New Stuff On The Way

Once again I have been absent. I have basically spent the last four or five months on the road for work. While it is a good way to improve one's pocket book, it is not such a good way to accomplish things at home. When I've had the time, I've been trying to improve my work space so that I can get stuff done during fall and winter.

Rearranging and insulating the basement. Tool organization. Drinking beer. Cooking. And just trying to find a minute or two to relax before jumping in the car for another road trip. I also quit my shop and am in the process of moving all of my tools and bikes to my house.

New projects are on the way. Things that I've been planning for quite some time and putting on hold until I can get enough time at home to actually see them through.

It seems to me that my down time/busy time cycle is weirder than normal, but it is coming back down to a more sane level. If you still occasionally read here, I hope soon to have some new topics.

(hint...someone just went on a shopping spree at Lie-Nielsen and Lee Valley)

Baking: Apricot Flan Tart

This is a favorite of mine. The recipe comes from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery cookbook. Bouchon is amongst the best bakeries in the country. I've been there once, while visiting friends in California. If you ever happen past the town of Yountville, I recommend you stop in and try their goods. Since that is a long way for me to go for bakery, I like to make some of it for myself. This weekend's mission was Apricot Flan Tart. This is the third or fourth time I've made it. It's a relatively straight forward recipe, but it does demand your full attention while making it.

(I won't be sharing the recipe, as it is from a copyrighted book...that would be illegal...we're just looking at the process and highlights)

The recipe begins with a Pate Brisee for the shell. A simple mixture of flour, butter, and water. If you want your tart on Saturday morning...this needs to happen on Thursday evening. It needs to be chilled over night.

A Common Misconception About Taps

Let's take care of this once and for all: the difference between "gun" taps and standard taps.

On the left a standard fluted tap. On the right is a "gun" fluted tap. You will notice that the gun tap has an additional section ground away near the tip. That grind has a very specific purpose: it turns the chip around and forces it down. Standard taps move the chips up.

Lee Valley Plane Iron

When I got my Stanley SW #3 I decided to get a new iron for it. Since Lee Valley was having a nice little sale last week, it was the perfect time to get one. I've been using a Lee Valley back iron on my #5 and really like it. It was time to try one of their irons.

The original SW #3 iron and back iron next to the Lee Valley/Veritas set.

Cooking

I said I'd pull out some cooking pictures...so here's a few.

Pizza! I make pizza almost weekly. I enjoy making the crust and trying to perfect it. This is a very simple pie: cream sauce, Italian sausage, fresh mozzarella and basil. Lately, I've been using pesto instead of cream sauce. I'm allergic to tomatoes, so I need alternate sauces. Some fresh basil on top rounds it off nicely.

Baking

I don't post a lot of my baking on here. So I'm going to take a minute to do so.
I love food, and I love making it. Baking is a rewarding and relaxing activity for me. It's a way to get friends together, and enjoy good food.
Here's a few of the items I've baked over the last few weeks. I'm glad I started going to the gym!

If there is anything I get a little arrogant about, it's my cheesecake. I prefer them plain. You can't hide mistakes when there's no added junk all over the cake.

Stanley Sweetheart No. 3 Plane

I found a nice user grade Stanley SW No. 3 the other day. Now I just have to decide if I want to flatten the sole and tune it. I have another No. 3 plane, but it isn't nearly as nice...and not a Sweetheart.

I have a soft spot for Stanley SW tools. The only other SW plane I have though, is a scrub plane.