Another Bitchin Time!

It was yet another fun night at Effiloche. For those that don't comprehend the idea of a Stitch and Bitch, its like a house party without the obnoxious asshole drunks, and where everyone is knitting something. If you are stuck in your pattern, you can hit someone up for help. You gab with like minded people from all walks of life and ages. The age group last night was from their teens into the grey haired (greyer than me under my hair dye color). Skill levels run the gamut from expert to rank amateur. At the Effiloche SnB there is a potluck table with a kettle for tea, a coffee maker, bottles of red wine and glorious nibbles like pate and olive bread, sucre a la creme (fudge), cookies, tiramisu made by a 12 year old (it was to die for), chocolate madeleines, etc etc etc. I brought an easy to whip up caramel apple tart. Want the recipe? Here you go:

Alison's Tarte Tatin creme sucre avec des pommes (Carmel apple skillet tart)
*ingredient amounts vary with size of skillet used*

sliced apples tossed with flour
brown sugar cream (coffee cream is fine)
vanilla
butter
In a skillet, melt your butter. Then add the brown sugar. stir it around and get it melting. When ist melty add the vanilla and cream. Get it hot and add the flour coated apples. Cook until things are getting bubble, stirring occassionally. When you are not stirring you will be whipping up a biscuit dough for the crust.
Mine is based on my grandmother's recipe. You could use a mix I suppose (bleahck) or maybe pastry if you are feeling like it.
I didn't measure but it was roughly:
1 1/2 cups white flour
2/3 cup sour milk oR buttermilk oR a milk/ plain yogurt combination(thats what i used)
1/2 Tbs baking powder
" '' sugar
couple pinches salt
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in 1 1/2 Tbsp butter until it is well blended and all crumbly like rolled oats. Then add milk a bit at a time until you have a soft dough thats not too wet. Turn it out onto your floured surface and roll to 1/4 inch thick. This made too much dough for my skillet but if you used a big one and thus more filling ingredients it'll be plenty. Lay the rolled out crust over your filling in the skillet (oh..by the way make sure skillet is oven proof) and place the skillet in a 350 oven for 20 minutes or until crust is golden NOT BROWN.
Remove from oven, place appropriate platter or plate over the skillet and flip it so the plate is ion the bottom, now holding everything crust side down. Scrape remaining goodies out of the pan and onto the tart. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon. Et Voila! My version of a tarte tatin. Well, one of my versions anyways.

Knitwise, I started and got halfway through a Fuzzy Feet slipper (pattern at Knitty.com) in a Nova Scotian hand spun and hand dyed yarn that I've had since Julyor August. The pattern knits up super fast because you use larger needles since the slipper sock will be felted into an adorable rolled down top slipper. If I hadn't been gabbing and eating and making mistakes I would have been farther along when I brought it home and ended up ripping it back a bit to fix.
I am now in the foot and it should only take an hour to finish..then I will do slipper #2..Estimated time? ummm maybe 3or 4 hours. and then with felting I will have a pair of cozy wooly slippers that look like sunset on my feet (shades of golden, yellow, greens, blues, corals, pinks, magenta..). I'll take a picture eventually. Maybe Before and After the felting process.
I stayed up waaaaaay too late after I got home. I am off to curl up with my coffee and Interweave Knits magazine. The guys are heading off to skiing and won't be home before 5.
Sweet quiet.