February 6, 2008

Knauss Berry Farm

Knauss Berry Farm, just north of Homestead in Redlands, Florida, is no secret; it's on all the tourist maps and brochures which list area attractions. They offer pick-your-own strawberries and tomatoes and have an on-premise bakery. On a recent Saturday attempt, there wasn't anything resembling a reasonable parking spot to be had and the line of people waiting for cinnamon buns, cakes, breads and berries snaked outside the building and streamed far into the parking lot. While I felt it was worth the wait, I didn't have that kind of time. Last Thursday, my in-laws stopped by and were able to breeze in and make a few purchases with no trouble. They bought a pint of ripe, flawless strawberries, along with a 6-pack of Knauss' famous cinnamon buns. That day they also bought another item--the last apricot pie on the shelf.



Apricot pie. Having never tasted one before, I thought that it was made with fresh or canned apricots- like an apple pie or a cherry pie. It never occurred to me that it might be made with dried apricots but it is! Dried apricots are boiled with water, sugar, and cornstarch making the sweet-yet-tart most apricotty deliciousness you can imagine in your wildest dreams. The flavor is so bold- there are no nuances, no question about what ingredients go into this pie. With one bite, it's beautifully clear. It's pure apricot.



After my first bite, there was no question that I would have to revise my Top 5 Favorite Foods List to include apricot pie. My Top 5 list does change, albeit infrequently. What are your top 5? At this rate, mine's going to be a Top 10 list...and the eggs.

5 comments:

JB said...

Wow - this is a tough question but if I answer this than maybe my sissy will go to my blog and list her top 10 albums!!
These are in no perticular order
Latkes
Fried Chicken
split pea soup
bacon
really good smoked cheese

that's 5 - it would be easy to go on and I am sure I am leaving out some of my top favorites but that is what comes to mind right now!

Anonymous said...

Top 5, in no particular order....

Olives! (I know - right?)

Deviled Eggs (As performance art or not)

Cheese (from Brie to Stilton - it's all good)

Southern Fried Chicken

Chocolate _________ (Fill in the blank - honestly anything works)

Anonymous said...

My favorite foods:

French Fries
Buffalo Wings
Medium Rare Steak (any kind, as long as it it is good)
Crab Legs
Spicy Tuna Sushi

Arties32 said...

Thank you guys! My list (subject to change with no prior written notice):
1. Well marbled steak, on the rare side of medium rare
2. Halushki
3. Hash Browns made right
4. Steamed Artichokes with Hollandaise Sauce
5. Apricot pie

Arties32 said...

Okay, this has been haunting me ever since I posted it. My top 5 list isn't really real. I would have to add sweet white corn, fresh ripe tomatoes, pole beans - the ones you buy on the side of the road at the Jersey Shore in August(al dente with butter and dill), spicy cheese straws, Chickie & Pete's hot shrimp--there are just too many things I love to have just 5. That idea was a farce, which I didn't realize until I had written the list down, something I had never done before!