Guest Chef - Eileen Aird of Ridgewood Needlepoint

September 29th, 2007 by Tink Boord-Dill

Today’s Guest Chef is Eileen Aird, owner of Ridgewood Needlepoint in Ridgewood, New Jersey. EIleen is one of the friends I manage to spend time with at every TNNA Trade Show. We talk needlework but, we also talk food. ;-)

Now, here’s Eileen:

I love the fall. I love the colors and the fact that the air is crisp. In early September, customers are still very busy with getting their kids back to school. But toward the end of September, everybody starts to come back in. Customers are picking up their Halloween pieces and dropping off their Christmas ones. It’s a busy season. Of course, it’s the perfect time to pick up the Halloween project for next year. Start the Christmas ornaments early for 2008.

Personally, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It’s not about gifts and there is an innocence about it. I have a huge Melissa Shirley witch that I have barely started. But I would love to have finish it in time for next Halloween.

I love stitching whimsical things and Halloween is the perfect setting. I’ve stitched a Halloween candy bag with a black cat and pumpkins. The kit is on our website. By next year, I will have stitched the Halloween outfit for the Paper Doll Club. This year, I’ll be able to display the doll in her Thanksgiving glory.

TheArmchairChef.com Guest Chef
PLUM TORTE

My recipe is a fall recipe. It’s best with the small purple plums, sometimes called Italian or Hungarian prunes. I’m not a big baker but I love this recipe. In fact, I always cut out different plum recipes to see if I can find one I like better, but so far this is my favorite.
Eileen
http://www.RidgewoodNeedlepoint.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup unbleached sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
12 pitted purple plums

For Topping:
sugar
lemon juice
cinnamon

Step by Step

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
1) Combine the sugar and butter
2) Add the baking powder, flour, salt and eggs
3) Beat well.
4) Spoon the batter into a tart pan
5) Place the plum halves skin side down on top of the batter.
6) Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice and cinnamon. These amounts will vary depending upon your taste for cinnamon and sweetness.
7) Bake one hour.
8) Cool.
9) Serve with vanilla ice cream and Enjoy!

Alternative Version

Because the plums are only available for a short time, it’s an early fall dish. But just because the plums are gone, doesn’t mean you can’t use the recipe. Instead of plums, substitute a combination of apples and cranberries. 1) Peel, quarter and slice 3 large baking apples.
2) Spread ½ cup of raw cranberries over the batter and then top with the apple slices.
3) Sprinkle with cinnamon,1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
4) Sprinkle with sugar.