Wom Kim's Peach Pudding

Incandragon will disagree with me, but not by very much I think. I've long considered Wom Kim's Peach Pudding, served at Hyde Park Bar & Grille in Austin, to be the best dessert in the city. It's a light, spongy sweet cake, light and springy and pourous, with thinly sliced peaches at the bottom. It's served floating in a pool of cream, and they give you a ramekin full of cream to pour over the top.

This cake is amazing because it stays right there and absorbs the cream, holding it, ready like a tres leches to release it all when you start to chew. I've never been able to duplicate it. The recipe in the magazine says to use "sweetened whipped cream", but that would forego the best part, and in my opinion, obscure the delicate texture.

I've been casually glancing through their RSVP section for years, thinking to myself "I wonder if they'll have the recipe for Wom Kim's this time... nah, they wouldn't write that up. It'd be too lucky. Maybe I should write them one day and ask them..." Well this time, someone in Dallas did just that. It's in the August 2007 issue (page 38). They don't sell the virtues of the cake like they should. They should put it on the damn cover as far as I'm concerned. It's really that good. I called my wife over because I was too weak to stand. I think I may have muttered in tongues for several minutes, trying to calculate whether or not I had all the ingredients. I had always thought it was a corn cake of some sort, but no... it's just buttermilk (and lots and lots of butter).

Incandragon, you must bring this to Seattle!

Wom Kim's Peach Pudding

As this bakes, the fruit will sink to the bottom of the pan.

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 3/4 cups plus 2 T all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cups buttermilk

4 c peeled sliced peaches (from about 3 pounds)

Whipping cream (sweetened as you prefer)

Preheat over to 350F. Spray 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in vanilla, then eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Using low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions each, beating well between additions.

Transfer batter to baking dish, spreading evenly. Arrange peach slices over batter, overlapping slightly as needed. Spray sheet of foil with vegetable oil spray; cover cake with foil, spray side down, and seal at edges.

Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil (some cake may stick). Bake until top is golden brown, edges are crusty, and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes longer. Cool 1 hour. Serve warm with cream.

Enjoy!

Watch for Cowboys on Segways

I think I am the first person in the history of the world to hit a cowboy on a Segway with my car.


No injuries, no lawsuits, everyone's ok. I just got a few scuff's on my wife's car and one hell of a story to tell.


Any graphic artists out there want to mock me up a "Cowboys on Segways X-ing" sign? Maybe "Cowboy on a Segway" should be my patronus...

What is Your Patronus?

A few friends were talking about love for lost pets a few days ago. I recalled Zeus, my beloved canary, who sang so beautifully the memory still brings tears to my eyes. It occurred to me that Zeus would be my patronus.



What's yours?

Full Circle - an Anthology from ARS Concordia

Long story short: if you go download this anthology, you'll find my short story "The Calligrapher" on page 203. There were several errors I found long after the last deadline, so I apologize for all of them here (particularly the part where I put furniture inside a mosque--my thinking was that since it was still under construction, that was okay... evidently I was wrong).

It's not "being published" like dear incandragon, but it's nice that I found acceptance and received compliments during this process. Now if I could just finish the rest of the story...

01/08/2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Colin Galbraith

07786 157270

press@colingalbraith.co.uk

Online Writing Group Publishes First Anthology In Memory Of Its Founder

Full Circle

An ARS Concordia Anthology

The ARS Concordia online writing group has published its first ever anthology in memory of the man who founded their organisation.

Full Circle was penned by the writers of ARS Concordia, a world-wide collection of writers, in testament to Roy Abrahams, who died last year.

The 285-page book, which contains a number of poems, stories, articles, and novel extracts, was a long time in gestation, and as editor, Colin Galbraith, explains, it was Mr Abrahams’ death that proved to be the final catalyst.

“We had talked about doing an anthology as a group before,” he explains, “but it never really took off until Roy died. When that happened it gave everyone a bit of a jolt, I think, and the project seemed to take on a life of its own. It’s been a long time coming this book, but I think it has been worth every bit of the wait.”

One of the groups longest serving members and contributor to the book, Devon Ellington, said of the anthology: “It seemed like a fun project for our writing group. I hope it dispels the myth that a writers’ group must be made up of people writing in the same genre.”

Full Circle has been written by 23 writers of various nationalities, religions, backgrounds and persuasions, and it is this that Ellington believes gives the book its strength. “I think it can set a positive example for writers’ groups – a positive environment inspires good work, and the point of ARS’s creation was to provide a positive environment to stimulate growth and creativity.”

Full Circle is available to purchase from 1st August 2007 from Smashing Press for cost price only. No profits are being made from the sale of the book.

CONTACT DETAILS

For further information about FULL CIRCLE,
please contact the editor via any of the
following methods:
w: http://www.colingalbraith.co.uk/
e: press@colingalbraith.co.uk
t: +44 (0) 7786 157270
Full Circle Website:
http://www.lulu.com/smashingpress

BOOK DETAILS

Full Circle –An ARS Concordia Anthology
Printed: 285 pages, 6" x 9", perfect binding,
cream interior paper (60# weight), black and
white interior ink, white exterior paper (100#
weight), full-colour exterior ink
Publisher: Smashing Press
License: Standard Copyright License
Copyright: © 2007 ARS Concordia
Language: English
Edition: First Edition
Price: Print Edition - £6 (UK) / $12 (US) approx.
(cost price) E-Book – FREE TO DOWNLOAD