Evidence of Spring

I came home this morning from getting a coffee and noticed a small bundle of snowdrops blooming by my front door.
They are brave harbingers indeed, to push their heads through such frozen ground.
And now I'm afraid they have given me false hope. I left the house without my jacket, rolled the window down as I drove. I went for a walk thinking it would be warm, only to quickly curl red, chilly fingers into the sleeves of my coat.
Not yet, not yet.

Soon, but not yet.

Six Days in Austin, Six Different Flans

I can’t take credit for this blog post, since this was completely Lea’s idea. Our first night in Austin Charlotte took us to Guero’s Taco Bar on South Congress St. and after a delicious meal and multiple margaritas the three of us decided to split a flan for dessert. The flan was the perfect sweet ending to a satisfying meal and it got Lea and I even more excited to explore Austin’s gastronomic offerings. Already in the midst of a deep and passionate food romance with each other, Lea came up with the flan idea the next night during dinner.
“Let’s try a different flan every day and rate them for your blog,” she said. “It could be called six days in Austin, six different flans.”
Charlotte, our gracious host, announced that flan was in fact one of her all time favorite desserts, so finding a different one to eat everyday would be a mission she could get behind.
We decided we would base our assessments of each flan by rating their texture, flavor, syrup, and overall deliciousness. With the plan conceptualized and our objectives clear, we committed ourselves to the “flan project” for the remainder of our trip with extreme and unwavering diligence.
But what you may ask is exactly flan? According to wisegeeks.com “flan is baked custard quite similar to crème caramel, typically made with eggs, cream or milk, gelatin and vanilla. Often flan is synonymous with crème caramel because it includes a layer of burnt or caramelized sugar on the bottom.”
Flan is most popular in Latin America and the Philippines.

I also learned Sunday night that flans can be savory, made for example, with spinach.
Shockingly however, some people who we described this project to were less than enthusiastic.
“I hate flan,” one of Charlotte’s friends announced during a brief camping trip. “It’s so creamy.”
Pause.
*crickets*
Exactly.
And some Texans we encountered (even those who were employed at well respected eateries) didn’t even know what it was we were inquiring about.
“What’s that?” one girl behind a bakery counter in Fredericksburg asked. “Yeah, no, we don’t make that.”
But we never let these comments deter us, and aside from Saturday when we were camping at Inks Lake, we managed to find a flan every day. Here they are, in chronological order.
Tuesday
Guero’s Taco Bar. This was our first flan, and since we ate it before the project officially commenced, it really served as the initial inspiration. After eating enchiladas, chalupas, tacos, bean and cheese tamales, chips and salsa, guacamole, and drinks (all served by our very handsome and attentive waiter) we still found room for this. The flan was thick with a slightly grainier consistency than most flan because, we realized after a few more bites, Guero’s uses coconut in the custard. This changed the consistency but also added a subtle dimension to the traditional caramel flavor of most flans which was lovely. It was also served with plenty of sugary syrup, making it delightfully moist and sweet. Amazingly, after this meal we managed to stumble over to the Continental Club to witness some of the Fat Tuesday celebrations. Exhausted and sated, we collapsed back at Charlotte’s apartment and slept heavily.
Wednesday
Trudy’s. Charlotte had to get up and spend the day on campus, so Lea and I were left to our own devices for most of the day. We had a wonderful time leisurely strolling down Guadalupe St. and admittedly it turned into a little bit of an unexpected shopping spree. Having stretched our budget for the day from ahem, some impulsive spending, and with the awareness that Charlotte had had a taxing day in the competitive and cut throat world of academia, we decided to make dinner for Charlotte at home. It was over a delicious pasta dish Lea whipped up that the flan project was really born, and so it became essential that after digesting dinner we journey out to find another flan. We ended up at Trudy’s and indulged ourselves in Palomas, a delicious drink made with lime juice, tequila, and Fresca, and two orders of flan. This flan paled in comparison to Guero’s, but did have a silky smooth texture which made each bite soft and light. The flavor lacked depth, although the top was dusted with some cinnamon which warmed it up and made it a little more interesting. We also decided it would have been nice to have a little more of the caramel syrup- unlike other flans there was no leftover syrup to spoon up at the end. On our drive home we speculated if Trudy’s flan was in fact, made from a box. (Photo #4)
Thursday
Central Market. Charlotte suggested that we should try a flan from Central Market which is an upscale grocery store nearby. We had to buy groceries for our camping trip that weekend anyway, so this seemed like the logical choice. When the three of us scanned the bakery case however, there was not a flan in sight. When we asked the woman behind the counter if they had any, say tucked away in the back, she said no, they did not.
“Do you ever have it,” one of us asked. “Like, maybe sometimes?”
“No, never.”
Disappointed, we were considering our options when it occurred to me that occasionally there are pre made flans in the pudding section of many grocery stores. The pudding section at Central Market came through for us and we walked out with two flans to taste; Kozy Shack flan, and a “Spanish Flan,” in a small round container. When we got home we flipped them onto plates, passed out the spoons, and I readied myself with a notebook and pen, ready to take notes. The “Spanish Flan” (photo #3) was surprising thick and creamy, with an amazingly smooth texture. The flavor was also very strong, which made sense after we read that the fourth ingredient was rum. The Kozy Shack flan (photo #2)was much lighter with less flavor than the Spanish flan, and reminded me more of a caramel Jell-O. Good but not great.

We then spent the night salsa dancing...
Friday
Mamacitas Mexican Restaurant. Friday we packed up the rental car and headed out of Austin to Fredericksburg, a funny German town about an hour and a half away, in the middle of Texas “wine country” (I know, who knew). We hiked Enchanted Rock that afternoon, and then feasted on authentic German cuisine at Der Linderbaum restaurant. Noting the fact that Fredericksburg was a predominantly German town, we realized that finding a flan may be more challenging here than in Austin. But we found one not far from downtown, at Mamacitas. This flan was made in one big dish, and sliced into wedges, as oppose to the individual flans we had been tasting that came in individual ramekins. Mamacitas’ flan was luxuriously creamy, with lots of caramel flavor and lots of syrup. Out of all the flans we tasted, Mamacitas’ was the most old school, traditional, caramel flan.
Saturday
Saturday we drove to Inks Lake to camp with several of Charlotte’s friends from UT. No flan, although we did eat delicious mushroom risotto made on the Coleman stove, grilled vegetables, sausages, s’mores, whisky, wine purchased from our previous day in “wine country,” and lots and lots of snacks.
Sunday
La Condesa. Sunday was our final night in Austin, and after taking the afternoon to recuperate from 1). hiking, 2). driving, and 3). the consumption of multiple tacos from Tacodeli, we decided to hit the town for drinks, flan, and some two-stepping. La Condesa is a newly opened restaurant in downtown Austin that Charlotte had been wanting to try, and they did have an intriguing "flan de camote," or sweet potato flan. The restaurant itself has a wonderful atmosphere (excellent place to take a date, Charlotte noted), and an impressive menu (although we limited ourselves to chips and guacamole, and a pitcher of margaritas). The flan de camote was delicious but was not the traditional flan that we had been searching for to rate. The consistency and flavor was much more like pumpkin pie and while I love pumpkin pie, Lea and I just didn’t feel comfortable calling this flan, flan. The papitas and candied sweet potatoes that garnished the flan were wonderful too, but again, not authentic. (Photo #1)
The Official Results of the Flan Project:
#1 Guero’s
#2 Mamacitas
#3Spanish Flan
#4 Trudy’s
#5 La Condesa
#6 Kozy Shack
I am now back home and enjoying the residual glow of a truly wonderful vacation, which was full of wonderful friends, good food, and worthwhile adventures. This week I also want to make a flan of my own from scratch, the results which I will assess and add to the line up (unbiased of course.)

Good Morning, Sweet Valentine!

Firstly, I want to make it clear that this is in no way an anti Valentine’s Day post, or rant, or therapy session, that oh, poor me, I’m single on Valentine’s Day. It’s not going to be like that at all. Because I actually think Valentine’s Day is a very sweet thing and is a day when you have an excuse to give your sweetie a little extra love and to say “hey, I like having you around.”
And if you don’t have a Valentine this year you can always do what I did this weekend, which includes going out to dinner with your Dad (thanks Dad!) and bringing your 97 year old grandmother roses and chocolate. This morning I also decided to make myself a special Valentine’s Day breakfast, which included milky coffee in my favorite Italian teacup, and baked oatmeal with peaches. I also got up to speed on the last three Savage Love podcasts, which ended up being another perfect idea because dang, relationships have problems.
In other non Valentine’s Day related news: That previously mentioned lesson I had to give this week in front of the principal for that job I want? It was not my most glorious teaching moment. I was nervous and I had to teach grammar, so I’ll let you envision how that played out in your own minds. Yes, it got a little hairy- and because of this they want me to come back and teach another lesson.
It’s not great news, but it’s also not bad news. But it does feel strange because Friday morning going into it I had mentally prepared myself for either a “yes” or a “no.” So when they said “come back and try again,” I couldn’t help but think “whaaaaaa???”
It’s been a weird thing to process the last couple of days, and it has reminded me of when I was in elementary school and someone would screw something up and instead of accepting the mistake or failure they would yell “do over!” and then be allowed to try it again.
A “do over” could be declared over anything, anytime. It could be after muddling up your lines while rehearsing for the class play, or during a game of kickball at recess after you unexpectedly give the ball a particularly wimpy kick. “Do over!” someone would yell, “DOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OVVVEEEEEEEEEER!”
There was also nothing shameful about calling for a do over. On the contrary, do overs were demanded with authority and force, and often were non-negotiable.
I suppose this is the attitude I have adopted for the next couple weeks. But first I get to relax a little and enjoy a short trip to Texas, where I will spend several days hanging in Austin with two good friends, and then hiking in the hills of Western Texas, like a cowgirl.

Whirlwind

This last week has been a big one for me. The kind of week when the great changes and shifts in life are palpable and present, and when the choices that are made are with the awareness that, gulp, they are choices that will effect at least the next several years of my life. Traditionally when I have stood at a crossroads like this it has been in a puddle of soggy tears, feeling that the responsibility of my own fate is just too much to handle. I have always been baffled and jealous of friends who would handle decisions like this with joy and excitement. I know, I need to lighten up and learn to embrace change. Thankfully, there have been no tears this week, and while I have been feeling lots of excitement it has also been coupled with a lot of stress and the occasional and unavoidable “I just don’t know what to do!”
After three days at a job fair in Cambridge where there was a lot of preoccupation with resumes, and first impressions, selling yourself, and "professional attire", I was so relieved and happy to visit with a few friends in Cambridge Saturday afternoon. I met my friend Nick in Harvard Square for lunch, and then my friend Myles swooped in and picked me up at The Coop. We went and had some delicious espresso and then Myles suggested we visit the Institute of Contemporary Art, which is also close to the train station.
“I thought it might help you decompress after a stressful few days,” he said.
It was a thoughtful gesture and come to find out, to visit something beautiful, walk inside, gaze, and be quiet was exactly the right way to end my visit and take a break from thinking so much about myself and the future.
Myles also told me about the delicious homemade ravioli he and his girlfriend have been making, and his description of the butternut squash filling and rosemary infused butter sauce had my mouth watering as we rode in the taxi back to South Station. I have never made homemade pasta but it’s been on the list for a while. When I woke up yesterday morning in my own bed and began to figure out how I wanted to spend the day, making these ravioli as well as visiting with some good friends were the only things I was willing to put on my agenda.
The ravioli dough was really the most challenging part. I just experimented and ended up using three eggs for three cups of flour, but once I got into it I realized this was really too much flour. The internet told me to put the flour on a clean counter, make a well, and then put the eggs in the well, beat them and then incorporate the flour from the edges as you go. This method worked for me. I then had to roll out the dough since I don’t have a pasta machine, and I had a hard time getting the sheets as thin as I think they should be. Because some of the sheets ended up thick, some of the pasta was a little tough after they were cooked. However, the later batches were thinner and came out perfectly tender and supple.
Myles suggested making the sauce with rosemary and pecans, but I opted for sage and toasted walnuts (since this is what I had in the cupboard). Tossing the ravioli in the sage infused butter, with the crunch of the toasted walnuts was absolutely delectable, along with a crush of black pepper and some more Parmesan cheese.
The filling with the squash and pears was extremely warm and comforting and I think would also make a great filling for butternut squash lasagna with a bechamel sauce. Lea was over and also sautéed up some tasty kale with garlic and olive oil, which was a perfect, healthy side dish.

With everything still very much up in the air, this week is also likely to be an intense one. I made it to the second round of interviews for a teaching position at a neighboring public high school, and Wednesday I have to teach a 90 minute lesson to 25 9th graders I have never met before, while the classroom teacher and principal observe.

Pass the wine please!
Butternut Squash and Pear Ravioli
For the filling:
I medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
2 pears, peeled and diced (I used Bartlett)
2 cloves garlic
A pinch of nutmeg
½ - ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Boil the squash and garlic until tender, and add the pears for the last few minutes (just to get nice and soft). Drain out water and then puree in the food processor or with an immersion blender until nice and smooth. Add cheese and seasonings, set aside. (Come to think of it, roasting the butternut squash would also be delicious- try it and let me know!)
For the Dough:
Maybe 2 cups of flour
Pinch of salt
3 eggs
A little water if dough seems dry
I realize this is vague. I probably shouldn’t even be including instructions for making the pasta dough since I really don’t know how to do it myself! Anyway, what I did was put the flour on the clean counter and made a well. Crack open the eggs and beat them with a fork in the well, adding flour as you beat. Then begin kneading the dough, adding more flour and maybe a little water. Once you have a nice, elastic dough, roll out into two sheets. The dough should be pretty thin. Then scoop the filling and put it on one sheet of the pasta so that you make a little grid with the filling. Put the other sheet of pasta over it, and then cut out the ravioli. Moisten the sides with a little water to make the sides stick. Place in boiling water and cook until they begin the rise to the top.
Sage butter sauce
3-4 Tbs. butter (or more!)
5 sage leaves
¾ cup toasted walnuts
Melt the butter with the sage in a skillet and cook on low a few minutes. Remove the sage leaves. Put cooked ravioli into the skillet and coat them with the butter. Sprinkle toasted walnuts on top, and some more Parmesan cheese if you want. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!