Charity Shop Swap

This post is four months late due to logistical limitations. I sincerely apologise to Lakota who organised this wonderful swap that you always see on my sidebar since the summer, and to my swap partner Jo of Vintage Loving Librarian in 6 inch Heels, for coming up with this just now.

My items were waiting for me in England whilst I was living in Italy. And now that we're back, I finally have this post.

So here you go, ladies and gents. 

I received a lovely 1960s tea set, a knitted tea cosy, a pair of vintage pearl clip earrings, a 1960s apron, a very useful 1960s sugar shaker and a CD of my now-favourite singer from The Netherlands, Caro Emerald.

Since then, here's what I've done with them so far:

Top photo of Hotel Tatin via frogmom.com; Secret to a good tarte tatin: Cast iron skillet

 

❤ Thanks to my new apron, our kitchen's been busier with moi creating stuff. My favourite dessert is a speciality from the famous Tatin Sisters of Sologne, France called Tarte Tatin (Upside down apple tart).

Here's the recipe from France, The Beautiful Cookbook:

3 0z (90g) soft butter

1/3 cup (3 oz/90g) sugar

3 lb (1.5 kg) Golden Delicious or pippin apples or pears if you fancy

1 roll puff pastry (this is my replacement for 250g sweet pastry)

❶ Preheat oven to 425 F (215 C). Grease a 9-in (24cm) cake pan, or in my case, a cast iron skillet, with 2/3 of the butter, then sprinkle over 2/3 of the sugar.

Cut the apples (or pears) in two, peel and core them, and arrange halves upright, tightly packed in the pan or cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and the butter which has been cut into small pieces.

Place the pan/skillet over medium heat and cook for 20 minutes until a light caramel forms on the bottom.

❷ Transfer the pan/skillet to the oven and bake for 5 minutes to cook the top surface. Remove from oven.

❸ Roll out the puff pastry. Place over the pan/skillet and pass rolling pin around the edge to remove overhanging pastry. The dough will sink down the sides of the pan/skillet onto the top of the apples.

❹ Put pan/skillet back into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is well browned.

❺ Invert tart onto a serving plate and serve at once. Caution: there will be liquid in the pan so be very careful you don't get burnt.

Eat and think of me as I love this tarte!

❤ Caro Emerald CD

My fingers are quite calloused now from strumming my poor, old guitar since listening to Caro Emerald's music. I've been trawling Youtube to look at some of her videos and it's highly satisfying to see incredibly talented musicians like her. Her band has it all — vintage wardrobe, great voice, excellent double-bass player, wonderful guitar player, a DJ, and other sessionists like trumpet, sax and clarinet players. I am her newest fan and I shall be for quite a long time. I hope you agree. You'd have heard her voice on Martini adverts in Europe for those of you who think she's familiar.

I love this acoustic version of her Back it Up.

❤ Sugar shaker, tea cosy and tea set are being used.
❤ Pearl earrings reserved for a special occasion.

So, thanks so much to Jo once again.
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
Have a great day whatever it is you're doing today.

Baci,
Joy x

❤❤❤