To fuck or to cook?

[Cletus Miller]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
What is blind baking?

Baking the crust w/o the filling. I think of it as "pre-baking", even if that's incorrect usage.

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
My recollection is vague, but I think using a food processor makes the fat globules too small. The ideal for flakiness is to have layers of fat between layers of flour. A pastry blender I think is suitable for this. Just don't use the cuisinart.

How do I persuade my father-in-law not to use a mixer (A MIXER!) when making pancakes without hurting his feelings? He's a dear man, but I just can't eat another gummy pancake.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
How do I persuade my father-in-law not to use a mixer (A MIXER!) when making pancakes without hurting his feelings? He's a dear man, but I just can't eat another gummy pancake.

Start with small steps, and have him dial it down from "liquify" to "chop."

[ltl/fb]

Recipe for streusel topping:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt

Using on/off turns, blend all ingredients in processor until coarse crumbs form.



Especially thoughts on the use of the food processor. When I have tried making streusel in the past, it has come out gummy. I think my hot little hands melt the butter.

ETA my mom just sent her recipe, and she uses half as much flour and half as much butter, adds cinnamon, and does pecans instead of walnuts. I have both so am indifferent between pecans and walnuts.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
My recollection is vague, but I think using a food processor makes the fat globules too small. The ideal for flakiness is to have layers of fat between layers of flour. A pastry blender I think is suitable for this. Just don't use the cuisinart.

Thanks. I've always used a pastry blender and I wondered if this was less ideal. My crusts aren't great but I've been improving lately. I made a lot of peach galettes over the summer.

[Cletus Miller]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
Recipe for streusel topping:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt

Using on/off turns, blend all ingredients in processor until coarse crumbs form.



Especially thoughts on the use of the food processor. When I have tried making streusel in the past, it has come out gummy. I think my hot little hands melt the butter.

ETA my mom just sent her recipe, and she uses half as much flour and half as much butter, adds cinnamon, and does pecans instead of walnuts. I have both so am indifferent between pecans and walnuts.

I think (a) your butter:dry ingredients ratio is too low, (b) a flat-blade mixer (preferably stand) would work better and (c) you may be blending too long.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
Recipe for streusel topping:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt

Using on/off turns, blend all ingredients in processor until coarse crumbs form.



Especially thoughts on the use of the food processor. When I have tried making streusel in the past, it has come out gummy. I think my hot little hands melt the butter.

ETA my mom just sent her recipe, and she uses half as much flour and half as much butter, adds cinnamon, and does pecans instead of walnuts. I have both so am indifferent between pecans and walnuts.

I think the pecan vs. walnut thing may be regional. I remember the first time I bought pecans outside of Texas and I was absolutely horrified at the price. $5 for a small packet seemed outrageous. I prefer pecans, but it's probably because that's what I grew up with.

And whoever heard of a walnut pie?

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by Cletus Miller
I think (a) your butter:dry ingredients ratio is too low, (b) a flat-blade mixer (preferably stand) would work better and (c) you may be blending too long.

I think previous times I was trying to make it with a fork and a bowl in a hot and humid area. I was poor and owned neither a food processor nor a stand mixer.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
I think the pecan vs. walnut thing may be regional. I remember the first time I bought pecans outside of Texas and I was absolutely horrified at the price. $5 for a small packet seemed outrageous. I prefer pecans, but it's probably because that's what I grew up with.

And whoever heard of a walnut pie?

Maybe it's because I've only ever eaten my mother's but I really don't like pecan pie. The nuts get soft and the rest is unbearably sweet.

My mother likes to put the pies in the oven after the turkey has come out and use the residual heat in the oven. One year, the pecan pie could not be located. My parents finally found it a few weeks later when they started baking some Christmas cookies. One of the oven racks was stashed at the top of the oven and the pie was on that rack.

[Cletus Miller]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
I think previous times I was trying to make it with a fork and a bowl in a hot and humid area. I was poor and owned neither a food processor nor a stand mixer.

That would do it, too. If it gets warm, cool it for a bit before crumbling it onto the pie/tart/whatever.

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by Sparklehorse My mother likes to put the pies in the oven after the turkey has come out and use the residual heat in the oven.

Use the residual heat to warm them up, or use the residual heat to bake them?

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
Use the residual heat to warm them up, or use the residual heat to bake them?

Sorry for the lack of clarity. I meant just to heat them up.

[notcasesensitive]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
Recipe for streusel topping:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt

Using on/off turns, blend all ingredients in processor until coarse crumbs form.



Especially thoughts on the use of the food processor. When I have tried making streusel in the past, it has come out gummy. I think my hot little hands melt the butter.

ETA my mom just sent her recipe, and she uses half as much flour and half as much butter, adds cinnamon, and does pecans instead of walnuts. I have both so am indifferent between pecans and walnuts.

Cinnamon. Cinnamon. Use the recipe with cinnamon. I mean, if I were the guest, that is what I would like. I am indifferent as to types of nuts between walnut and pecans...

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by notcasesensitive
Cinnamon. Cinnamon. Use the recipe with cinnamon. I mean, if I were the guest, that is what I would like. I am indifferent as to types of nuts between walnut and pecans...

I will be using cinnamon. It wouldn't be right without it.

[Flinty_McFlint]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
Steingarten pie crust recipe

Mmmm. That sounds good. Every so often I like to bake a pie, usually olallieberry when they are in season, and I followed a pie crust recipe that looks a lot like this one, but from gourmet magazine or something:

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with rest in small (roughly pea-size) lumps.

Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water evenly over and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.

Gently squeeze a small handful: It should hold together without crumbling apart. If it doesn't, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) after each addition until incorporated, continuing to test. (Do not overwork dough or it will become tough.)

Turn dough out onto a work surface and divide into 2 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather each portion of dough and form it, rotating on a work surface, into a disk. Wrap disks separately in wax paper and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Cook's note:
• Dough can be chilled, wrapped in plastic wrap, up to 1 day.

Makes enough for a double-crust 9-inch pie.

I usually bump up the portions a little just so I have enough crust to work with if I want to overstuff the pie, which I kind of like to do. For the filling, I generally use a blackberry pie recipe, which if anyone wants, is on www.epicurious.com.

I don't bake much, and it is pretty time intensive, and frankly, it's cheaper to buy a pie, but when you taste it, it's worth the effort. And I don't even like desserts.