Posted on 09/01/2019 3:53:57 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
I met someone recently in a bar who is a caterer and cooks for herself all the time. I don’t anymore. But she asked me how I became a cookbook editor.
This is the story I told her: I was a regular production editor and copyeditor and one day we were discussing that book Fried Green Tomatoes, and I went and said you could make a green tomato pie just like you make an apple pie.
Everyone stopped talking and stared at me like I was crazy, and then someone said, “So make one, and bring it in.”
My bar friend said, Why did that make you a cookbook editor? And I said because I make a really great pie crust.
Right at the bar, she wanted to know exactly how I did it, so here it is:
Everything must be ice cold, to start. The butter, your hands, the knives (I did it with two knives, not a pastry blender), the bowl, everything. Including the tiny bit of ice water you add at the end. You don’t have to measure. Just put about two cups of flour in a bowl (doesn’t have to sifted, since we’re not measuring) and add the cold butter with two knives until it looks right, like very coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons or so of ice cold water that you have waiting in a cup, and mix in a bit at a time, and add a tiny bit more if it is not adhering properly.
When it can be made into a ball, make it into two balls, possibly one a bit bigger than the other. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for hours, even overnight.
Rolling it out takes infinite patience. You don’t want to press too hard all at once. A little at a time. But you have to keep pace with it as it warms a bit and becomes a tiny bit spreadable. As slow and gentle as possible, but as quickly as the dough will let you, because overworking makes the dough tough.
The same is true when you finally get it to pie pan size. You don’t want it to start breaking in pieces, because then you will have to overwork it to get it back together and it may be hard to stick it together.
It wants to be a pie. You have to be in tune with it and give it what it wants.
I used to use two spatulas to lift it up and onto the pie pan. Then you are home free, because the second one is not as big and so it’s easier to lift it and get it on top of the filling.
My mother used to use Crisco and a little bit of salt. I use only freshly bought sweet butter, and no salt or sugar. You can always depend on the filling for those two ingredients.
Maybe everyone knows this, but my new caterer friend was all ears.
Remember, patience, but don’t take too long, and that middle road only comes with experience. If it breaks up into pieces, you can make pie crust cookies out of it and try again next time.
Its not necessarily the eating part that some find unpleasant, lol.
I’m on south end of Whidbey Island. Grocery choices are few ... no chains here and definitely neither of those stores mentioned up thread.
But we do have local dungeness crab, salmon, mussels and clams. I make a mean seafood enchilada.....
Saw some jackass on PBS today pushing a KETO diet and I know it works but he said “get grass fed turkey and avocado oil”
I said ‘do what?’
Crab/Old Bay bkmk
Sorry, didn’t know you were really serious about the cooking.
I always find it hard to resist a Fauxcohontas dig.
I’ve been thinking of getting my husband an electric smoker. We’re not allowed to have anything with fire on our balcony, but there’s one that looked kind of interesting:
What do you think, for a beginner doing small amounts?
I invented today, Amber Bock with some bloody mary mix in it.... Delicious but not low carb.
I don’t blame you. She makes it so easy ;-)
WTF is noodeless lasagna? Eggplant? Zucchini?
We have a Masterbuilt smoker. Love love love it.
Lidl, Aldi and Trader Joes are all German grocery chains. The Germans seem to have cracked the grocery formula like no other grocery stores in the world.
The presentation looks really cool. Can tweak the recipe. Garnish as desired.
CRAB SALAD NIGRI
Mold sushi rice into balls or oblongs, wrap sides w/ nori strips higher than rice.
Top w/ combined chp imitation crab sticks, mayo, salt. Serve w/ soy sauce.
A number of years ago I gave a pressure cooker/smoker to my daughter for Christmas. The best gift is one you would want for yourself, right? I believe it is still in the box unused.
How many years is it before it’s OK to ask if I can have it:?
My husband is constantly tidying every area, including the cup holders in my vehicle. My Aldi quarter is never there. Its a small sacrifice for a neat freak husband:).
I think you’re right. As I understand it, Aldi and Trader Joe’s grew out of the same family, and Lidl isn’t connected with them.
I haven’t been to the Trader Joe’s here; but we like the feeling and experience of a smaller, easier to navigate store.
It’s not the only store we shop in, because there are things we use routinely that Lidl doesn’t have. But it’s impressed us enough that we go there a couple of times per month.
POLYNESIAN CRAB STACK / GINGER LIME DRESSING
ING 6 Tb chp fresh gingeroot, 4 Tb sugar (or fave sweetener), 6 Tb lime juice, 2 Tb diced garlic, cup water, ¼ cup diced Roma, ¼ cup cucumber, sliced ¼ cup red onion, diced ¼ cup mango, diced ¼ cup avocado, diced ¼ cup fresh crab meat 2 Tb chp peanuts tsp chp fresh cilantro, pea shoots garnish.
DRESSING Combine ginger with sugar, lime juice.
METHOD pack tightly in oiled ring mold in order listed 3 tb diced mango, 3 thin slices cucumber, 1/4 cup diced red onion,3 tb diced avocado, 1/4 cup crab leg meat. Unold on plate. Top with ea shoots. Garnish plate with chopped peanuts, chp fresh cilantro. Drizzle stack with Ginger Lime Sauce.
SAUCE 2 tsp minced gingeroot, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tb ea lime juice, water, 2 tsp chp garlic; steep overnight.
(He also used a big cardboard box...for fish..., but that's probably not what you're looking for...)
LOL!
Somehow, I suspect that the VFW doesn’t do ‘low carb’...and Mylife wouldn’t eat it, if they did - (unless it was to please the pretty lady who does the cooking :-)
https://www.ruled.me/instant-pot-no-noodle-keto-lasagna/
They also have a ‘noodle’ one - but not yer usual ones:
https://www.ruled.me/lasagna-with-keto-noodles/
That’s very good! And you could make it low-carb.
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