White Rabbits and Candlemas Day

February 1, which means Candlemas Day.  

Candlemas, candlemas, candlemas Day,
Throw All your Candles and Candlesticks Away!

And white rabbits, of course.  My inner Yorkshirewoman at work.

Yesterday I made apple streusel, which I made to use up all my Granny Smiths, plus try out my new cinnamon and whole nutmegs, and a new recipe, less fussy than Martha. 

I used oat flour (made from oats in the coffee grinder) so it's also gluten free for people for whom that's an issue. I macerated the fruit with the spices, a la Rose Birnbaum, then did a reduction of the resulting liquid which I added back in to the fruit.  

This was the first use of the new Ceylon cinnamon, and it's lovely, very fragrant and delicate, and not too hard to reduce to powder.  Also it marked the first time I ever used the nutmeg part of my grater. I'd forgotten what the inside of a fresh nutmeg looks like, very interesting abstract in there.

A few minutes  after the streusel was out of the oven, a friend stopped by with goodies from her kitchen, so I retaliated I mean reciprocated, with a hearty helping of streusel for her to share with her husband whose birthday it was.  

A few minutes after she left another neighbor stopped by with messages from yet another person, and left with a slice of it.  Then this morning I ran a helping over to the friend with the broken elbow (she's doing better, but very hampered), and visited a while.

All in all I'd better try this myself before it's all gone!  this is why I wonder when people who live alone say oh I don't like cooking for one.  I hardly ever seem to cook for one!  at least that's how it works out.  I sometimes wonder if my neighbors have some sort of surveillance mechanism, since someone so often shows up as something is cooling from the oven..