I just threw a dough together, so we’ll see how it goes. I did use 2 egg whites and as you suggested two kind of fats (which I already do - shortening and butter). This will be for a savory rather than sweet pie - a turkey pot pie type thing… Will report back later tonight after dinner.
Oh, I did look around online and saw some that combined an egg or an egg white with vinegar… I am not a vodka drinker, so don’t have it hanging about the house. If this doesn’t come out, I might try it again with vinegar and see how that works out.
Vinegar denatures some of the proteins, leading to a flakier crust. For myself, once you’ve added eggs you’re not making a “true” pie crust anymore. Fat, flour, water, a pinch of salt and a splash of vinegar is it. The last two are optional. A good ratio is 1 part water:2 parts fat:3 parts flour.
I found that with hot water crust too. You think you’d basically be making glue. But the results are still tender, if a bit harder. And kinda midway between crispy and flakey.
Which was good to know cause it’s the only pastry recipe I can make work more than once.
If you want to get all pedantic about it none of it is pie crust. It’s all just pastry. Short crust pastry is hardly the only pastry used for pie, and pie isn’t the only use for shortcrust.
Yeah that’s what I originally tried it for. The shortcrust my family usually uses for meat pies don’t actually hold up all that well and I am terrible at making it.
The hot water crust is very easy, and turns out is very tasty. So i just kinda kept using it.
I substituted fresh oregano and basil from the garden. I feel about parsley, especially Italian parsley, the way some people feel about cilantro. I just don’t enjoy it.
Made this yesterday. So simple and so tasty. Used a poblano pepper and a green bell pepper. Poblanos are great for a little bit of heat without it being overpowering.
Chinatown markets typically use hotter peppers for this.
Bummer, finely chopped stuff just adds that fresh green flavor to contrast the deep flavors of fish and cooked tomato, can definitely understand if you don’t like it though… maybe fresh chives when you plate it?
As an aside, my daughter loves cilantro enough to eat it straight
Late on this discussion, but I’ve been baking bacon for decades. It’s so easy, because you don’t have to preheat the oven. I used to do it in a jellyroll pan with a sturdy cooling rack in it, but now I use a roasting pan. The deeper pan catches all the fat, and having the bacon sit down further in the pan instead above it keeps the oven splatter down, too.
As @navarro mention, it’s easy to take some pieces out at 20 minutes for family members who have odd tastes and put the rest back in crisp up properly. Also to make a couple lacquered/candied bacon pieces for treats later, without having to do a separate pan, although then you can’t use the bacon grease for later frying.
Also, as an aside about the no-knead bread - I do a version of a no knead bread when I want a good bread but I physically can’t do it. (I never tell “real” bread nerds about it, because they tell me it can’t work, can’t taste right, can’t have a proper crumb, etc. Plain wheat bread is pretty forgiving, in my experience.) Women have been “making it work” in the kitchen since forever, but I guess it’s not official or real until a man can write it up or be in charge. Sigh.
Yes! I call it ‘Thermodynamic.’ cooking. Many things seem to cook nicely if you start them in a cold oven, skillet, or pan of water.
Perhaps I need to experiment more with this idea?
I am in complete concurrence about the proper crispness of bacon, but also love how you kind of sneakily included this nibble of judgement. Almost snorted out my water while reading.
People who like their bacon cooked to death are the only people I reserve the right to be bigoted against.
(To be honest for a second, when I posted it I was wondering whether that turn of phrase was a step too far. I might have overstepped the line I was trying to walk and if so I apologise)
Well, my bacon is always dead prior to cooking, YMMV.
But, yeah, I like it crunchy.
This reminds me of a thing a friend told me about ages ago. She was really into…I wanna say Ayurveda? And there are three (again, I wanna say) doshas: kaffa (earth/water) pita (fire) and vata (air). We all have some mix, but usually a dominant. Kaffas prefer ■■■■■ food (ice cream was her example, or avocados) pitas are more into spicy, and vata, crispy (crackers, crisps/chips). She told me about it in terms of how food could be a means of “rebalancing” your doshas if they were getting out of whack. Like, if my pita nature was getting to strong, I should eat more ice cream. This is probably a gross and maybe inaccurate oversimplification, but I found it fun to think about.
