Here There and Everywhere

Expat wanderer

Autumn Plum Torte

We are watching the farmer’s markets for the first of the Italian plums, those elongated plums that show up around this time of the year. We are getting eager for Pflaumekuchen, or Autumn Plum Torte.

It’s really more like a pie. And I hate to tell you how easy it is to make.

00pflaumekuchen.jpg

This is my mother’s recipe:

Autumn Plum Torte (Pflaumekuchen)

1/4 Cup Butter
1 T Sugar
1/4 t. salt
2 eggs
1 c sifted flour

10 – 12 purple prune plums
1 c sugar
1 T Flour
Dash nutmeg and cinnamon
1/2 cup half and half

1. Cream butter and sugar, add salt and 1 egg yolk. Blend well, add 1 cup flour, mix well.

2. Press mix into bottom of greased 8” pie pan.

3. Cut plums in half or quarters; place cut side up on top of mix. It is pretty if you make a kind of circular pattern out from the center.

4. Combine sugar, 1 T flour and spices. Sprinkle over plums.

5. Beat 1 egg and 1 white, add half and half, pour over top.

6. Bake at 425 for ten minutes, then turn down to 350 for 40 – 45 minutes, until custard sets and plums are cooked.

The smell as it is cooking is divine. You can serve it in wedges, warm or cold.

You can also double this, and make it in a 9 x 14 pan, to serve to larger groups. It goes FAST!

August 2, 2007 Posted by | Cooking, ExPat Life, Germany, Lumix, Photos, Recipes, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Anthony’s Beach Cafe, Edmonds, WA

These are the bathroom doors at Anthony’s Beach Cafe, in Edmonds, Washington. I am not going to show you any of their delicious food – they already have too many customers, and a long line of people waiting to get in and eat there, especially in this gorgeous summertime weather. Even in winter, Anthony’s is packed.

00bathroom-doors.jpg

You would never see bathroom doors like this in Kuwait. But it would be fun to see a door with an abaya, and another with a dishdasha and gutra. 🙂

August 2, 2007 Posted by | Arts & Handicrafts, Cultural, Eating Out, ExPat Life, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Lumix, Photos | 8 Comments

A Room with a View

Kinan and I have been having an ongoing desultory conversation about views. He likes my view in Kuwait and he loves a good view in general.

I have challenged him to close his eyes, sit back and envision HIS perfect view.

And so I challenge you, my readers. Even if you have never commented before, yield to this temptation. Commenting is easy – you don’t even have to give your name, just choose any old pseudonym.

Close your eyes. Lean back in your chair. Think of what you would like to have outside your window, to look at day after day. And then – tell us about it.

dgo-window-frame.jpg
(Window frame courtesy of castelli marble)

I will tell you, for me it has to do with water, and even better, water and mountains. I love my Kuwait view, and chose a smaller living space just to have the breathtaking view. I have never, not for a heartbeat, regretted that choice. The view out over the Arabian Gulf thrills my heart, and I can lose hours watching ships, watching beachcombers, even watching fish jumping out of the Gulf waters. A beautiful view is a precious gift to the soul.

For my husband, I am would guess it would be Zambia, looking out over a hippo pool, watching elephants cross, watching the lions come down to drink – or to feed.

What view would feed your soul? What would you love to look at day after day? Speak now!

August 1, 2007 Posted by | Adventure, Africa, Community, Entertainment, Experiment, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Zambia | 25 Comments