Saturday, August 28, 2010

Method in my Madness!


Ok..so I suppose I should not confess to making a huge mistake in the kitchen but today's baking was some what of an experience! It stormed all day giving me the opportunity to do some much needed housework. About 2 o'clock in the afternoon, I decided to bake! It seemed to be the perfect day for some type of treat. After searching through the kitchen, I still had no idea just what I wanted to make so I asked my son what he would like to eat. A definite "Peach pie!" rang down from upstairs..so that settled it. Aha..I could take the lazy way out! There was a store bought pie shell in the freezer! I am not sure just when or where it came from, but I was going to use it! I grabbed a quart jar of peaches from the shelf and drained the juice into a large pot. I needed to thicken the juice for the pie. Not thinking, I dumped some of what I thought was cornstarch into the cold liquid and started whisking it to remove the lumps. AACCKK! What was happening?? The approximately two cups of peach juice was foaming and frothing like a wild, rabid animal! And it was starting to GROW! The more I stirred the frothier it got until it started climbing out of the pot! What was happening to my peach juice..I could not use this in a pie..it was scary! The juice continued to foam up over the sides of the pot..oh my! What had I done? I shoved the pot to the back of the stove and grabbed a dishtowel to clean up the bubbles. That done, I went to the shelf..peered at the different cans, bottles and boxes. I imagined myself the mad scientist looking over his supply of chemicals..what would produce rabid peach juice?? hehehe..ahh..There is the solution! I can now take over the world with mountainous bubbles of peachy juice!! hehehe! Back to reality..I realized that I had inadvertently poured about four tablespoons of BAKING POWDER into the juice instead of cornstarch. I would have never guessed that such a reaction could have taken place. Such a waste (or was it??)..and I still needed to make this pie. I took down another jar of peaches and preceded to thicken the juice (this time with cornstarch) stirred in most of the peach slices and filled the pie shell. This was popped into the oven to bake while I pondered the pot of ever-growing, rabid juice. I am one that hates to waste anything, so out came a large mixing bowl, the flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, buttermilk and baking soda. (Yes, I know..no eggs.) After putting that into the bowl, the still frothing juice was added. I stirred it together and poured it into three pans! The peaches (leftover from the pie) were gently folded into this batter and the the whole bunch of them were set in the oven to bake. About forty-five minutes later the timer sounded. What came out of the oven was spectacular. Maybe not in aesthetics but in taste this concoction was astounding! It just proves that if all seems hopeless, keep trying..sometimes mistakes can produce happy results.


I might have had better pictures but my son cut into the "mistake" as soon as it came from the oven. I had gone to bring my two brothers each one and when I returned, all my son could say was.."You can make some more of this mistake..it is delicious!"...........The pie still sits uncut!

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