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Fool Proof Piecrust - Errata

While making a batch of piecrust this morning I realized that there's a mistake in my recipe for "Foolproof Piecrust,"  published back in April. Not enough butter/shortening.These sorts of things slip through occasionally... sorry about that. Here's the corrected version:

Foolproof Piecrust 

Adapted from a recipe by Ruth Reichl
Makes four 9" single or two double crusts

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar
2 tsp. salt
¾ cup (1½  sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
¾ cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 16 pieces
½ cup ice water
1 T. white vinegar
1 cold egg

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the work bowl of a large-capacity food processor and pulse several times to mix. Scatter the cold butter over the dry ingredients and pulse 5 or 6 times to cut it in. Fluff the mixture with a fork, lifting it up from the bottom of the work bowl. Scatter the cold shortening over the flour and pulse 5 or 6 more times. The mixture will look like coarse meal with many pea-sized lumps.

Combine the ice water, vinegar, and egg in a measuring cup and stir with a fork. Drizzle ½ of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 more times. Fluff the mixture again and sprinkle it with the remaining ice water mixture. Pulse 5 or 6 more times until the flour mixture starts to form clumps. Dump the mixture out onto your counter top or pastry board and begin to pack it into a ball as you would a snowball. If it seems a little dry and not quite packable, drizzle a teaspoon or so of ice water over the mixture and work it in with your fingertips.

Knead the dough once or twice until it begins to smooth out. There will be bits of butter visible in the dough. Then, with the heel of your hand, rapidly and roughly push egg-size blobs of dough out in front of you in 6" smears. Scrape the dough off your work surface with a spatula or bench scraper, gather the dough into a mass and divide it into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a relatively smooth cake, about 1" thick, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days, or you may freeze it for several months).

For a Single Crust Pie: let the dough patty stand at room temperature for a few minutes, then roll it out on a lightly-floured pastry board or counter top, with a floured rolling pin, into a circle that is about ⅛" thick and about 12" in diameter. Periodically check the dough for sticking, sliding your hand beneath it and scattering flour on the work surface as needed. Seal cracks and splits by pushing the dough together with your fingers. Transfer the dough to the pie pan by rolling it loosely around the rolling pin, positioning the rolling pin over the pan, and then unrolling the dough. Re-center the dough in the pan if needed. Using your fingers, press it firmly into the pan. Trim the edges of the dough with scissors or a small paring knife, leaving ¾" overhanging the edge of the pie pan. Tuck the overhanging dough underneath itself to make a double thickness and rest the folded edge of the dough on the rim of the pie pan. Crimp the edge of the crust with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Fill as desired and bake according to the instructions on your favorite pie recipe.

or

For a Double Crust Pie: Fill the first crust with your favorite pie filling. Roll a second dough patty as instructed above, place it over the prepared filling, then trim the overhanging dough, leaving ¾" overhanging the edge of the pie pan. Tuck both pieces of overhanging dough underneath, and rest them on the rim of the pan. If it seems like too much dough, you may trim away a little more. Crimp the edge of the crust with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Cut four 1" slits in the top crust to vent the steam and bake according to the instructions on your favorite pie recipe.

For more recipes check out Beth Spencer's 

Pea Soup: Recipes for Body, Mind, and Spirit from a
"Kitchen Table Gourmet " 

A beautiful, 116 page cookbook, chock-full of delicious,

wholesome recipes 

you can wrap your mouth around and savor;

appetizers to desserts and everything in between.

Bon Appetit!

  

 

 

 

Weigh-in

I’d been living happily for 2½ years at what I figured was my “natural weight.” As far as an actual number was concerned, I really had no idea what I weighed, because 2½ years earlier, I’d also thrown away my scale for good. And when I went to the doctor, I’d ask the nurse to not tell me what I weighed. I’d just look at the ceiling while standing on the scale, and she’d silently pencil the number onto her sheet, the same sheet on which she’d recorded my temperature and blood pressure.

Then, 8 weeks ago while at the doctor’s office for a sinus infection, naturally, I had to get weighed. As usual, I asked the nurse not to announce the number, and she didn’t, except after escorting me into the exam room, she slapped her blasted sheet down on the countertop right where I could see it. OHMYGOSH! I haven’t had a real number staring me in the face for 2½ years. “I really wish I hadn’t seen that!” I barked, pointing at the paper.

“Uh, sorry,” she said dismissively, and left the room.

I was angry, shocked, dismayed... sitting there in my paper gown waiting for the doctor. That number really did a number on me.

Panic set in. As soon as I got home I went to my computer and downloaded a diet... located a notebook and started to do what I used to do during my dieting days... a food journal. I resolved to count calories, and weigh myself regularly. The madness lasted for about a week. Then that still small voice spoke sense to me... the one that sounds like John Wayne...

“Hold on there missy... that number on the scale... it’s just a number. It doesn’t mean anything. You are healthy and strong and beautiful just the way you are. Put away that notebook and get back to what you were doing. Enjoying life. Eating well. Being fine at the size that you are. Now is not the time to go on a diet!”

 

 

 

Her Lost Weight

My beautiful, curvy, 50-something friend is on a diet... 1400 calories. Report is, she’s been on it for two weeks and has lost 5 lbs.

Her last diet was one of those low-carb deals. She lost 20 lbs. in 8 weeks so she could be skinny-stunning for her high school reunion. That was 3 years ago. She kept it off for maybe 6 months, “cheating” a little bit once in a while; a few crackers here, a bite of potato there, until one day the evil carb-demon grabbed her by the throat... she went carb-wild... put all the weight back on plus a little.

She swears that this time it will be different. This time, she’ll keep the weight off, she’ll be “good”... forever. She’ll count every calorie and exercise religiously and drink those 8-10 glasses of water every day. 

“I’ll never be fat again!” Every dieter falls prey to this delusion. Rejoicing as the scale tips lower, they shop for a new wardrobe, send their “fat” clothes to the Goodwill. Not so fast sweetheart... better stow those tent dresses in the attic, because if you do manage to keep the weight off, and I can almost guarantee you won’t... you’ll be beating some awfully tough odds. 95% of dieters regain lost weight within 5 years. And it’s not nearly so much fun watching the numbers ramp up, if you’re brave enough to look.

The body hates to let go of weight. When it does, it does so grudgingly.

Truth be told, I don’t think my friend needs to lose weight. Like most middle-aged women, her slender 20’s now a menopausal memory, she, like me, has a typical 50-year-old female body, full breasts and belly, “applish” rather than “pearish,” hip and thigh padding having migrated northward... no longer needed as a caloric repository for those child-bearing years of yore.

Heaven knows, I still long for slenderer days from time to time, especially when I catch a glimpse of myself in a full-length mirror, or see myself in a photograph. Who’s that fat lady? Not sure what’s more shocking, my formidable form, or my shock of graying hair. In any case, “my how you’ve grown,” the thing we loved to hear when we were 6 or 7, is not welcome at 56 or 57.

The fond memory of how things used to be dies hard. But this is how I look. And I have a choice. Fight off the fat one more time, or calmly (or not-so-calmly) accept my body, in all its glory, the way it is. I choose the latter.

On 1400 calories, my friend’ll definitely lose. At first, water and muscle... then maybe some fat. Her metabolism will slow down as her body compensates for a perceived famine. It doesn’t give a fig that swimsuit season is just around the corner. It just knows that the gravy-train has come to a screeching halt and it’s time to hunker down for a hungry month or two. As her metabolism slows, that last pesky 5 lbs. will stubbornly refuse to go. She can bank on it.

Eventually, a famished whirlwind will overtake her, her body will refuse to be deprived any longer in this land of plenty, and her lost weight will come skipping back, happy to return.

 

 

 

 

 

Challah

Here's one of my favorite bread recipes. It makes the best toast!

Challah

Starter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. yeast

Dough:
All of the starter
3-3¼ cups all-purpose flour
1¾ tsp. salt
⅓ cup sugar
¼ cup oil
2 large eggs  + one yolk (Reserve the white for egg wash, below.)

Wash:
1 egg white
1 T. water

poppy seeds (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together the starter ingredients. Let the mixture stand for 45 minutes.

To the starter, add 3 cups flour along with the rest of the dough ingredients and stir until moistened. The mixture will be rough and lumpy.

Dump the mixture onto a floured pastry board or countertop and begin gathering it together, folding it with floured hands and/or a bench scraper.* As a more cohesive mass forms, knead until smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour to the board and your hands periodically if the dough becomes too sticky to handle. Knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic... soft and silky, yet not sticky when lightly and quickly pinched.

Place the finished dough in a well-oiled bowl, turning it over to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place (75° is optimal) for 1-2  hours until doubled in size but not collapsing. In my cold, 65° kitchen, I put the covered bowl on a rack over a heating pad set to medium, then drape a large towel over the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over, patting it down to expel air bubbles. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, covered with the plastic wrap. Roll the dough out into an approximately  12 x 8" rectangle.

Divide the dough, lengthwise, into 4 pieces. Roll, stretch, and squeeze the dough into ropes about 18" long, then form the ropes into a 4-strand braid. (This site shows an easy demo of 4-strand braiding with colored yarn.)

Pinch together the ends of the braid. Tuck the braid ends under the loaf.

Place the loaf on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet or baking stone. Cover the loaf with plastic wrap that has been lightly oiled or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, and let it rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 45-60 minutes. I put my baking stone on the rack over the heating pad and set coffee mugs around the edges too support a large towel.

Preheat the oven to 375° F.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and water and set aside. Brush the loaf with the egg white mixture. Sprinkle the loaf with poppy seeds if desired.

Bake the loaf for 30-35 minutes. It will get quite brown. Remove the bread from the oven, lifting it to a cooling rack with the parchment paper. Cool before slicing.

*I recommend using a bench scraper to assist  with lifting and and folding the dough in the early stage of the kneading process, when the dough is rough and sticky.

For more wonderful recipes checkout my cookbook: 

Pea Soup: Recipes for Body, Mind, and Spirit from a
"Kitchen Table Gourmet " 

A beautiful, 116 page cookbook, chock-full of delicious,

wholesome recipes 

you can wrap your mouth around and savor;

appetizers to desserts and everything in between.

Bon Appetit!

 

Kneading a Good Workout

About 10 years ago, I started making bread from scratch... bought a bread machine and since I work from home, it wasn't too hard to throw the ingredients in the chamber and listen for the "done" signal about 3 hours later.

I mostly made 2 kinds of bread, whole wheat and caraway rye, my go-to recipes. Over time, I began innovating... interrupting the kneading cycle after the last punch-down, removing the dough paddle and shaping the loaf by hand... sometimes returning it to the chamber to bake, sometimes creating a free-form loaf on a baking stone.

Eventually, wanting to be even more "hands on," I tried using my stand-mixer for the kneading. (I was still a little intimidated by the idea of hand-kneading... too time consuming and messy, or so I thought.) With my stand mixer, softer doughs were a snap, like the ones for challah, and cinnamon rolls. But I still used my bread machine for the heavier wheat and rye loaves.

Shortly after the movie "Julie and Julia" was released, and the world was temporarily obsessed with all things Julia Child, PBS broadcasted several "French Chef" episodes during a pledge drive. Since my birthday was coming, Gary made a donation... the premium was a 3 DVD set of the most popular episodes from the show! The first thing I did when my shrink-wrapped treasure arrived, was watch Julia making French Bread. And the mystery of kneading was revealed.

She made it look so easy. Following Julia's lead, soon I was turning out tender loaves of French Bread on a regular basis... transforming a mass of lumpy flour, yeast, and water into silky, smooth, elastic dough. One key... Julia used a bench scraper to assist her during the initial, rather gooey phase of kneading, with frequent sprinkles of flour to keep the dough from sticking to the board.

It wasn't long before I was kneading all my homemade bread by hand and loving it. Loving getting my hands into the dough. Loving the feeling of it transforming from lumpy and uneven to smooth and elastic. It wasn't really all that messy and it didn't really take all that much time, 10 minutes at best... not to mention the superb upper-body workout!

It's been 5 months since I parked my bread machine in the guest room to see if I could live without it. Turns out I can. This week I dropped it off at the Goodwill so someone else can try their hand at homemade bread.

 

WaterWalk - the Movie

This just in from my friend Roger Rapoport, producer of WaterWalk: (fun fact... scenes from the film were shot at my house!)

WaterWalk locks this Friday, April 27^th, and is in theaters next month.

 

We especially want to thank our intrepid editors Joe Langenfeld and Joe Nudelman and our assistant director/production manager/actor/graphic designer James Sparling for their remarkable work. They have been working closely our director Bob Cicchini who costars as Steve Faulkner. We are also very grateful to our production supervisor, Megan Trank, and social media coordinator, Jacqui Bernhardt.

 

WaterWalk author Steve Faulkner recently completed a lecture tour in Wisconsin, accompanied by his wife, Joy. e signed copies of the new film tie-in edition of his book. You can purchase it here from Amazon at the special price of $18.90.

 

Our first preview screening was April 16 at Longwood University, where Steve teaches creative writing. Our three stars, Bob Cicchini, Chase Maser, and Mary MacDonald Kerr were well received by an enthusiastic campus audience.

 

 

Monday, April 30 The film will be shown at the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee at 6:30 p.m. Robert Cicchini and cast members will appear. We’ll provide more details on the location shortly. There will also be a media event that day. Additional Milwaukee area screenings will be announced shortly.

 

Tuesday, May 1 Robert Cicchini and members of the Wisconsin cast will appear at the Appleton West High School Community Auditorium in Appleton, Wisconsin at 7 p.m.

 

Thursday, May 3 A 2 p.m. Grand Rapids media event is set for Celebration North. Speakers include Carrie Jones, director of the Michigan Film Office and Michelle Begnoche of Pure Michigan. Cast and crew will join us. The first Michigan screening of WaterWalk is set that night at 6:30 p.m in the same location.

 

Friday, May 4 A Hometown Premiere is set for Muskegon, Michigan’s Cinema Carousel. Members of the Michigan cast and crew will attend. The film will begin its theatrical run at 6:30 p.m. followed by a second showing at 9 p.m.

 

WaterWalk also opens on May 4 at Celebration North in Grand Rapids, Rivertown Crossing in Grandville, and Celebration Cinema in Lansing as well as the Portage Theatres in Portage, Wisconsin where shooting of our film began on the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers.

 

Monday, May 7 WaterWalk will premiere at the Grand Haven 9 (Michigan) at 7 p.m. Co-star, Chase Maser, who plays Justin Faulkner in his first lead role, will be joined by other Michigan cast and crew.

 

We are delighted to welcome another important exhibitor to the WaterWalk team, Rave Cinemas, the nation's fifth largest cinema chain. On Tuesday, May 8, their Rave Cityplace 14 in downtown Kalamazoo will host a hometown event for Chase Maser at 7 p.m.

 

Maser will also appear and sign autographs on May 9 at the Celebration Crossroads in Portage, Michigan at 6:30 p.m. and May 10th at the Quality 10 in Kalamazoo at 7 p.m.

 

Another special event is planned for May 11 at The Peet Center's Michigan film series at 130 N. Saginaw, Chesaning. $4 tickets can be purchased prior to the showing. Please call 989 845-3800 or email thepeetcenter@gmail.com to reserve your spot.

 

WaterWalk actor, Richard Riehle, who has appeared in over 200 films (Office Space, The Fugitive, Bridesmaids) , will be making special appearances at the Cinema 5 (Hannibal, Missouri) on Friday, May 11 and on Saturday, May 12, at the Wildwood 10 (St. Louis, Missouri).

 

Also on May 12, WaterWalk will open at the Liberty Cinema 12 (Kansas City, Missouri) with Justin and his mother Joy Faulkner in attendance joined by Seth, David, Alex, Julia and Johanna Faulkner. The film will also open May 14 at the Ozark/Nixa 12 in Ozark, Missouri, with an introduction by Producer, Roger Rapoport.

 

Arts Wisconsin is scheduling a special showing of the film on Tuesday, May 22 in Madison.

 

Additional Michigan screenings of WaterWalk are set for the Goodrich Holland 10, Lansing Mall 6, and the West Columbia 7 in Battle Creek.

 

Many other events will be announced soon across the Midwest in Ann Arbor, Birmingham, and Michigan’s upper peninsula; Milwaukee, Green Bay, Oshkosh, Spring Green, Boscobel, Platteville, and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin; Chicago, Kansas, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Laon, France, Father Marquette’s hometown.

 

Thank you for all your support. It's an honor to release this family friendly film suitable for all ages.
See you on the river.

 

Roger Rapoport

For the WaterWalk Team

 

is an independent movie, shot on location in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. Our website is here.

Please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Michigan Blue Lake Production Group
1487 Glen Avenue
Muskegon, MI 49441

Squirrel Landscape

I know they did it. When I wasn't looking. Squirrels. With their clever little paws, they dug up my tulip bulbs and moved them to all sorts of random locations. Like in the lawn. Or under the forsythia bush.

Last year, several stunning red tulips appeared, scattershot, in the long narrow flowerbed lining the driveway and in a couple crowded clumps under the burning bush. I didn't plant these tulips. They just came up on their own. I'm guessing the thieving squirrels uprooted them from someone else's unsuspecting flower bed and transplanted them to mine.

This year, all that's left of those red tulips are the ones next to the burning bush. Not a single red tulip dots the rest of the flowerbed. Hope the squirrels returned them to their rightful owners.

Reality Check

I’m hooked I tell you...on not one but two reality shows. This has never happened to me before. Well, at least not since Season 1 of “American Idol,” way back in 2002. I swore that it’d never happen again.

Here’s the scoop. Gary bowls on Wednesday nights, a perfect time to hang out with a gal-friend... Tami and I are sitting in a coffee house sipping lattes when she asks me how I like Stephen Tyler. I reply that he’s been on a few talk shows lately, promoting “American Idol” and I think that he’s pretty interesting in an over-the-top-androgynous-flamboyant sort of way. “‘Idol,’ starts next week, wanna’ watch?” she asks. Tami totally adores Tyler, he’s the main reason she wants to watch. “Well, maybe just this once.” I relent. 

That was back in January. And we did watch... the laborious cattle-call auditions, city after city, with Mr. Cool Tyler, Heart-On-Her-Sleeve J. Lo, and Dude-Dude-Dude Randy Jackson adjudicating 100’s of hopefuls... the lucky ones granted a golden ticket, elated... the unlucky ones shown the door, heartbroken. We watched Hollywood week with all those awkward group numbers and more hopes dashed; Vegas week with even more eliminations, ending up, finally, with the cream of the crop, the top 13 heading to L.A. to prepare for the live telecasts.

And yes, Stephen Tyler was sensational... with his funky-wild clothes, hair, jewelry, manicure... a loveable, aging hippy with a real heart for talented young artists. He had me at hello.

But wait, where is my viewing buddy? Tami’s schedule changed and she can’t watch “Idol” with me anymore? Great! So here I sit... all alone... and totally hooked. This week they’re down to 7 finalists. Phillip, Jessica, Joshua, and Elise, in that order, are my four favorites. As far as I’m concerned, the other three can pack their bags tomorrow. I don’t vote though, so I can’t complain.

Wednesday night’s show is 2 hours long. Talk about a giant sucking sound, there’s about 20 minutes of commercials for each hour of “Idol.” At least I have a DVR which means I can tune in late and fast forward through the fluff. But then I end up rewinding and rewatching my favorite performances, which means I probably spend at least 2 hours watching anyway, if not more.

Thursday night is pure torture... “Voted-off Night” made as torturous as possible by that evil Ryan Seacrest. He calls up 3 or 4 contestants and says something like this to one of them: “Phillip, I want you to know that you’re not going to make it... (long pause as Phillip sweats bullets)... into the bottom 3. You’re safe!” And my heart, along with Phillip’s starts beating again. He’ll survive to see another week.

And thanks to Tami, I’m also hooked on “Dancing with the Stars.” I had never watched DWTS before. We watched, for 3 weeks, on our respective TV’s, exchanging Facebook messages as the plot unfolded. Tami’s a die-hard Martina Navratilova fan. I was rooting for Sherry Shepherd. From the start, it didn’t look good for Martina. She’s dynamite on the tennis court but, unfortunately, can’t dance worth beans and looked pretty uncomfortable in the silly costumes they put her in. When she was eliminated, Tami was bitter. Said she’d never watch DWTS again. End of story.

Except not for me. For all its cheesiness, DWTS has some amazing dancers, choreographers, and some very gutsy contestants. I’m totally hooked. Last night I found myself rooting for one of the underdogs, Gavin McGraw and his awkward tango... he’s true blue and so endearing. I’m bracing myself because he’ll probably get the axe tonight.

P.S. Thanks Tami for getting me hooked. Sure do miss you watching with me, but I’m so glad you asked.

 

 

Foolproof Piecrust

I am passionate about piecrust. To me, the filling, fruit, custard, what have you is just an excuse for eating piecrust. Been searching for how to make the perfect piecrust... tender, buttery, flaky, and one that doesn't leak or get soggy on the bottom... one of my pet peeves when it comes to pie, particularly pumpkin pie.

In my Pea Soup Cookbook, I published a recipe for "Perfect Piecrust" and it's pretty perfect... no sogginess at all... except it's also pretty labor intensive, requiring a blind-baked sealed crust. That means lining the raw crust with foil and dried beans, then partially baking it, then painting the pre-baked crust with an egg wash, which effectively seals the bottom crust from moisture.

One more limitation... this method only works with single-crust pies. What about double-crust pies... fruit pies... summer is coming and I want to make fruit pies without worrying about all those lovely juices seeping through the bottom crust, rendering it pasty and gummy... forcing me to eat the forlorn filling, tossing the offending crust in the garbage.

Recently, I read, Tender at the Bone, by Ruth Reichl, a former writer for "Gourmet" magazine, consummate cook, and first-class foodie. Her book, a memoir, is filled with humor and wisdom, and liberally sprinkled with Ruth's favorite recipes. In one chapter Ruth describes teaching one of Andy Warhol's clueless groupies how to make a foolproof piecrust. Hilarious!

The recipe is written in prose, rather than in typical recipe-speak. One of the unusual things about it is that there is egg mentioned as an ingredient, and I wondered... maybe THIS is the solution to my soggy bottom crust problem. I had to try it. I distilled out the ingredients and typed it up. Experienced baker that I am, I noticed something off about the proportions of fat to flour... (I never blindly trust any recipe in print.) Unfortunately, Ruth's recipe only called for 1/2 the normal amount of fat.

I knew that that wouldn't work, so I corrected the proportions and baked an apple pie. It came out perfectly... the crust truly tender, buttery, and flaky... and wonder of wonders, no soggy bottom crust! That was two weeks ago. Then yesterday came the true test. Pumpkin pie. I made one with some of the leftover dough that was stored in the freezer. (The recipe makes enough dough for 4 crusts and yes, the dough freezes well.)

I had the same marvelous results as with the apple pie. If you click on the image, it will enlarge and you can see the lovely, flakey crust. And you can find my version of Ruth's recipe here:

For more delicious, wholesome, family favorite recipes check out my cookbook:

Pea Soup: Recipes for Body, Mind, and Spirit from a
"Kitchen Table Gourmet " 

A beautiful, 116 page cookbook, chock-full of delicious,

wholesome recipes 

you can wrap your mouth around and savor;

appetizers to desserts and everything in between.

Bon Appetit!

  

Michigan Watercolor Society: "African Violet"

Just got word that my watercolor "African Violet" was accepted to the Michigan Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition at Lansing Art Gallery May 4th - June 29th. 90 paintings were accepted out of 262 entries. Pretty excited about this. Every time a painting gets accepted, I run a lap around the studio!

To see images of this work in progress, click here.