart

This recipe is for a nine inch pie shell. To keep things simple, you can buy a packaged shortbread pie shell at your local grocery store or supermarket. I've only ever seen these pie crusts in nine inch form, but there "may" be other sizes. Of course too, you can make your own pie crust to whatever size you prefer, and then adjust the other ingredients accordingly.    

Ingredients:

1 nine inch shortbread pie shell
vanilla pastry cream*
kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
blueberries
strawberries, sliced (not the small bottom pieces)
2 to 3 tablespoons thick apricot (or peach or mango) preserves

Put the vanilla pastry cream into the pie shell and smooth it out. Spread a thin layer of the preserves over the top of the pastry cream (middle photo below). You can arrange the fruit in whatever pattern you'd like. 

* To make vanilla pastry cream, here is the link to that recipe:
https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/09/vanilla-pastry-cream.html

WORD HISTORY:
Service-This is the noun (much later also a verb), and it is related to "serf," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from French. "Service" goes back to Indo European "serwuo/serwo," meaning, "guardian, protector;" thus also, "shepherd." This gave its Italic offspring "serwo," meaning, "shepherd," and this gave Latin "servus," the meaning of which, "slave," seems to have evolved "perhaps" from a shepherd's devotion to his flock to the point of servitude? "Servus" gave Latin "servitium," which meant, "the state of being in servitude or being a slave;" thus also, "slavery." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "servise," meaning, "servitude," but also, "a religious ceremony of devotion (servitude) to God." This was borrowed by English, likely with reinforcement by the Latin term, circa 1100. Many meanings developed as time passed, like: "the performance of assistance to someone, including the serving of food," "duty as a knight (usually in servitude to a noble/feudal lord)," which then broadened into any "military duty," "dishes and eating utensils" (now more often for tea or coffee), and others. The verb form developed from the noun, but not until circa 1900.     

Fruit Gazpacho

This is a fully fantastic dish for hot weather days, but it's really great anytime. While most people likely think of gazpacho as a cold vegetable soup, fruit-based gazpacho is also made, and there are a number of variations in the recipes. This is my own recipe, and before you get yourself into a frame of mind that feels that some of these ingredients will not work well together, give it a try. The natural sweetness of the fruits offsets the acidic tomato juice, while the onion and chili pepper add a little "zip" to the recipe (they both should be finely chopped). I like the "heat" of chili peppers, but please don't overdo it with chilies in this gazpacho, because the heat will overwhelm the tastes of the fruit. You can always add a little more juice, if needed, in a 2 to 1 ratio, pineapple juice to tomato juice. You need no sugar or salt in this soup, and you don't need to cook anything for it. It is easy to make, with the only time consuming part being the rinsing, peeling and chopping of some of the ingredients. This cold soup is best when given proper time to chill in the refrigerator; so a minimum of 3 or 4 hours is required, but longer is even better. Serve with a scoop of basil cream on top. And you can make the basil cream with low fat sour cream. *  

Ingredients:

1 cup tomato juice
2 cups pineapple juice
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 serrano chili pepper (or jalapeño, or habanero), finely chopped
1 ripe mango, chopped
1/2 cup pineapple chunks (you can halve large chunks) 
1 cup peeled, seedless cucumber, chopped (if using regular cucumber, remove seeds)
1/2 cup blueberries, whole
1/2 cup strawberries, quartered 
juice of 1 or 2 limes (I often buy small limes, so I use 2)

Add the juices to a non reactive bowl or pot, then add the the other ingredients. Stir very well to mix. Refrigerate the fruit gazpacho for several hours, then stir well once again before serving. Top each serving with a dollop of basil cream.   

* To make basil cream, here is the link to the recipe, but for this soup, I would use sour cream or creme fraiche, but not Mexican Crema, because it is typically not as thick: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/06/basil-cream.html

WORD HISTORY:
Mauve-This word for "purple-like color," and "a dye of that color," is closely related to "mallow," the name of a genus of plant. Its ultimate origin is unknown, but it goes back to Latin "malva," which meant, "mallow" (plant name). This passed into Old French as "mauve," as the plant name, but by the mid 1800s a purple dye came into use which was given the name "mauve," due to its similarity in color to the flowers of the plant. The color was certainly popularized by England's Queen Victoria, who wore dresses of mauve on a couple of occasions. I've read, but can't recall where I read it, that the Queen wore a mauve dress for her daughter's wedding or at some point during the celebration of that wedding. This wedding was for her namesake daughter Victoria, who married German/Prussian Crown Prince Frederick. They became the parents of the future Kaiser Wilhelm II, the German leader during World War One. And yes, Kaiser Wilhelm II was the grandson of Britain's Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria was also the grandmother of Alix von Hessen by the Queen's daughter Alice, who died when Alix was only 6 years old. Queen Victoria then helped to raise her granddaughter, who spent much time in England with the Queen, as well as in her native Germany. Alix would become the Tsarina Alexandra of Russia by her marriage to Nicholas II, and her grandmother's influence was evident, as she had her room colored in mauve, and it was called the "Mauve room." (Very original name; how'd they they come up with that?) 

North German Pancakes: Pannkoken

This pancake dish from northwestern Germany is a good one. This area is the land where the people speak East Frisian and/or Low German as their daily language, but where standard German is learned in school. East Frisian is a dialect of the general Frisian language, along with West Frisian, spoken in northern Holland, and North Frisian, spoken in northern Germany, including in part of the area of the German-Danish border region. Frisian, Low German and standard German are all close relatives of English, and this overall general area is the ancestral homeland of English, as the Germanic tribal elements that sailed to Briton and founded England lived here, just as many of their descendants still do. Here, an "apple" is an "appel" in Low German and East Frisian ("Apfel" in standard German), and in English it was once spelled "eppel" and "appel." The other fruit compote I chose to serve is blueberry, which is both "Blaubeere" and "Heidelbeere" in German, but "Bickbeer(e)" in this area of northern Germany, and indeed, it is a common pairing with these pancakes. Notice, unlike American pancakes, there is no baking powder or baking soda; thus, these pancakes are not as "fluffy" as their American counterpart, but rather a bit more to the dense side. I served mine with bacon, so I simply fried the bacon and poured off the fat from frying, then I added some of the grease back to the frying pan for cooking the pancakes. If frying the pancakes in bacon fat troubles you, you can mix some of the bacon grease with some canola oil, or regular olive oil, but at least use a little of the grease for each pancake, as it does add to their flavor, which helps to make them special. Now, you can most certainly use some preserves or jam, but the compotes are very easy to make.       

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups milk
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites, beaten to stiff consistency
1/2 teaspoon salt
bacon fat/grease*

Mix together the flour, whole wheat flour, egg yolks, milk and salt. Beat the egg whites to a stiff consistency, then fold them into the main mixture. Heat the bacon fat in a skillet over medium heat. Add enough batter to make a nice size pancake and fry until golden on both sides. Germans typically fold the pancakes over for serving. You can serve the compotes on the side or you can serve each pancake with a good spoonful of compote right on top.  

* Whatever term you prefer. When I was a kid, you seldom, if ever, heard it referred to as "bacon fat," rather only as "bacon grease." "Bacon fat" was fat still attached to the bacon.

Apple Compote:

2 cups chopped apples, ^
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar (per your taste)
1/2 cup apple juice
1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 to 3 tablespoons apple juice
(optional) 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a sauce pan over medium heat, add the chopped apple, sugar and apple juice. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce the heat so that the mixture maintains a gentle simmer. Cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the apples reach the texture you prefer (soft or still a bit firm). Mix together the cornstarch and apple juice, then gradually add it to the simmering apples, stirring constantly, until the compote is at the thickness you desire. If you'd like, you can add the ground cinnamon, but myself, I prefer the apple taste without the spice. But go ahead and add cinnamon... see if I care! I may just report you to the Apple Police! You can serve the compote with the pancakes while it is still hot, or you can let it cool a bit first. If you refrigerate it, you can always pop it in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds before serving it.

^ You can use red, green or golden, as it doesn't really matter, except I wouldn't recommend that you use a sour type of apple, unless you like that kind of tartness. Technically they should be peeled, but you can certainly leave the peel on for nutritional purposes if you'd like. If the "Apple Police" get you, it's because they're rotten to the core. Ah, "Apple  Police"... "rotten to the core"... If I have to explain it to you, I hope you get arrested by the Apple Police and you are condemned to listen to, "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch..." ten times daily for a month, or five times daily for good behavior.

Blueberry Compote:

2 cups blueberries (you can also use frozen blueberries)
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 to 3 tablespoons water

Rinse and drain the blueberries. In a sauce pan, add the berries, water, sugar and lemon juice. You can use medium heat to bring the liquid to a slight boil, but then turn the heat down to where the berries just simmer. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, then gradually add some cornstarch mixed with water, stirring constantly, until you get the thickness you desire for the compote. The berries must be kept at a light simmer to thicken properly. The compote can be served hot, or cooled a little.

WORD HISTORY:
Compote/Compost-These two words are really the same word. They are closely related to "position," "composition," "component," "composite" and "compose," all words of Latin derivation borrowed by English. The prefix "com-" is a common prefix for words of Latin derivation going back to Indo European "kom/ghem," with the notion of, "by, with, near, beside;" thus Latin "com" (and its variant form "con") which has the meaning, "together, with." The origin of the rest of the word is uncertain, but it goes back to Latin "ponere," which meant, "to put into place;" thus also, "to arrange, to set in order." The two parts then gave Latin "componere," meaning, "to put together or arrange in order;" thus also, "to build or construct." Its participle form, "compositus" (meaning, "put or arranged together"), which gave Latin-based French "composte," meaning, "a blend, a mixture," which then became "compost," and came to be applied to "a mix of various fertilizing agents," but also, "a mixture of fruits cooked together;" then later, the altered spelling, "compote," was used for the fruit mixture. English borrowed "compost" in the 1390s, and it borrowed "compote" in the second half of the 1600s.   

Blueberries & Cream Pie

I've known and used this recipe for more than 25 years, but how I got it, I don't recall, and I don't even have it written down. Over the years, besides blueberries, I've done this pie with strawberries, peaches, blackberries, and one time, I even used pineapple. It was good! I've simply chosen to use blueberries this time, because that's what I just bought at the market. The pie has no crust for the top. Very simple to make.

Ingredients:

2 cups blueberries, well rinsed and drained
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup heavy cream + 1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
9 inch pie shell (homemade or store bought)

Heat the oven to 375 F. Place the pie shell in the oven for about 6 or 8 minutes, to firm it up for the cream/milk component that will be added. Remove the crust from the oven and add the blueberries. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the blueberries, then do the same with the cinnamon. One more time, sprinkle the flour evenly over the top. Mix the cream and milk and then gradually pour it over the pie. Some berries may not be fully covered, but do not fear, civilization has never ended over such trivial things. Bake the pie at 400 F for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the cream has essentially set (it should not be runny). Let the pie cool a bit, then place in the refrigerator to chill it, before serving, as it will set further as it cools/chills. 

 WORD HISTORY:
Bramble-This word, related to "broom," goes back to Indo European "bhrem," which meant, "bristle, thorn, sharp-pointed object." This gave Old Germanic "breme," meaning, "bush with thorns (often specifically used in reference to the blackberry bush)," and the extended, "bremel," as a diminutive form.^ This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "bræmel," with the same meaning. The "b" appeared to make the word, "bræmbel," but still with the "thorny bush" meaning, including the reference to "blackberry bush," and the derived word "bremel" was compounded with "berie," the then form of "berry," to make the Old English word for "blackberry."^^ "Bræmbel" then became "brembel," before the modern version. Forms in other Germanic languages have tended to remain connected to words for "blackberry" in modern times: German "Brombeere," Low German Saxon "Brummelbeer," West Frisian has "brommel" ("seems" little used nowadays), Dutch "braam" (meaning, "blackberry"), Danish "brombær," Icelandic "brómber."   

^ A diminutive is a form that conveys a sense of something as smaller or dearer.

^^ Besides "bremelberie," the color of the berry brought about the development of "blaceberian," also, "blæcberie," both of which are forms of modern "blackberry," but "bramble berry" also developed. German too has had various names for the blackberry, with "Brombeere" being proper, but there are many dialectal forms, a few of which are: "Schwarzbeere" (literally "blackberry"), "Dornbeere" (literally "thornberry"), "Brommelbeere" ("brambleberry") and "Kratzbier/Kratzbeer" (barb berry, after the thorns/barbs. "Kratz" is related to English "scratch").