The Kitchn

How To Make a Pie Crust from Scratch

2008-11-22T13:00:00+00:00

We've talked a lot about pies these last three weeks. We saw 29 smashing pies in our Best Pie Bakeoff, and we're excited to try some of these new recipes this week. Thank you and congratulations to everyone who entered a pie in the Bakeoff; thank you so much for sharing and participating. (Next week we'll share our three editorial Special Mention winners, too.) Today, we wanted to share our own pie process - a gallery of photos and the basic process of making a pie crust. Pies can seem intimidating and time-consuming, but as our own pie here will attest - it's not the looks that count! So just jump in and try, and if you want a quick refresher on making a pie crust, here it is.

If you want to follow along, we're using the vodka pie crust recipe we talk about here: • Recipe Review: The Cook's Illustrated Vodka Pie Crust

Prep your ingredients.
Mix the flour, salt and sugar.
Cut the butter into small chunks.
Whiz the butter and shortening with the dry ingredients in short bursts.

before

If you don't have a food processor, get your fingers in there!
Put the flour and butter in a big bowl and quickly mix in the liquid.
Wrap in plastic and put in the fridge.
Unwrap and sprinkle with flour, then lay parchment or wax paper on top.
Lay your pie plate upside down on the dough then flip over and tuck in.
Back to the fridge!

brush with egg yolk

blackberry apple filling

That is our basic pie method - and greatly open to improvement, good ideas, and good tips. Pie making is famously fussy, and there are definitely ways to make any pie better. But we do think it should be a simple, homey dessert, and this method works well for us. What differences do you have in your own pie crust making method?

What's Cooking This Weekend? Weekend of November 22-23

2008-11-21T17:30:00+00:00

It's the last weekend before Thanksgiving, and we still have pies on the brain. Thing is, we've also got stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce, and sweet potatoes on our minds. What about you? What are you cooking this weekend? Are you prepping for the big meal next week? Or are you just keeping it relaxed? We're going to round out our pie coverage this weekend as we finish off the voting for the best Original Pie in our Bakeoff. We're also going to show you, start to finish, just how we make a pie crust - a last minute refresher before Thanksgiving! We'll also have recipes for fresh fruit tarts, like apple-quince and another surprise fruit. Until then, here's a roundup of some great cooking, eating, and reading from The Kitchn this past week.

• Get ready for Thanksgiving! Here's a roundup of some of our Thanksgiving tips and good ideas. Good pointers in the comments, too. • This cheery champagne cocktail looks easy and delicious. We'll be trying it out this weekend! For more on holiday drinks, check out Mary's roundup of holiday wines and recommendation to keep it simple (And budget-friendly). • Have you voted for your favorite Original Pie in our Bakeoff voting yet? • Looking for one more Thanksgiving side dish? Take a tour through this gallery of Thanksgiving side dishes and this one of white and sweet potato recipes. Check out the appetizers too. • Nutmeg was big this week; we told you all about this versatile spice and showed you a nutmeg grinder we pine for. Also, is fresh nutmeg more potent? • Tips for spending less money on the holidays. • How are you cooking your turkey? • No turkey? Try tofu loaf instead. • Are carrots on the menu this week? Don't forget to try these cute carrot flowers. See you Saturday bright and early with tips on making a great pie crust (and reminders on how it's really not that hard), plus more recipes and the last voting in our Pie Bakeoff. Happy baking! (Image: Faith Durand)

Vote Now! Best Original Pie from the Best Pie Bakeoff 2008

2008-11-21T17:15:00+00:00

Twenty-nine pies! Thirteen classics, and sixteen originals. We're all the richer for these recipes, and we can hardly wait to try a few. Yesterday and today we voted on the Classic pies and it looks like we have a winner! (Go take a peek.) Today we're voting on the Original pies. There was a wealth of creativity in these pies - cherries, chocolate, caramel - even beans and Gruyère cheese! We need your help to judge them (all in good fun, of course - every one of these looks utterly wonderful.) Click through to see a gallery of all the pies and to make your vote count! Click through to see a gallery of all the pies and to vote! Voting is now closed. Click through to see the winner!

Vote Now!

The Original Pies

Recipe Recommendation: Rosemary Roasted Cashews

2008-11-21T16:30:00+00:00

Here's another quick appetizer idea for Thanksgiving—sweet and spicy cashews that your guests can snack on while they're waiting for the turkey...

This recipe is from Ina Garten, who based it on nuts served at the Union Square Cafe in New York (we've written about these and other cocktail nuts here). If you don't like rosemary, these nuts are not for you. But if you do, they're delicious—glazed with a bit of melted butter, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, salt, and chopped, fresh rosemary. The recipe simply calls for cashews, but we try to buy roasted, unsalted ones. If you buy raw cashews, it will take a bit longer than 10 minutes in the oven to toast them. If they're pre-roasted, it's quicker. You just need to warm them up. Also, they freeze well, if you're making things ahead of time. • Get the recipe: Ina Garten's Rosemary Roasted Cashews, from the Food Network Related: Cooking Basics: How to Toast Nuts (and Why!) (Image: Elizabeth Passarella)

On Eating Bone Marrow

2008-11-21T16:00:00+00:00

Walt Whitman urged us to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. Well, I'm here to urge you to suck on roasted bone marrow! Seriously, this is one of the most delicious, low-cost food items you can prepare.

Bone marrow is a wonderful source of protein and high in monounsaturated fats - the good fats. Legend says that Queen Victoria ate marrow every day. Although she was not a skinny woman, she lived to be 81. Anthony Bourdain says he wants the following recipe as his last meal: Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad Ingredients: 12 three-inch (7 1/2-centimeter) pieces veal marrowbone 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked from stems 2 shallots, peeled and very thinly sliced 2 tablespoons (30 grams) capers 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lemon Coarse sea salt Freshly ground black pepper Toasted bread, for serving Procedure: 1. Prepare the bones: Put the bones in an ovenproof frying pan or roasting pan; place in a 450°F (230°C) oven. Depending on bone thickness, roasting should take about 20 minutes. You're looking for loose and giving marrow, but marrow that's not yet melted away. 2. Prepare the parsley salad: While bones are roasting, lightly chop the parsley and mix it with the shallots and capers. Just before serving, dress salad with the olive oil and lemon juice; salt and pepper to taste. 3. Serve the dish: Don't completely season this dish before serving; let the diner do the last-minute seasoning. To eat, scrape the marrow from the bone onto the toast; season it with coarse sea salt. Place a pinch of parsley salad on top; eat immediately. (Image: Press Democrat | Recipe: Fergus Henderson)

Good Question: How To Cut Up a Turkey Before Roasting?

2008-11-21T15:30:00+00:00

Here's a good question from Anne (in Reno) on that Thanksgiving turkey. Hi, I'm doing a pre-Thanksgiving turkey this weekend since there are never enough leftovers. I have been recipe surfing and found one that recommended cutting the turkey up before roasting it. It looks good to me, but how do I cut up the turkey? Is there a standard way or should I just hack at it and hope? I have done turkeys before but usually they have been whole and someone else carves them. When I search online all the instructionals are for carving a cooked turkey. Can you give me any advice? Thanks!

First off, here's the recipe that Anne's looking at: • Roast Turkey with Apple-Sourdough Bread Stuffing, by Robin Miller at Food Network The recipe only gives this direction: "1 (8 to 10-pound) turkey, cut into 5 parts (breast, legs, wings), giblets removed and discarded." It does add a note that you can ask a butcher to do this for you. If you don't have that option, then we would suggest going ahead and using those tutorials for cooked turkey; it's not going to be much different cutting up the bird in its pre-cooked state. But here is also one more that we found that is illustrated with photos of non-cooked turkey. • Cutting Up a Whole Turkey at Recipe Tips The main thing here is to separate the white meat from the dark meat, so you need to focus on the main body parts the recipe calls for. Start by making a clean cut between the legs and the main body, then do the same with the wings. Flip the breast upside down and make a clean cut between the two halves. We echo the linked tutorial, too, and say that this is much easier to do when the bird is chilled and even partially frozen. Good luck! Those of us who want to braise a turkey in pieces this Thanksgiving will be right behind you, cutting up our big birds. Is anyone else trying Mark Bittman's braised-in-pieces recipe? • Braised Turkey by The Minimalist at The New York Times Related: How Are You Cooking Your Turkey? (Image: Evan Sung for The New York Times)

Weekend Project: Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

2008-11-21T15:00:00+00:00

Like many of you, we're planning on dedicating a good chunk of this weekend to Thanksgiving grocery shopping and some early prep work. Here's a round-up of all the tips, reminders, and ideas we've been talking about on the Kitchn over the past few weeks!

The Turkey Basic Tips on what size to buy, when to thaw, how to roast, and when to serve How to Brine Your Turkey Which Roasting Pan to Buy Cooking Light and Dark Meat The Side Dishes How to Thicken Gravy with Stuffing How to Keep Mashed Potatoes Warm Side Dish Recipes Stuffing Recipes Potato Recipes Alternatives to Traditional Thanksgiving Sides Vegetarian Menu Holiday Appetizers Dessert Tips on Making Desserts in Advance - that is, if you can resist eating them the the days between! And check out our growing collection of Best Pies for some dessert inspiration. The Table With all the focus on the food, don't forget to count your chairs, locate the extra leaves for the dining room table, and make sure you have enough place settings for everyone. When it comes to actually setting the table, don't forget some of Diane Morgan's tips on creating easy centerpieces, finding inexpensive linens, and arranging the buffet table. Any other last-minute tips or questions? Related: What Meals Make the Best Leftovers? (Images: Flickr members Roadsidepictures, Marshall Astor licensed under Creative Commons)

See Tyler Florence's Gorgeous Kitchen Delicious links for 11.21.08

2008-11-21T14:40:00+00:00

Turns out Tyler Florence has a gorgeous kitchen (go figure, right?) but he also uses one of our favorite inexpensive kitchen tools. Take a look at this kitchen tour. That plus a video showing how Thanksgiving turkeys are slaughtered, flatware for little ones, and more below in today's Delicious Links.

Today's Delicious Links

• At home with Tyler Florence - Mmmm pretty kitchen... • How your Thanksgiving turkey is slaughtered - Oh yeah, Sarah Palin's in it too. • A glimpse of a delightful book at Cooked Books, exploring the delicious world of the New York Public Library's culinary resources. • Eco-Friendly Toddler Flatware Set - For the littlest members at the Thanksgiving table.

Previous Delicious Links

Good Idea! Use Canning Jars Instead of Ramekins

2008-11-21T14:00:00+00:00

There's no law that says custards must always be served in ramekins! We love the rustic and whimsical look of re-using glass canning jars for custards - or what about chicken pot pie, mac n' cheese, and other individual casserole servings?...

Like ceramic ramekins, glass jars can withstand the low oven heat needed to cook custards and brown the crust on a pot pie. We recommend placing the jars in a hot water bath to regulate the temperature - just set the jars inside a casserole dish or roasting pan and fill the pan half way up the sides of the jars with warm water. Wide-mouth half-pint canning jars would probably work best for these purposes. They're easy to fill and make just the right serving size for one person. Plus, storing leftovers is a simple matter of screwing the lid back onto the jar! Give it a try! Related: Good Question: Where to Buy Plain Canning Jars? (Image: Flickr member Slushpup licensed under Creative Commons)

Zingerman's Italian Wild Cherries

2008-11-21T13:00:00+00:00

I was lucky enough to get to play around with a jar of Zingerman's Italian Wild Cherries, which are being given as a prize in our Pie Bakeoff (have you voted yet?). My original idea was to make a pie out of them, but with some careful practice recipe testing using the same volume of frozen (less precious and expensive!) cherries, I came up short. I tried a version using apples as a supporting filling, but it just didn't blow me away enough to risk baking away the entire $49 jar of cherries and dumbing it down with another fruit.

Instead, I decided to serve it over vanilla ice cream on top of an apple pie and yes, was blown away. The syrup these guys are nestled in has that wild flavor so many preserved fruits lack. The cherries themselves are small and have a great texture, nothing like that of canned cherries or frozen and defrosted cherries.

So my advice to the winners of this prize is to enjoy them slowly. Dress your pies with a few spoonfuls, stir some into whipped cream, use the syrup as a base for a champagne cocktail, or use your mixer or a strong arm to incorporate some into ice cream, then refreeze and serve as a delicious dessert on its own. • Zingerman's Italian Wild Cherries ($49, 750g)

Recipe: Thanksgiving Tofu Loaf

2008-11-21T12:30:00+00:00

For many of us, a vegetarian Thanksgiving means loading up on side dishes. No complaints here; I look forward to mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce every year. But there's also something special about having a seasonal main dish, to be enjoyed in place of your relatives' turkey or served to vegetarian friends. In my family, the vegetarians celebrated Thanksgiving with a tofu loaf.

This recipe has been adapted from Brother Ron Pickarski's Friendly Foods cookbook and my mother's handwritten notes and e-mails. Even when we don't make it home for Thanksgiving, my brother and I have tried to carry on the tradition wherever we happen to be at the time. You can fill the loaf with your favorite dressing, although I recommend one that is bread- rather than rice-based as the texture holds up better in the loaf. Something buttery and sage-y goes especially well with the tofu, and I've included my family's traditional recipe below. Other ideas may be found in the Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe Roundup. Serve it with the sauce or gravy of your choice. My favorite is the Vegetarian Gravy recipe linked in our Nutritional Yeast post. Finally, a note about ingredients: agar flakes and arrowroot powder are thickening agents that can be found at Whole Foods and other health food stores. Look for agar in the baking section or with the seaweed products. Arrowroot can often be found on supermarket spice racks, as well. Thanksgiving Tofu Loaf (adapted from Brother Ron Pickarski's Friendly Foods) Serves 4-6 1 1/2 pounds firm tofu 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder Vegetable broth base, to taste* 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons agar flakes About 3 cups stuffing Preheat oven to 350F. Oil and flour a 1 1/2-quart (6-cup) loaf pan. Rinse tofu, pat dry, and cut or crumble into small pieces. Place tofu, arrowroot, salt, white pepper, and agar flakes in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with vegetable broth base to taste and blend until combined. Spread a layer of the tofu paste on all sides of the pan, leaving aside 1 cup of paste. Firmly but gently press stuffing into the pan. Cover with the remaining paste and seal the edges. Cover the pan with an aluminum foil "tent"; the foil should not touch the tofu. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding. Invert pan to unmold. Slice and serve with sauce of your choice. *The original recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of Vogue VegeBase. I have also used about 1 tablespoon of Better than Bouillon. Any vegetable broth powder or paste should work; just add a little at a time, blend, and taste. Classic Stuffing Makes 5-6 cups 1 (1 pound) loaf of bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (can use EarthBalance or other butter substitute) 1 large onion, diced 3 celery ribs, diced 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (mostly sage, also rosemary, thyme, marjoram) or 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning About 1/2 cup vegetable broth Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste A few hours or the night before cooking, spread bread cubes out on a pan to dry. (Mom's note: To protect from kitties, place this pan in the closed oven!) Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and celery and sautée until onion is translucent. Add herbs or poultry seasoning and sautée for another moment. Remove from heat, add bread cubes, and stir to combine. Gradually stir in broth until the stuffing is moistened but not soggy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Related: Recipe: Savory Kabocha Tofu Pie (Image: Emily Ho)

Vote Now! Best Classic Pie from the Best Pie Bakeoff 2008

2008-11-21T12:00:00+00:00

Well, we've seen 29 scrumptious pies - each of which we'd like to take a fork to any time. We're all the richer for these recipes, and we can hardly wait to try a few. We're also voting on the pie that looks the best to us. Today we're voting on the Classic pies. Apple, pumpkin, pecan. Which is your favorite incarnation of a classic recipe? There are 13 entries in this category and we need your help to judge them (all in good fun, of course - every one of these looks amazing.) Click through to see a gallery of all the pies and to make your vote count! Voting has closed! Click through to see the winner!

Vote Now!

Voting will be open until 12:00 noon EST tomorrow, November 21. Links to the pie recipes are below, if you want to review.

The Classic Pies

Blogging The New York Times: Kroger Grocery Stores and Murray's Bringing Good Cheese to the Midwest?

2008-11-21T11:30:00+00:00

The top story in today's New York Times Dining area is one that we blogged back in March: national grocery store chain Kroger is partnering with New York's Murray's Cheese "to bring cheese to a wide audience." We are happy fans of good cheese, but we have slightly mixed feelings about this story.

On the one hand we love cheese, and we are always in favor of better education and more options in our local grocery store. Having Murray's at Kroger is going to expand the options of some shoppers who may never make it to a specialty cheese shop. On the other hand, we have a hunch that these Murray's/Kroger partnerships are going to show up in neighborhoods that are sophisticated and affluent enough to already have a good cheese shop, or a Whole Foods, which runs a very good cheese counter. What about a Murrays/Kroger partnership in more urban or less affluent areas? But the real thing that is a little annoying about this particular blog piece is the assumption that New York has to bring class to the mass of the Midwest. We have a fabulous cheese shop (several, in fact) in our small Midwestern city already, and while having the convenience of Murray's in Kroger may be appealing, it's hardly going to be the only option in town. Also, let's not forget that some of America's best cheese is produced right here in the Midwest. Even though Murray's has to develop new distribution systems (the blog post says: "Murray’s Cheese products have to be delivered from New York to the Ohio supermarkets" - gosh) we really wonder if a lot of that gourmet cheese isn't going to be shipped from much closer than New York. We were just visiting with some ladies from Wisconsin who were raving about their local ten-year aged Cheddar - similar to fine old Gouda. Overall we think this is a good partnership, but we're probably not going to give up our relationship with our local cheesemonger when Murray's moves up I-71 to Columbus Kroger stores. What do you think? Murray's Cheese in Kroger - good thing, or mixed feelings? • Read the New York Times blog article here: Mass Meets Class for Artisanal Cheeses Related: Our original post on the partnership: (Good) News from the Cheese Front: Murray's Cheese Partners With Kroger (Image: Jim Callaway for The New York Times)

Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Cocktail: The Poinsettia Straight Up Cocktails and Spirits

2008-11-21T11:00:00+00:00

Keeping in mind all the multi-dish bustle that comes with Thanksgiving, this year I set out in search for a cocktail recipe that would be:

quick and easy to prepare (and replenish!)
adjustable to suit a wide range of age groups and tastes (with and without alcohol)
pretty and festive on the holiday table
a good pre-dinner drink, but also something that could carry over to complement the flavors and textures of the Thanksgiving meal

Tall order? Maybe, but I think I found a pretty good solution in an old holiday classic: The Poinsettia.

A sparkling wine-based cocktail with the added zip of cranberry and orange, the Poinsettia is a perfect fit for the Thanksgiving table. Dry, light, fruity, and effervescent, it packs a lot of flavor without being too heavy or boozy, and can easily be adapted into a tasty adult and kid-friendly teetotaling version by swapping out the sparkling wine for club soda, ginger ale, or sparkling apple cider, and subbing-in orange juice for the orange liqueur (or simply leaving it out). Because the Poinsettia doesn't require precise measures, or shaking, stirring, or straining, and is mixed right in the drinking glass, it's super-easy to prepare - and refill - mid-meal. A Google search turned up a boggling number of recipe variations (prepared in a punch bowl; with addition of simple syrup or rum; with more or less cranberry juice; etc.), but I turned to the ever-reliable Dale DeGroff for a simple, well-balanced formula: Poinsettia (adapted from Dale DeGroff, The Craft of the Cocktail) makes one cocktail 2 ounces cranberry juice 4 ounces (approx. measure: enough to top up glass) champagne, prosecco, cava, or other dry, sparkling white wine 1/2 ounce orange liqueur (DeGroff suggests Cointreau, but I tried the less sweet, rum-based liqueur, Clement Creole Shrubb, and found it worked quite nicely.) Pour cranberry juice into a champagne flute and top up with sparkling wine. Then top with a “float” (a final layer) of orange liqueur. Garnish with an optional twist of orange and single fresh cranberry. Are you serving Thanksgiving cocktails this year? Related: Thanksgiving Wines: Keep It Simple (Images: Nora Maynard) -Nora

Are You Planning a Trial Run for Thanksgiving?

2008-11-21T10:00:00+00:00

In one of our favorite episodes of "Will and Grace," Jack's mom shows up unexpected at Will and Grace's apartment several days before Thanksgiving, panting from speed walking and holding a casserole dish. When Jack finds out she's met his friends without his knowing, he says, angrily, "Damn her and her dry runs!" Do you have any dry runs planned?

We're not talking about preparing the whole meal twice, obviously, but maybe you're trying out a new dish and want to test it before serving it to a huge crowd. Or, you might make something ahead of time to find out exactly how long it takes, which will help you with your timing next Thursday. As for us, we've made cranberry relish (in the freezer) and are tackling homemade turkey gravy this weekend, since we've never made it before and we'd like to know it's good. Just in case we need a do-over before the big day. What about you? Are you testing out any Thanksgiving recipes this weekend? Related: Dinner Party Planning: Scheduling Backwards (Image: Flickr member inju, licensed for use under Creative Commons)