January

February is finally here and it's beginning to feel as if Old Man Winter 09/10 just may go the way of the dinosaurs after all.

But back to January.

January, as is customary, is decidedly dull. There were a few highlights.

My father turned 77 this year. As is our custom, we met at his house and enjoyed one of our family's traditional desserts--carrot pudding with brandy sauce. This recipe is one that has been passed down in the family. It came from my father's mother, who probably got it from her mother.

In it's most traditional form it requires the purchase of kidney fat from a butcher or slaughterhouse (an ingredient you USED to be able to get at the grocery story), and Muscat raisins that have to be ordered from the Sunmaid company in California (an ingredient that ALSO used to be available at grocery stores).

It also requires the use of pudding molds. Pudding molds are hard to find and often expensive, and are impossible to find in the shape that we grew up with and for which the recipe is designed--two large pineapple juice-type cans cut to make a mold and a lid. Most molds look like jello molds or bowls, which may or may not have an impact on the cooking. As it stands, my father can make three puddings and steam them all in one stock pot. I don't see how that would be possible with the bowl-shaped molds. One problem of modern society is that all the juice cans these days are made with ridged sides instead of smooth sides like they used to be. The ridges make it somewhat more difficult to extract the pudding from the mold after cooking.

Anyway, my family and one of my sisters went to Mom and Dad's this year to observe, help, and learn the making of the pudding. Dad is very particular about the way it's made. It has to be done like his mom did it. Exactly. You have to use the right kind of grater to grate the potatoes and carrots. You have to make sure you seperate and coat each individual raisin with the flour mixture.

He directed our efforts like a master conductor, correcting where needed, bullying us out of the way when it wasn't being done quite right. :-)

Then we all relaxed while the pudding steamed for three hours, and until the rest of the family gathered.

As usual, the result was delicious, the company delightful.

Other highlights?

Oh, come on. It's January.