9.28.2007

directionally stupid

if i was politically correct, i'd call my self 'directionally challenged'. but the fact of the matter is, thats not strong enough. i'm honestly, truly, directionally stupid... i used to think it was just in relation to driving but i think i'm finally realizing that its pretty much every aspect of my life. if there are directions, i'll screw them up.

last weekend, my mom and i went to Target (sigh. i'm in love with target, so there's always a sigh after a visit...) and since i'm 100% impressionable, i picked up this little 'fall baking' recipe book. its the opposite of fancy - i believe it was created by betty crocker - but when i flipped it open, i saw something that i NEED to make... so i bought it.

after flipping through it to see if i had, infact, just spent 6.99 for one cookie recipe, i noticed that there were actually a number of things that looked really good. some easy, some more challenging...

tonight was one of those nights where i wanted something on the 'easy' side.

i guess the problem is that i dont really pay attention to something i have deemed 'easy'. it happens at work, and apparently, it happens in the kitchen.

these pear tartlets had exactly 3 ingredients. 3.



i managed to get 2 things wrong.

what i was supposed to get was puff pastry, pears and peach preserves...





what i came home with was pears, filo sheets and apricot preserves...







i sat there, in whole foods, looking at a pack of puff pastry. and then i saw the filo sheets next to it. and for whatever reason, my really scattered brain ceased to remember that they are not, in fact, the same thing. so mistake #1, i bought filo. for two reasons. one, it was 1/3 of the price of the prize winning puff pastry (it really said that it was prize winning, i just dont remember what prize) and two, the actual puff pastry was in a tub whereas the filo was in something that looked more like a roll of aluminum foil. and i couldnt wait to see how something rolled up like that was going to work...

hi, if it looks impossible, it probably is.

the apricot preserves was just a big brain fart. or a bit bout of laziness, really, cause the recipe was IN MY BAG. god forbid i had pulled it out and looked at it before buying the wrong thing...


but, whatever. because i get this weird, sick, stubborn determination when things are going utterly and completely wrong, i figured i'd still make tartlets...



my final product really doesnt look anything like the one in the magazine and my guess is that it doesnt taste anything like the one in the magazine.

but you know, it wasnt half bad... so 'not half bad' that i ate 4 of them.

what? i dont think 4 is excessive when its your entire dinner...





Pear Thingies
courtesy of my big, fat mistake

4 sheets filo dough
2 pears - 1 bosc, 1 d'anjou
apricot preserves

preheat oven to 400°
stack filo sheets and cut into 4 quarters
arrange filo quarters on cookie sheet, lined with parchment
chop pears into quarters and then into small slices.
put pears on each quarter, leaving about 1 inch around the edges (i used about 2/3 of my pears...)
fold edges over - they'll cover the pears a little bit, but wont make a full 'pocket'
bake for 10 mins.
lower oven to 350°, rotate cookie sheet and bake for another 5 mins or so, until filo is brown around the edges.

while still warm, top each with a spoonful of preserves, covering all of the pears.

allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes and then eat, while still a little warm.

2 comments:

roopa said...

I love the name of your recipe. I am seriously hysterically laughing over it.

You never fail to make me laugh :) (And I mean that in a good way)

Oh and PS, I always use the Whole Foods Apricot Preserves instead of peach jam or whatever, it's tastier and it's also pretty damn cheap.

Unknown said...

Your "thingies" look very cute... and this one had me laughing as well...

That first picture does make your pears look very naughty for some reason though...

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