And A Partridge and a Pear Pie: Pear Anise Pie

I know that I have been slacking off with my pie blogs. What with my trip to New Orleans, and the holidays, I have not found the time to write about my favorite subject. But that does not mean that I have not been making pies. In fact, I made quite a few old favorites for the holidays, including cranberry sage, salted apple caramel, and key lime. I did manage to venture into new territory with one pie, however, that I made for a family Hanakkuh gathering. This pie is called Pear Anise Pie.

I had been wanting to make this pie for quite some time, as I have already made 2 different pear pies from the Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book, by the Elsen sisters. Both were really good, so I assumed that this one would be as mouth-watering as the others. The recipe for this pie is quite simple. It basically consists of fresh pears, granulated and brown sugars, flour, allspice, bitters and salt. But the key ingredient in this treat is anise seeds. I was a little skeptical about the how the anise would blend with the other flavors in this recipe.

The result of this mixture, which was again spooned into a wonderful butter crust, was perfectly sweet and savory at the same time. The review from the family was overwhelmingly favorable. Although we had previously devoured a tender, succulent brisket made by my husband, everyone gobbled the pear anise pie as if it were the appetizer! Vanilla bean ice cream topped the pie in an exquisite fashion. Unfortunately, the down side was that there was virtually none of the pie left for me to consume the next day! 

In summary, there is no doubt that the pear anise pie will be made again, hopefully for just my husband and myself. It was a total hit with everyone! Speaking of pies, I have enjoyed making all of the pies I have have blogged about this year, and will continue to do so in 2016. There are so many pies to make - so little time. It will be fun to see what tasty pie treats await me next year. In the meantime, I will be wearing the wonderful apron that my sister made for me for Christmas as I cover the kitchen counter and myself with flour!

City of New Orleans

On Sept.7, 2013, at my daughter, Allison's wedding, she and her wife, Megan, promised to give me and Megan's mother, Vicki, an all expense paid  mothers/daughters trip to an unknown destination. This trip was to take place 2 years after their wedding - in 2015. I thought at the time how fun this would be and how exciting it would be to decide on a destination for the four of us. We decided to go to New Orleans, as none of us had ever traveled to this exciting city. So on Nov.29 of this year, we set out for our mothers/daughters adventure!

Our plan for our four nights in  New Orleans was fairly simple: we really had no formal plan! We knew that we had to enjoy all of the things that New Orleans is known for: food, music, bars, and partying! Our cozy little apartment in the French Quarter was convenient to all of these things. Food is an important part of New Orleans culture, with the city often rated as one of the best food cities in the country. We definitely experienced various types of food: gumbo, crab cakes, barbecue, burgers, collard greens, loaded grits, and beignets , among others. Our best meal was probably our last night in NOLA, when we went to Carrollton Market. This aesthetically pleasing spot, located near downtown, had a menu that included everything from scallops to steak to sweetbreads to fried quail. Interestingly, we all ate a different entree, with the veal sweetbread appetizer being perhaps the star of an equally delicious dinner. In addition, my dessert, a chocolate and sweet/salty beignet combination, was heavenly and clearly the best dessert that I experienced in NOLA.

Looking for a good bar in the New Orleans is about as hard as finding a good brewery in Asheville, NC. You can google "best bars in the French Quarter", and get a list of tourist favorites. But we quickly learned that it was just as likely that we would find an enjoyable, lively bar by walking in our French Quarter neighborhood. Since Megan and Allison are huge Patriots fans, we watched Sunday night football at little spot called the Copper Monkey. The owner was nice to us, but did inform us as we left that he disliked Patriots fans, and Panthers from NC! Another day we traveled to what is known as the "oldest bar in America", dating from 1772. This place, called Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, had a neat atmosphere, and is obviously a hangout for curious tourists. My personal favorite bar was a place called Old Absinthe House, close to our apartment. Obviously a popular spot for locals, this place had friendly staff, happy patrons, and a jukebox. It was pleasant atmosphere in which to converse and party with your own group. (videos made of us singing along with our favorite songs are proof of this)

Sightseeing in New Orleans was fun, although our plan for this emerged on a day to day basis. The Lafayette Cemetery was fascinating to me, with graves dating back to 19th century, and interesting statues and urns. Another must see for me is the Sculpture Garden, that is next to the New Orleans Art Museum. This strolling, naturalistic garden, has 64 sculptures, ranging from traditional to modern and different. As I walked along the beautiful paths, I realized that I was constantly being surprised by the next sculpture just around the corner! I would highly recommend this art/garden fusion experience. Our last day took us to a 30 minute bus ride outside of NOLA to a swamp tour. Allison, Megan and Vicki wanted to experience the swamp and the alligators. Since I have seen my share of alligators here in south Florida, this wasn't a must for me. However, the open boat tour was more than worth it because of our guide, Gary, who was a Cajun man born and bred. Gary, in his sometimes difficult to understand Cajun accent, admitted that the bayou was a way of life for him, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He claimed that he had never set foot on Bourbon Street, and told his tales about how he catches and kills alligators. I am really glad that we did the swamp tour,even though the alligators were hibernating on this chilly day!

Last but not least of my NOLA trip memories was the nightly music and dancing. Music in New Orleans is simply wonderful, with jazz bands playing during the day and rhythm and blues, soul, pop, and even the occasional country music all hours of the evening. The fact that I loved to dance almost more than anything made the dance club scene addicting to me. Favorite dance clubs, all located in the French Quarter included Famous Door, Fat Cats, and Bourbon Bandstand. Left to my own devices, I would have probably stayed up most of the night dancing, but unfortunately, the girls either couldn't keep up with my craziness, or were embarrassed by it. (more likely the latter). I would come back to NOLA just for the music and dancing!

So, I would rate New Orleans as a blast.. There were things that we didn't get around to doing, like going to Frenchmen St. at night, with locals claiming that Frenchmen now has the best music scene. This will give me a reason to go back, hopefully with Allison, Megan and Vicki again. I will conclude by saying how truly lucky I am to have a amazing daughter and daugher-in-law who not only agree to spend quality time with their mothers, but also fund the trip! I will never forget our time together!