November 10, 2011 Sushi and Quince and Pear Tart.

November 10, 2011 Sushi and Quince and Pear Tart.

We woke up and decided to turn the remaining pears and quinces at home into a pear and quince tart. So while watching a soccer match we peeled fruit and Suzette made a new pie crust recipe using wine and butter. Then Suzette made simple syrup using 2 cups of sugar with two cups of water and after the sugar went into solution we added the approximately 8 cups of fruit and started simmering it for about three hours. 

At around 11:00 a.m. we went shopping.  First we went to Pro Market where we bought eggs, milk, shrimp, avocados, and cojita cheeses and shredded Asadero cheese for a shrimp enchilada recipe Suzette wants to try.  We then stopped at several thrift stores, including St. John’s Thrift Store on Central at 12^th where we purchased a lovely sushi set with four tea bowls, dipping bowls and chop stick rests for $2.00.

Suzette, then wanted to go to RestoreIt and I wanted to go to Ta Lin to buy ingredients for sushi, so we could try our new sushi set.  At RestoreIt, Suzette bought a four drawer metal file cabinet for $25.00 and at Ta Lin we bought fresh shitaki and Miataki mushrooms, a Japanese eggplant, some shallots, canned pimientos for our favorite Spanish tapa, Swedish pearled sugar crystals for baking, medium firm tofu, packages of filets of salmon, red aji tuna and an octopus tentacle and seaweed salad, a fresh diakon and ginger root. 

When we arrived home at 1:00 p.m. we were hungry and Suzette suggested that we eat sushi.  So I fetched our prepared wasabi horseradish packed in a plastic tube and pickled slices of ginger in a plastic bottle and the bag of pickled cucumber strips I made the other day from the fridge.  I then thinly sliced one half of the fresh daikon and put those slices into the bag of pickled cucumbers, while I sliced the fish and octopus into thin slices and put them on a large plate, which they filled.  I then heated saki and sprinkled sushi flavoring over about 1 ½ cups of PPI rice and heated it made green tea and we put all of that on the table and ate sushi for about an hour while we watched the post-election Maher show and talked to Willy.  Luke is camping at White Sands.

After lunch I thinly sliced the remaining daikon and one cucumber and threw them in a bag with the pickling liquid from the PPI pickled cucumbers while watching Texas A&M play Alabama, which may turn out to be the best college football game of the year.

At around 6:00 p.m. we discussed dinner.  We were not hungry enough to eat Suzette’s proposed shrimp enchiladas, but decided upon Suzette’s suggestion that we bake the quince and pear tarts and eat that for dinner.  So Suzette took the pie crust from the fridge and rolled it into one large and two small circles and pinched the edges, so they would stand up to hold the liquid from the fruit and then filled and baked them in the oven until the crust turned golden brown.  After the Kansas State-TCU game I went to Lowe’s and purchased a carton of Kemp’s vanilla ice cream ($3.50) made with real vanilla bean and put scoops of vanilla ice cream on the warm quince and pear tart and ate a belated but lovely dessert for our large sushi lunch.

Bon Appètit