Eggs + Cream + Pandemic $$$ Update

Eggs are economical and I have been making quiches following The Joy of Cooking's basic filling formula and using mushrooms, Swiss, spring asparagus and Oronoque Orchards deep-dish frozen pie crusts from the supermarket.

I've been skirting sugar, too. But once a week in this pandemic, I seek comfort and whip up rich, creamy Café au Lait Pots de Crème in my parents' and our pretty wedding china cups. You bake the custards in a water bath at a relatively low 325 degrees F., so my fragile china doesn't break. NOTE: The recipe calls for sturdy custard cups or ramekins; I took this wedding china leap and love it. I also reduced the sugar from 3/4 cup to 5 tablespoons.

The amazing Julia Reed.

Here is the recipe [for Nan and others], lightly adapted from Julia Reed's South cookbook: 

Café au Lait Pots de Crème 

1. Set 6 wedding china tea/coffee cups or 8 half-cup ramekins in a 13 by 9 inch baking pan.
2. Put a few cups water to boil in the kettle on stovetop. Once it boils, turn heat off.
3. Pour 3 cups heavy cream [or 2 cups cream and 1 cup half and half] into a heavy-bottomed saucepan/saucepot. Heat over medium heat until small bubbles form around edge.
4. Add 6 tablespoons espresso powder [I had a jar from Williams-Sonoma; you might want to reduce to 4 T, because it can keep you up at night]; the 5 tablespoons granulated white sugar; 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract; and optional, 1 tablespoon brandy, which I never have on hand.
5. Whisk until dissolved; remove from heat.
6. Place 8 egg yolks in a medium bowl and if the bowl has a spout, better yet. [You can use the egg whites for meringues if you like.] Whisk until blended.
7. Add the cream mixture in two parts, whisking continually to prevent curdling.
8. Divide the mixture among the 6 cups or 8 ramekins. Carefully pour the hot kettle water around the cups in the pan until it reaches about halfway up. Loosely cover pan with a piece of aluminum foil.
9. Carefully ease pan into oven/middle rack. [I take my top oven rack out first for ease.] Bake 30 to 35 min or until creme center moves slightly when cup is shaken.
10. Let cool on counter. Remove cups from water bath. Cover each with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate. They will tase best if you can wait until they are deeply chilled, maybe overnight.
11. Serve with freshly whipped cream.

TCOY

• Took walk.
• Pitched article idea.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET 

Friday

• Applegate Farm [since 1848], 3 pints ice cream, 2 sugar-free, + $2 tip. $24.50. This after we could not get delivery from any Chinese or Japanese place we called on Good Friday. They were out of stock; it was 8 pm.
• Maggie’s Organics, Wisconsin, skirt; skirt attached to leggings; and buy one/get one organic cotton socks [idea is to give one to mail carrier, cashier, someone you see working hard in pandemic] $101.
• U.S. Post Office, mail baby gift to Florida, overdue, $4.80.

Monday

• Villa Victoria. $48 plus $10 tip. Chicken dish, pizza, garlic knots, red sauce, cavetelli w broccoli, covered a few meals for two days, $58.

Tuesday

• Cameron Animal Hospital, Sugar has cataracts and she won't let us clean around her eyes anymore and she could  not see between hardened discharge and hair overgrowth. Eye cleaning/clip plus 6 months each of heartworm pills and flea/tick pills, $139.75.
• Le French Dad in Montclair, ordered for curbside pickup tomorrow to support this local business. Box of 6 macarons for Punch [she chose the exotic flavors]; 4 French breakfast rolls for her; and 2 lb. local oats, $32.
• Animal Jam, one-year subscription for Punch. It seems fairly wholesome but harmless for her and she still likes it. Didn't want recurring payments that automatically renew. This was $57.95 for 12 months.
• Forgot to record last week--pilot and first season of "The Closer," with Kyra Sedgwick. I love it. It was expensive but I feel worth it for my entertainment in pandemic. I think pilot was $4.99 and buying season 1 was $29.99, so $34.98.

total Friday to Tuesday, hope I remembered all: $452.98.

ongoing monthly spend as of April 14; $1,359.74.

avg daily spend: $97.12.