We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea: Pear Tree Lamp.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Pear Tree Lamp.

Nick Foley created this amazing lamp. Each bulb is composed of LEDS, an autonomous charging ciruit and a rare earth magnet so that you can pick a 'pear' off the 'tree', and it will remain illuminated for up to an hour!

I'm not even much of a home-furnishings kind of person, (Arwen and Andrea hold down that fort!) but it is just such a delicious (erm, sorry) mix of technology and art and fantasy. If only things manufactured in the world were as (and more!) beautiful, useful, and environmentally of low impact, I would be very pleased. Sometimes I really do think that aesthetics are the way to go, for better or worse, in terms of getting people to make more sustainable choices...

Thanks to Phil at the makezine blog for pointing it out!

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Too Many Cooks (recipes we can't live without)

Shakshouka

Onions Garlic Ginger Tomatoes Tomato Paste Anything else you have in the cupboard Spices (cumin, pepper, thyme, etc) One egg per person (some people may want more)

Chop onions, garlic and ginger and sauté. Add tomatoes and paste, along with spices and whatever else you feel like adding. Simmer until tasty, then crack eggs into the sauce and cover until poached but not cooked through. You could top with goat cheese (or any other similar cheese). Serve up so that each person gets at least one egg in their serving.

Dad's Apple Pie

1 cup flour

1 stick butter

1 cup ice water

5-6 T sugar (1 for the crust, the rest for the fruit)

5-6 sliced and peeled apples (granny smith; if you use a sweeter apple, use less sugar)

1 container raspberries

Leave the butter out until it reaches room temperature. Then cut the butter and sugar into the flour (using a pastry cutter or the way Dad does it, with two knives going cross-ways) until it's crumbly. Slowly add the ice water 1 T at a time, whirling with a knife. Before the dough gets sticky, it should start to cohere into a ball; feel free to help it out by patting the last few chunks together with the knife. Err on the dry side; you can always add more water if need be.

Cut the dough ball in two and refrigerate for an hour if you have time (optional). Preheat the oven to 425F. Flour a smooth surface, and begin to roll out one of the dough balls in smooth, even strokes. When it's a little bigger than the pie dish, set it aside and repeat with the second dough ball.

Lay out one of the pieces inside the dish and fill with apple pieces. Dot raspberries into the spaces. Sprinkle approximately 4-5 T of sugar and place the top crust. Poke a few holes in the crust with a fork, and cut off the excess dough around the edges. Crimp edge with the fork. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, and then turn down to 350 for another 20 or so minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

Enjoy! I highly recommend rolling out the excess crust again and cutting into small pieces to make roll-up jam tarts, or wrap bits of crust around chocolate chunks. Bake in the oven alongside the pie; they'll be done in 15 minutes or so and will sate your hunger until the pie comes out, or will console you later when the pie's all gone.