One thing that I think makes a confident cook, is the ability to deal with what you mess up and not get discouraged. For me, part of that comes out of my refusal to waste. If I make a mistake, by effort turns into something else. I think that it is important not to strive for perfection. That's not to say that you should expect to serve something that doesn't taste good. One cooking show I used to watch years ago, was The Frugal Gourmet. One less learned then, was if something doesn't turn out the way it's supposed to, call it something else. Julia Child also said that any dish that looked perfect had too many hands touching it. Those are my two mantras.
I made this pie last week. It called for both shortening and butter. I used lard, butter and a little bit of Smart Balance that I had left from camp. There must have been too much moisture in the spread and my dough came out to sticky and smooth. It would not roll out, so I improvised and smushed the dough into the plate, filled it with fresh apples, the took smaller gobs, which I flattened in my hand and pressed on the top. I then brushed that with egg white and sprinkled granulated maple syrup on top.
My pie was delicious and it didn't look to ugly either! Had I been a perfectionist and thrown out the dough, or been too intimidated to deviate from the recipe, I'd have wasted time and ingredients. Of course, the pie tasted really good and the crust actually turned out nice and flakey. I count it as a win!
That looks delicious. I think Smart Balance probably does have water in it. You can't go wrong with lard and butter. Rolling dough is overrated. The taste is all that counts. But I do waste a lot of food. If the final result does not measure up, it goes to the dogs. They never complain.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with giving what you don't use to the dog. Teddy got the peels and cores and anything else that would have been food waste that day. If I use a spread again, I will cut back on the water.
DeleteI have a recipe that calls for smushing the crust into the pie and dropping tiny bits of dough on the top. My son loved the pie and said he just wanted the cookie part. He was three and loved that crust.
ReplyDeleteI have often made syrup while trying to make jelly. I will eat any mess I make if it tastes good. When I had chickens, they ate all scraps and peels.
We are definitely cut from the same cloth!
Delete