Monday 15 October 2012

Apples, Onions & Beetroot

I have had a fruitful two days.  I started late Sunday Morning with the preparation of the pickling onions.  I had bought just shy of 4kg.  That is a lot of onions to peel.  I mentally prepared myself for crying and stinging eyes that I was going to undergo, it would be worth it.  As I was starting we were talking about old wives tales about how to avoid onion eyes.  I remembered the one about cutting the bottom off first.  I thought I would give it a go.  I did and it worked!  I flew through the pile of onions like a peeler possessed and had the job lot done in 45 minutes and hardly a tear in sight - once I started cutting the bottom end first.  I was quite chuffed with myself for a few hours, I can tell you.  I put the onions in two large mixing bowls with a salt water solution and left them till this morning.  I got eight jars of large pickled onions sat in the cellar now, and a HobbitKeeper who is counting down the days till they are  ready to eat.
 
I have also been playing with the Lakeland Apple Master and peeled, cored and sliced all the apples that Mary-Jane and I picked a few days ago.  I cooked them up to a roughish pulp, let them cool, then bagged them up in half pound bags and froze them.  I now have a grand total of 3lb 10oz of apple pulp.  Not bad going at all!
 
Then this afternoon, on went the pinny.  Mary-Jane wanted hers on as well when she saw me in mine.  She was as much interested in running around as helping me weigh things out.  I made American Style Beetroot Pie.  I took the recipe from Baking Heaven Magazine.  It's a lovely simple recipe using beetroot, double cream, soft brown sugar, allspice, mixed spice and ginger.  The colour is gorgeous.  After it cooled, I put it in the fridge to chill.  When I was ready to eat it, I dusted it with icing sugar, and sat down in the front with a cuppa and put my feet up.

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I don't like American Style Beetroot pie.  I managed half a slice and couldn't bring myself to eat any more.  In the bin it went.  The first mouthful was okay, it went downhill after that.  I just don't like the taste of it.  It was good that I could taste the beetroot then the spices.

I shall not be eating or making American Style Beetroot Pie again.

2 comments:

Luneray said...

What beautiful pacing...the excitement of trying a new dessert, followed by a mouthwatering photo...and then the punchline. Made me laugh out loud! I think golden beets would have worked better for this recipe...not as beautiful, true, but they are sweeter and not as earthy tasting.

I've put beets in savory pies with other root veggies...parsnips, potatoes, turnips...and it's good, even if the beets tend to tint everything pink.

great story though! :)

paula said...

Never heard of Beet Root Pie.

Wonder what part of the country it comes from?