Blueberry Pie!

So I decided to try a new pie this weekend. I wanted to use blueberries and lemon curd, and I wanted it all to be baked. Blueberries and lemon curd seem to be a popular mix, but every recipe I found used fresh blueberries and had a curd that was cooked on the stove, cooled overnight, then glopped into the cooked pie crust. Not what I wanted.

My mental image was a lemon curd pie with no signs of blueberry until you cut in and found a narrow band of blueberries just on top of the crust...hidden under the lemon goodness. So the plan was to bake the blueberries with the crust for 20 minutes, then add the lemon and eggs on top and bake for another 20 minutes or so until the curd set.



And that's what I did. I also pureed a handful of blueberries to marble in with the lemon curd.

I learned several things while I was making this pie...



First: Blueberries float. When you add the (still-liquid) lemon and eggs, the half-baked blueberries floated to the top of the mixture.



Second: Pureed blueberries and lemony eggs don't have enough density to marble. They just combine.

Third: Blueberries are TART! I was so happy about that actually. I was really afraid that they'd go all sweet on me, but the combo of lemon and blueberry created the tartest tart I've ever had. AWESOME!

In the end, the pie was great. It didn't look anything like what I thought it would, but as far as taste, it was just what I wanted.

Amnesia

I haven't forgotten about this! I just haven't had anything to post about this week. But I'm making a pie today. So I'll let you know how it turns out.

Matsushima

I went on my 'last hurrah' trip with Nobuko and Sachiko this weekend. By weekend, I really mean Monday and Tuesday, because I had to work on Saturday and Sunday.

We took the 10AM train all of 30 minutes to Matsushima Kaigan. We went to several of the places that I had never seen, despite 3 previous trips. There is a little traditional building (moved from somewhere by someone or another) on top of a small hill overlooking the ocean. We had a bit of tea as a tour group of Chinese speakers stood in front of us and stared on as we drank our tea. It was awkward and funny for all of us I think. There is a also a small collection of historical things (I'm not sure they quite qualify as artifacts) next to this tea house, and we had a stroll around there as well.



We had a brief look around Godaido, a small temple on one of the tiny little islands in the bay. It is opened once every...let's say 33...years. It's cute. I'd seen it before.

Then we headed towards what was, for me, the main attraction. Fukuura Bridge. And the little island on the other end of it. I have been to Matsushima several times, and I believe Akira has been with me every time I've been in recent memory. I had wanted to go have a closer look at this very nice bridge, but there is some sort of curse dooming any couple that crosses the bridge together. So that never happened. Apparently, there is no fear of the curse if Akira happens to be at work while I'm strolling over the bridge. Awesome!



It's a bridge! And on the other end is a lovely little island with some huge old trees that have remained relatively untouched (for Japan). There are also nice views of other little islands.

After a nice walk around the island, and some yakisoba back on the mainland, we called for the car from the ryokan. They picked us up! Isn't that nice?

Lot's of lounging, several trips the bath, an enormous dinner, and lots of sleeping ensued.

In the morning, we went to a glass museum that houses the collection of a Japanese artist who lived, and created glass, in Venice. There were some very gaudy pieces, but also quite a few nice ones. Especially the boxes. I'd really like to know how you make boxes out of blown glass....Anyway, someone was getting married in the garden between the museum and the adjoining hotel. But they were obviously rehearsing and taking pictures before the guest arrived. I have to admit that I was absolutely astonished to see the bride wandering around in her (Western) wedding gown with the groom in tow. She was in her dress! With the groom! Before the wedding! I can't explain why it struck me so odd. I think Sachiko and Nobuko thought I was really silly. But Japan is, in general, SUCH a superstitious country. I suppose because they've basically adopted most of America's marriage customs, I expected this one to have made it as well. I don't know. It was dumb, but I was really surprised.

Next was the オルゴール museum. This was described to me as a music box museum. But these were huge organs from Belgium, France, and Germany (for the most part) that played like player-pianos. It was absolutely bizarre! You could make a fantastic horror movie in that place.



And now I'm back home. Check off another great weekend.