The Anchoress

“Can I do anything?”

Have you ever said those words, without thinking? Someone gives you some bad news and you gasp and say, “Oh, no! Is there anything I can do?”

You mean it when you ask it…and usually you mean, “is there anything I can do RIGHT NOW, to help?”

But there is also an expectation that when you ask, “is there anything I can do?” The answer will be “thanks for asking, no, there is nothing anyone can do, but if you could keep us in your prayers…”

And that’s easy to do. I keep a list in my prayerbook, and everyone gets the prayers.

But once in a while, someone will say, “could you pick up my kids at school…” (no problem) or (could you watch the dog for a few days” (again, no problem…)

But sometimes you get a really odd answer. Like this one from a neighbor whose 80-something mother sprained her ankle and was laid up.

“Oh, no! Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

“Well, actually, since you ask, you know that Brandy Alexander Pie you made for us one Christmas? Mom really loved that!”

So, after ascertaining that there really was a desire to take a one-ankled elderly woman down to complete immobility via a few slices of shinny-loaded pie, I will do it this weekend.

And if you want to be immobile this weekend, too, here’s the recipe.

Do not drive or operate machinery after eating this thing. Also, have a defribulator nearby.

Brandy Alexander Pie

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tspn salt
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup cognac. Don’t be cheap, use the good stuff.
1/4 cup creme de cacao
2 cups heavy cream
1 tspn sugar
1/2 tspn vanilla
1 9″ graham cracker crust
chocolate curls for garnish

Sprinkle gelatin over the cold water in a saucepan. Add 1/3 c of the sugar, the salt and the egg yolks. Stir to blend.

Heat over low flame while stirring until the gelatin dissolves and the mixture thickens. DO NOT BOIL.

Remove from heat and stir in the cognac and creme de cacao. Chill until mixture starts to set slightly.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar and fold into the thickened mixture

Use 1 cup cream to make whipped cream and fold into the mixture.

Turn it all into the crust and chill for several hours or overnight.

Before serving, whip second cup of cream with tspn of sugar and 1/2 tspn vanilla and use to garnish pie, then sprinkle with chocolate curls.

Give to Grandma with her usual Jean Nate bath powder! She won’t really care if you’ve just re-wrapped the stuff she didn’t use last year!