In the past four weeks, three of my old friends from high school have buried their parents and that has given me lots to think about in terms of life, mortality and my love for my mother & father.
I decided that the best way for me to celebrate my love my parents and my appreciation for their profound influence in my life would be by creating something wonderful for the family Thanksgiving dinner.
What better way to celebrate my mother, than by creating two of her incredibly delicious desserts and what better way to honor my dad, than by making something delicious to eat !
Well, I started off with mom’s recipes for her pecan pie and her famous & infamous chocolate meringue pie. That pie is infamous as many have tried but few have succeeded in duplicating it. We have for years teased mom about leaving out some ingredient(s) or preparation instructions. My bet was that no one could duplicate the love that she puts into that pie, never mind the 25 years of experience in making it twice annually.
After my trip togrocery store, I was set with all of the ingredients necessary. Next step was to crank up the music and began making a tremendous mess in my kitchen with the hopes of making a tremendous couple of pies.
Raquel came into the kitchen, as it was her cleaning day, and asked what it was that I was doing, no doubt concerned about how much longer it would take to clean my little home.
I told her what I had planned and she replied that she didn’t know that I was a dessert maker. I assured her this was my first attempt at these pies and that I had all that I needed; all the ingredients, great music, great love for my mother, great intentions and if all else failed I had a six pack of Shiner bock and that I was going to create a great dessert or a great deal of garbage for the trash can.
Music was thumping and the pe-party was underway. I thought that I’d try the easiest one first, sort of a confidence builder.
The pecan pie went without a hitch. It came out of the oven looking as beautiful as any mom had ever made. All full and boasting large, golden pecans. I was feeling good about myself and threw myself with reckless abandon into the vaunted chocolate challenge.
The chocolate filling seemed to firm up well on the stove and I then began whipping my meringue. I smiled with new found admiration for my grandmother and others before me who had whipped meringue without egg beaters. Being that I am new to this pie making exercise, I had yet to buy a mixer or electric beaters. Frankly, this was a bit of a forearm workout and if I didn’t have the Neville Brothers tempo to keep the beat & beating going I may have not gotten such a splendid meringue. But it was lovely indeed…
“Next year”, I thought, “I’ll have to substitute the Neville’s for some pie topping making music, something like salsa or (wait for it…wait for it….) merengue music.”
Into the oven and hopes that the pie would come out firm enough. Others who have attempted this recipe have been the target of much teasing by my wntire family. Typically the teasing was that the pie was rather runny and did the pie baker think to bring straws for us to better enjoy the liquid confection.
When I opened the oven the meringue was a glorious golden and had those kisses of sweet “due drops” that only a great meringue can exhibit. I was a proud man indeed.
Additionally, when the pie was pulled from the oven, it didn’t seem to wobble. Indicating, to me, that it was a firm chocolate filling under the coating of snow capped meringue. Had I done it?!
Well, only time and my family’s scrutiny would prove that, but i was still a proud man.
I set both of those chaocalate meringue pies on top of the stove and set about cleaning up my mess. I didn’t see that having Raquel do my dirty work was any way of showing my appreciation for her and anyone that knows me is aware that I actually enjoy washing dishes. Besides, knowing her as I do I was sure that raquel was entranced by one of her spanish soaps on telemundo!
As I was scraping the chocolate that had stuck to the pan, one of my senses awoke and alerted me that something may be amiss(is there a more alarming sensation than that of smelling smoke?).
I wondered what could I have spilled in the oven that was burning and as I turned to shut down the oven I realized that I had left the top front burner of the stove on and guess which pie was sitting atop that burner? The chocolate pie with the golden “dew kissed” meringue—damn, that pie is jinxed!
I laughed and laughed at my pride and decided that if nothing else, I would take the pie to the family gathering and we would (a) know that I had at least “hit” the recipe and pulled it off (even if the bottom was a bit overdone) and (b) I would have a GREAT story to tell about this man’s pride and the cosmos’ lesson in pride and (c) I would take my lumps over the flawed chocolate pie just as others before me.
at least the pecan pie was going to top off a great dinner (or so I had hoped). The pecan pie sat on top of the stove and the now burnt,chocolate pie, was sitting (probably quite amused with itself) in my fridge.
I wish I could say that the story ends there but it would only be mildly amusing to most (although wildly amusing to me).
This morning I took my dog Voodoo for a great run in this wonderfully chilly air, we do like to runat Memorial Park in the cool air. We came home and I started making some breakfast. I put the tea kettle on the front burner for some coffee and ran upstairs to shower.
As I was toweling off another of my five senses alerted me that something might be amiss. My fire alarm went off and I trucked downstairs to see what was the matter.
Remember the pecan pie, (remember the one sitting on the back burner of the stove all boasting of golden toned pecans), well as I got to my kitchen I certainly remembered that pie as there it sat.
All ablaze!
I immolated that pie!
I probably have never turned on that back burner before (guess I can’t say that again).
Well, I gotta go…I gotta run to teh store to restock on pie ingredients,
Signed,
an undaunted man–
happy thanksgiving and happy parenting…
