Julie Tribbey's dinner party

The Tribbey family enjoyed Garlands Apple Tart at a recent dinner party in Fountain Hills.

Julie Tribbey writes, "Here is the picture the dinner party I went to Saturday night at the Hatch's. Sorry the picture was cut off. In the picture is Jim Hatch (the cook), his wife Peggy and new member Jan Jensen (seated). Jim also made Roast Pork Tenderloin (p 44) and Mixed Greens with Pears (p 43). The meal was topped-off with Garland's Apple Tart (p 48). All guests raved about these delightful choices from Tastes and Treasures."

Garland's Apple Tart

1 Tart Pastry
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into cubes
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
4 large or 5 medium Rome, MacIntosh, Jonathon or Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roll the pastry 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Trim the edge into a large circle. Fold the circle in half gently and place over half of a 10 inch shallow fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Unfold the dough and press over the bottom and up the side of the pan. Trim the excess dough around the edge, leaving 1/3 inch of the dough above the rim of the pan. Fold the edge down slightly so that it sits on the edge of the pan. Place the pan in the freezer for 5 minutes. Remove the tart shell from the freezer. Line with baking parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown, removing the baking parchment paper and pie weights a few minutes before the baking time is over.
Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Pulse 3/4 cup flour and the brown sugar in a food processor to blend. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Whisk the sour cream, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, the salt, vanilla, cinnamon and egg in a bowl until very smooth. Add the apple slices and mix gently to coat. Fill the cooled tart crust with the apple mixture just to the rim, spreading the apples evenly. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or just until the filling begins to set. Remove from the oven and spread the flour mixture evenly and completely over the top. Reduce the oven temperature to 35o degrees. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the tart is a deep golden brown. Cool on a wirre rack for 30 to 60 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Note: This tart is also good using pears or peaches.

Tart Pastry
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Whisk the flour, salt and sugar lightly in a medium bowl to blend. Add the butter and shortening and toss lightly to coat. Cut with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles a very coarse cornmeal. Mix the water and vinegar together. Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of the vinegar mixture over the flour mixture and toss to blend. Continue adding the vinegar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing to form a cohesive ball that will hold together when pressed. Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape each portion into a disk. Wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before using or store in the freezer. Makes 2 pastry disks.

Paul Messinger guest speaker at March meeting

This man has such knowledge of the Phoenix area. He was a walking encyclopedia . . . or should I refer to Google?

One of my favorite stories was about the history of Camelback Cemetery (also referred to as Scottsdale Cemetery) on East McDonald Drive. The soil is caliche and VERY hard so in the early days (late 1800's) they used sticks of dynamite to blow up the ground to make a grave. I wonder what the neighbors thought of that method?

After his talk, Kathleen Fischer presented Paul with a copy of Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

We always have delicious salads at meetings but this was a feast. Lovely Leprechaun decorations graced the table along with a 3 leaf clover centerpiece grown by Judy Lewis.

Margarita Pie at March meeting

Birthdays aren't often celebrated with the Historical League but every once in a while we make it special. Reba and Zona have birthdays very close together so a Margarita Pie seemed in order.

Using fresh ingredients, i.e. limes, would be easy, right? Wrong. It takes a lot of limes juice to make 1/2 cup so I added fresh lemon juice. It poured easily into the pretzel crust.

This is a wonderful dessert for company because you can make it days ahead and freeze it. Decorate with lime slices and it looks very professional.

However, frozen pie does not transport well. I put the finished pie on a bed of ice to keep it cold. The Margarita Pie looked more like Margarita Pudding by the time it was served as dessert but the plate was licked clean.

MARGARITA PIE

Pretzel Crust
1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Pie Filling
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1(14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons gold tequila
2 tablespoons Triple Sec
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
Green food coloring (optional)

For the crust, pulse the pretzels and sugar in a food processor several times to combine. Add the butter in a steady stream and process until well mixed. Press over the bottom and up the side of a 9 inch pie plate sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

For the pie, combine the lime juice, condensed milk, tequila and Triple Sec in a bowl and mix well. Fold in the whipped cream. Tint with green food coloring, if you desire a deeper color. Spoon into the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or up to 1 week. Garnish with additional whipped cream and lime slices. Note: Do not use fat-free or low-fat pretzels
in the crust or the crust will not hold together when cutting. You may substitute graham crackers for the pretzels.

Serves 6 to 8

Mines and Mineral Museum announcement

From Historical League President Ruth Ann Hogan
"The Governor announced (Friday Feb 12) that the Arizona Historical Society will be managing a new Arizona Centennial Museum which will be created at the Mines and Mineral Resources Museum building. The Museum will focus on the five C's of Arizona: cattle, cotton, copper (mining), citrus and climate (tourism) and those groups will raise the money. A consulting firm specializing in museums has been retained and has done the initial drawings and planning pro bono. This museum will have an exciting and dynamic presentation of Arizona's history with frequently changing exhibits and many hands on exhibits to interest all ages.
I have not seen any newspaper accounts of this announcement but I do hear that the word is out there. The Capital Times reporter was there so perhaps someone can send us that announcement. I suggest that you look on the web at this site:
http://azgovernor.gov/dms/upload/PR 021210 CentennialMuseum.pdf
There are many decisions to be made and the Five C's Group have to collaborate before they can proceed and begin to raise money. The Governor predicts that this Museum will be completed in the year 2012.
The League is perhaps the strongest group in the AHS and I know that we will continue to support the Museum in Papago Park and will come through all of this with shining colors. We are a hard working and flexible group of enthusiastic history promoters and will forge ahead with whatever hurdles we are presented with. Another adventure for us!
Stay tuned for the next chapter!"

March guest speaker

We look forward to a visit by Paul Messinger to the Historical League Monday, March 1. He will talk about the resting places of some of the Valley area pioneers and notable citizens.

Paul was reared on a local dairy farm, in what is now downtown Scottsdale. He is a former Scottsdale city councilman and State Legislator and is a honored oral Historian. Paul is the founder of Messinger Mortuaries.

Love these great photos I found on the internet. Paul is a great supporter of history.

Nacho Salad

There are many variations of Cowboy Caviar but this one is very different. League President Ruth Ann Hogan named it "Nacho Salad". We worked up an appetite after inventorying 3,000 cookbooks at the Museum so this was a welcome lunch.

It was created by combining three recipes - Black Bean and White Corn Salad page 183, and Cowboy Caviar page 180, and my friend, Gina Day's recipe. Kathleen Fischer told me to make it the day before so the spices marinate. Served with tortilla chips it is perfect for a Super Bowl party or any gathering.

Vinaigrette
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Salad
1-2 bunch(s) cilantro, trimmed
3 (14 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 ounce) package frozen white corn
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1 (4 ounce) can diced chiles
12 black olives chopped
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
8 ounces (1/3 less fat) Neufchatel cream cheese
1/3 cup fat free Half & Half
2 ripe avocados mashed
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 hard boiled egg

Vinaigrette: Combine vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, sugar, salt, pepper, chiles in a jar. Shake well.

Salad: Combine beans, corn, onions and black olives in a salad bowl. Pour vinaigrette over and refrigerate for 2-12 hours.

When ready to serve, blend Neufchatel cheese, Half & Half and mashed avocados together. Spread cheese/avocado mixture onto large platter with sides. Drain salad mixture well, then layer over cheese/avocado mixture.

Top with circle of shredded cheddar cheese, circle of chopped cilantro and fill center with chopped hard boiled egg.

Children's Holiday Party Wrap Up meeting

What a fantastic group of women that organize this December event. We always meet after and discuss new ideas, ways to improve and just have fun. Despite the downturn in the economy, the event made approximately $5,000 profit for the AHS Museum bringing joy and laughter to 250 children, parents, grandparents and friends.

Pam den Draak served us a lovely Strawberry Spinach Salad with slivered almonds while co-chair Carolyn Wood was busy baking quiche. Tobe Daum and Betsy Davis helped serve the luncheon. The venue was the L Ron Hubbard home in Paradise Valley with beautiful views of the west face of Camelback Mountain beyond the pool. A version of this spinach salad is in Tastes & Treasures (page 151) with carmelized pecans and poppy seeds.


Children's Holiday Party volunteers - You Rock!