tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post1498950536536156781..comments2023-12-20T04:18:41.617-06:00Comments on The Hunting of the Snark: How To Make Pie CrustSusan of Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00076915322771385454noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-8344916720077202862015-09-09T14:01:52.152-05:002015-09-09T14:01:52.152-05:00Very nice!Very nice!Susan of Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00076915322771385454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-39921272923030599522015-09-09T13:59:17.788-05:002015-09-09T13:59:17.788-05:00Turns out the flour does make all the difference: ...Turns out the flour does make all the difference: http://www.bulbul.sk/pie/.<br />Whole wheat flour works beautifully in pate sucree (tarts), spelt flour is brilliant for cheesecake bases (I just can't bring myself to use biscuits/crackers, it's cheating) and brownies.<br />In our parts, we make a lot of stuff that is similar to pizza, so the transition (pizza has only been a thing here for the last 20 years or so) was near seamless, plus my mother has always made everything from scratch, so that one I learned early together with other things. But pie crust is still a challenge. <br /><i>We Americans put sugar in everything don't we?</i><br />And insane amounts, too. Take Martha Stewart's brownies: 1 1/4 cup of sugar which translates to a quarter of a kilo for an 8 inch brownie pan?bulbulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14505565281151328789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-70527159908981945692015-09-09T08:47:34.281-05:002015-09-09T08:47:34.281-05:00It does take practice and the type of flour is imp...It does take practice and the type of flour is important. For a while my crusts crumbled (not enough water) or stuck to the board (too much water). I rolled lumpy crusts until I learned to flatten the dough before rolling and roll from the center outward. It's very hot here and I learned to use ice water, keep the shortening in the refrigerator, and work fast. And I still failed. But after a while I got the hang of it and was able to make a good crust every time.<br /><br />I spent years making bad and mediocre pizzas before I was able to make a decent one. I had to attack each problem one by one, reading many recipes before I learned to use bottled water, rest the dough overnight, buy a better brand of mozzarella, use less herbs. And they were still crummy pizzas until we replaced our electric oven with a Chambers gas stove and I learned to let the oven heat up for an hour. Then I had to learn to cook pizza in the pan for 11 minutes, take it out and cook for 2-3 minutes more on the pizza stone I keep on the bottom of the oven. Then I had to learn to let it cool slightly on a wire rack. I never would have spent years experimenting if it were not for the fact that we couldn't afford to go out for pizza whenever we wanted one. And after all that our local grocery store started selling fresh pizza dough so now I use that instead.<br /><br />And I also spent an embarrassingly long time before I made a decent frosting, which is easy--I never beat it long enough.<br /><br />We Americans put sugar in everything don't we? I heard that goes back to Prohibition, when we substituted sugary drinks for alcohol, but who knows if that's true.Susan of Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00076915322771385454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-31536283072145579552015-09-09T06:43:05.101-05:002015-09-09T06:43:05.101-05:00Well, I haven't had much success so far. But h...Well, I haven't had much success so far. But here's where the difference between us and Our Lady of Nemo Nescit Nihil: having failed multiple times, I figure I need to try again and maybe try a different approach. Having failed multiple times, McMegan figures the task must be extraordinarily difficult.<br /><br />Where I come from, pumpkin is roasted with salt and pepper and served with meat. Sweet pumpkin anything is just weird...bulbulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14505565281151328789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-83257244068877748102015-09-08T09:50:03.765-05:002015-09-08T09:50:03.765-05:00Heh. It's not that hard.
Sweet potato pie is...Heh. It's not that hard. <br /><br />Sweet potato pie is good but I like pumpkin pie so much that I think of sweet potato pie as a cruel trick--it looks like pumpkin but isn't.Susan of Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00076915322771385454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-71944007159352204992015-09-08T07:25:01.891-05:002015-09-08T07:25:01.891-05:00The first time I had sweet potato pie was last Nov...The first time I had sweet potato pie was last November in Berlin made by a friend of mine who's from Texas. He used a fork to cut the fat in and an empty pickle jar to roll it out and it was damn near perfect. Mine usually suck, but it's because I always use either whole wheat or spelt flour.bulbulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14505565281151328789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-40118680823168738602015-09-02T09:39:15.645-05:002015-09-02T09:39:15.645-05:00I know! It takes thousands of dollars to be unable...I know! It takes thousands of dollars to be unable to make piecrust.Susan of Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00076915322771385454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-78885463874324619122015-09-02T07:04:01.728-05:002015-09-02T07:04:01.728-05:00How'd you do this without a Thermomix?How'd you do this without a Thermomix?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com