Plum Tart

This is the third or fourth time I've used this crust recipe, and I've been trying to figure out if there's any reason not to use powdered sugar instead of regular. I don't think there is, but so far I haven't tried it.

These plums were growing in the yard of the vacant house next door to my sister. They're pretty good plums for cooking, not too sweet or too juicy. I made the crust as for for the jam tart pretty much exactly, but then put in a layer of sliced plums instead of jam, sprinkled a spoon or two of sugar on them, and skipped the marzipan.

I should have cooked it for a few more minutes, but the plums came out perfect. They got soft but not mushy, and were the perfect balance of sweet and tart. A little plum juice ran out and made the crumbs slightly fruity and cakey, and the almonds gave it crunch. I might have to get some more plums from the abandoned house before they all fall off the tree.

The Things I Do for Love

 

 
I hate macaroni salad. I hate the squishy, stiff texture of the noodles, I hate the slimy miracle whip based sweet/sour/sickening yellow substance that glops around them. I hate the pickle bits that are sometimes mixed in. It manages to be both indescribably bland and utterly offensive. It is the cuisine of middle America at its nadir.

I have never made macaroni salad in my life. Until today.

David has a paradoxical love of macaroni salad. He dislikes mayonnaise on sandwiches, and I can't figure out why he likes it on cold noodles. But he was out of town this week, and I missed him,and he asked me to make some macaroni salad. So I said ok. I asked him what he likes in his macaroni salad. He said

'Little pieces of carrot. And pepper. And those...green things.'
'Celery?'
'Celery.'

So there you have it.


Boil a cup of macaroni in salty water. Cook them a little softer than you would if you were going to eat them like spaghetti. When they're done, rinse them under cold water until they are quite cool.

Cut up 1 small carrot and 2 small ribs of celery into 1/4" dice. Mince a few leaves of parsley, and half a green onion. Put everything in a large bowl and add a large scoop of mayo and a tablespoon of the best quality coarse-ground dijon mustard you can find. Add plenty of coarse black pepper and stir it up.

Chill it for a while. Pour yourself a drink and feed the macaroni to your boyfriend. Secretly enjoy eating a serving yourself.