Turkey Coma

[elfs]

I woke up Thursday with a bit of a hangover; I had spent the previous night finishing Halo and had lost track of time. Omaha was already furious cooking away at lots of different things. She was having the usual problem with her pumpkin pie crust and eventually wimped out and bought a store-type. She made the innards herself and it came out great this time. She really did a very heroic job, making carmelized sweet potatoes and stuffing and, of course, the bird. Thirteen pounds of it, well-brined in salted, herbed, spiced apple cider, fresh from Zeigler's farm.

She asked me to make bread rolls, and I did. They came out great. It's nice to see that I can still do yeast breads, even though I ignored two parts of the recipe: I used some of the sweetener early to activate the yeast, and I rose it in a canvas bag rather than a "greased bowl." Thank you, Julia Child.

fallenpegasus and intrepid_reason came over. Pegasus brought an amazing black punch that was chilled beyond reason with dry ice, and Reason brought a delicious cranberry relish. Thanks to both of you for being here. It would have been a much smaller Thankgiving without y'all.

I can barely move now, and my brain feels shut down. I think I'm gonna go to bed early tonight.

Comments

If the 'usual' problem with the pie

[velvet-wood.livejournal.com]

crust is the same usual problem most people have, I might have a solution to propose. The problem I used to have when I did such things and that I see people complain about most often is that when you go to bake the shells, the pie crust bubbles up and so bakes unevenly and cracks when you go to fill it. The solution is amazingly simple; fill it with clean, smooth river rocks from the hobby store. They're usually called 'Baking stones' or some such. You put them in the raw crust, they make it hold it's shape while it's being initially baked, and you end up with a perfectly baked shell that browns beautifully once you add your filling. No air bubbles, no cracks.

Other problems, I have no solution for, but I do have a good recipe if you want it, that's _supposed_ to be very easy. I don't find it so, but I'm awful at baking.

Velvet

Re: If the 'usual' problem with the pie

[omahas.livejournal.com]

Actually, my problem was that the shell shrank, and the reason I finally found out was that I don't chill the shell *after* putting it in the pan before I bake it. I use pie weights when I cook to make sure it stays put so it doesn't bubble up, but that doesn't prevent it from shrinking, apparently, when the shell hasn't had a chance to rest in a chilled fridge or freezer. :( But, it turned out okay.

But there's no substitute for homemade pie crust...the crust from the store was yucky in comparison. So I'll make another one soon and see if the technique I learned will make a difference. :)

Re: If the 'usual' problem with the pie

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

I found this recipe on the 'net a couple of years ago, and I've been very happy with it. It got used for an SCA feast and there were no complaints. It freezes beautifully. It also works really well if you don't manage to chill it after rolling out--I'm lazy, so the most it gets is to sit a few minutes while I'm mixing up the filling.

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/lc_desserts/article/0,2041,DIY_14000_2273785,00.html

Here's the text:

Q: What's the secret to a really good piecrust?

A: (from Paul Sturkey, Ask DIY Food expert) A perfect piecrust is really a simple creation, although making one is intimidating to many otherwise accomplished cooks.

The basic rule to remember: The right ingredients at the right temperature handled for the right amount of time.

Follow the recipe and steps below for a perfect piecrust every time.

Ingredients

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup shortening
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup cold water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Combine 2-1/2 cups flour and salt in mixer bowl (figure A) and mix briefly (using paddle attachment if your mixer has one).

Add butter and shortening (figure B) and mix on low speed just until mixture is crumb consistency.

In a small bowl combine the 1/2 cup flour and 1/3 cup cold water and mix to make a smooth paste called a slurry (figure C). Add this mixture to crumb mixture and blend until ingredients come together, about 20 to 30 seconds.

Move dough onto a lightly floured cold surface and divide it into two equal pieces (figure D). Knead each ball to smooth out any rough or cracked edges.

Wrap each piece with plastic wrap (figure E) and chill for 20 to 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out (figure F) to a 10" diameter, which is 1" larger than the pie pan. Place dough into a 9" pie pan and crimp the edges to form a nice even edge.

Place uncooked piecrust in refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking.

(Yields two 9" pie crusts.)

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

tabbifli used tea instead of cider in her brine, and it gave the skin a most yummy flavor... not that the cider wouldn't have, just sharing.... and yeah, I do adore big ol' fluffy yeast rolls... :)

You? Bed early? Shirley, you jest! :)