More thoughts on pies :)

A cooking buddy asked for my pie crust recipe when she sampled my purple pie a few weeks ago, and I promised I'd share.  I got my particular recipe from our church cook book, put together a few years ago for a big anniversary (25th) at the church.  I was looking at my usual cooking sites online, and there were tons of recipes available.  Unfortunately, a lot were very involved, or required special ingredients or tons of time, and one required a full-size food processor to pulse the ingredients together (I only have a mini Chop).  So, was striking out, when the thought crossed my mind, "Maybe the church cookbook has a crust recipe?"  Ta-da!

Local cookbooks are always great - churches, schools, civic groups, etc - because everyone always submits their best.  You know, those recipes that are always requested at potlucks and luncheons?  I know that's how my mom chose which recipes to submit to the church one when they were asking for submissions!  As a result, the local cookbooks are always full of good stuff :)  I can't say I've had a flop from the church one yet!

It's nothing remarkable, but as the name says, it's...

No Fail Flaky Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 2 c flour
• Touch of salt
• 1 c Crisco 
• 7 T ice cold water
• Squirt of lemon juice

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients well.
2. Put in covered dish in refrigerator and let chill at least 30 minutes.
3. Roll out on floured surface to desired thickness.
4. Move to pan.  Pinch edges if desired.
5. Fill and bake as directed.

My Notes

• Makes 2 pie crusts.  I have a 10-inch pie pan, and I haven't quite gotten the hang of making a really thin pie crust, but I still have enough left over for decorations for the pie top (a lattice or cutouts or something) or for a second, smaller pie. With the purple pies, I made one in the 10-inch pan, and the second pie in a 8x8 inch baking pan (I only have one pie pan at the moment).  The dough still made enough to have a generous crust on the sides.
• The lemon juice is what makes the pie crust flaky.  Don't be afraid to give it a splash more if you think you need to.  I usually give it a good healthy squirt.
• For avoiding soggy pie-crusts, the advice I've seen is to prebake (also called "blind baking").  The gist is to partially bake the crust before it is filled. If it's already baked, even a little, then it absorbs less liquid from the filling.   This is also very important if you're making a custard pie or something similar, where the filling isn't baked (in which case you totally bake the crust, not just partially).  To prebake, roll out the crust and put it in the pan. If your crust has warmed up too much while rolling it out, then put it back in the fridge for another half hour or so.  The colder it is, the less the sides will fall.  Also to keep the sides from falling, you should line the crust with parchment paper, wax paper, or a large coffee filter, and fill it with beans or rice. There are special pie weights available for sale (those little fat  ceramic marble looking things in the baking section), but beans and rice are free :)  Just be sure to totally cover the bottom of the crust with the beans and fill it at least 2/3 full, so that all the sides of the crust are weighted and supported.  Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350°F.  Remove from oven, cool a few minutes and carefully remove pie weights. If you want to brush the crust with egg white, do so two or three minutes after it comes out of the oven. The white will set and the dough will be impervious to moisture.  If you need to totally bake the pie crust, poke small holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork and return to oven (without the weights) and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Cool completely before filling. If you have problems with the pie edges getting dried out or burnt, cover the rim of the pie with aluminum foil or one of those fancy pie edgers as you're baking.  (Notes on prebaking from ochef.com, Simply Recipes, and Suite 101)

 This is a reeeeeeeally easy pie crust.  I can mix it by hand, it doesn't need to chill for 2 hours, and takes no special equipment.  I feel like I can't make a disaster out of it, and it comes out great!  Score another win for the church cookbook!

National Pie Day!

Again, cause for celebration!  Last year was Chocolate Silk Pie.  This year is Sweet Potato Pie.  Yes, I know, I'm definitely marking myself as a little Southern girl here, but this year, we had extra-special Sweet Potato Pie.  So, I felt the recipe was worthy to share :)

The original recipe I used was from Allrecipes.com, one of about 2 dozen variations they have there.  This one was one of the most highly ranked, so I figured it was a good starting point!

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients

• 1 (1 pound) sweet potato (approximately 2 cups mashed sweet potato)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions

1. Boil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin.  (It is also possible to boil the sweet potatoes already peeled - your preference)
2. Break apart sweet potato in a bowl.  If the sweet potatoes are well cooked, they will mash easily. 
3. Add butter, and mix well with hand mixer. 
4. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla.
5. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. 
6. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools - don't be concerned if it seems like it's falling :) 

Nutrition Amount Per Serving

• Calories: 389
• Total Fat: 20.6g
• Cholesterol: 85mg 

My Notes & Variations

• I used 1 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice instead of the spices listed above.  Other spices I've seen included in sweet potato pie recipes are allspice (1 tsp) and orange zest (1 tsp).  Sweet potato pie is very similar to pumpkin pie, and spices can be adjusted to taste.  If you know what you like in pumpkin pie, then you can use similar spices here.
• I used evaporated milk instead of milk.  It's an equal substitution, just makes the finished pie a little smoother.
• The reason I wanted to post this particular recipe this year is that we received purple sweet potatoes for Christmas this year.  My mother-in-law found these a few years ago, and has succeeded in raising some in her own garden from sprouts from the purchased purple ones.  They are naturally purple, and don't lose their color when cooked (see below on left?).  Too much fun!  So, for New Year's, along with the traditional Southern ham-and-black-eyed-peas dinner, we had PURPLE sweet potato pie!  :D  I made 2 purple pies, and they made me so happy!  Truly the little things in life :)
• If you are lucky enough to get your hands on purple potatoes yourself, they do take a little more liquid when cooking.  You just add milk until it's the right consistency for the pie.  For reference, I made a double batch (i.e. 2 purple pies) and instead of doubling the evaporated milk (using 1 cup of milk) I used the whole 12 oz. can.  I did have to cook it a little longer as well, but really that's not unusual with our oven.  Just go by the toothpick test, and if you have to cook it longer because of the extra liquid used, well, don't be surprised.

 

Movie Review: Bullitt

I know!  It's been ages since I've had a movie posted!  Well, during Christmas time, I watch a lot more of the holiday classics, so no new ones to post about :)  But, back to Netflix, though, and this time it's Bullitt.

Plot:  As summarized on IMDB, "an all guts, no glory San Francisco cop becomes determined to find the underworld kingpin that killed the witness in his protection." (Yes, it IS more than "the movie with that car chase"!)  In a little more detail, Frank Bullitt is a San Francisco police lieutenant who is assigned by an ambitious politician to guard an important witness testifying against an organized crime organization.  When the witness is killed and one of his men seriously wounded, Bullitt become determined to find some answers about the attack.

I actually didn't like it.  I just didn't care about any of the characters.  I realize that Bullitt is supposed to be a gritty, hardworking, bull-dogish sort of detective, but he is so tight lipped that I had a hard time relating to him or the case he was working on.  I realize that if you're trying to have a more cerebral hero, he's probably going to be a bit quieter, but when you can't care about your title character, that's not a good thing.

Not that McQueen did a bad job with it though.  I actually do like him in taciturn roles, like in The Great Escape.  He did a good job with facial expressions and quiet attitudes.  I think some of it was the writing that never really pulled me into the characters - he's just a little too quiet.  For example, the conversation Bullitt has with his girlfriend after she sees the dead body and him on his job... it just felt out of place, somehow.  I guess up til that point in the movie, the biggest talker in the movie was Chalmers, so having some deep discussion between Bullitt and his girlfriend just struck me funny.  I guess I never really felt the connection between the lovers either.  Both are good actors (and Jacqueline Bisset is still one of the most beautiful actresses ever) but I just never felt any chemistry.

Robert Vaugh, as the politician Chalmers, was classic, though.  Very irritating, very pushy, but not overstated in a "this guys is obviously crooked" stereotyped villain sort of way (you know, what you would get in a movie now).  He was just an ambitious, pushy politician used to getting his way running up against a case which was not going his way.

Thinking of characters though, be sure to see Robert Duvall in a relatively small role as a taxi driver!  Not his big screen debut (as that was obviously To Kill A Mockingbird) but still several years before M*A*S*H and The Godfather. 

There were a lot of technical things I really liked, too.  The editing was great - actually earned an Oscar for that work!  A lot of the camera work was really well done, a very pretty film to watch.  I really liked the end scene, too, as he washes his face after coming home.  The first time I really felt how tired and overworked and drained Bullitt was in this job.

The movie is very quiet.  There is little background music, no sweeping soundtrack.  I kinda liked it.  I don't like glaring soundtracks in my suspense films, I think.

The car chase was interesting.  It wasn't as loud as a car chase would be in a modern movie - the whole movie, like I mentioned, is actually was very quiet.  And the chase was nearly 10 minutes of bouncing and speeding through the streets of San Francisco, so a lot of technical camera and stunt work was involved (though it is a pretty classic example of a continuity error - how the hubcap goes flying off on one turn, then is still present around the next).  It was one of those moments where you see the original compared to modern movies, and you have to try and keep it in context - no CGI editing of the chase, but actually driven through the city.  Makes it seem that much more impressive.

I know I'm an action movie buff, but there are a lot of dramas and such that I like, and a lot of action movies I don't, so it's not because it was a "classic, cerebral, not flashy and loud" sort of action movie that I didn't like it.  I don't mind if a movie is quiet if it's well done - I love M for example (and heck, that's quiet and in German!). And there are plenty of anti-hero movies and down-trodden-cops-against-the-system movies on my shelf.  I love Dirty Harry, and Bullitt is one that's supposed to be in the same genre.  I think that it was simply the characters that I didn't like here.  Oh well...

Overall:  3 of 5.  Beautiful editing, some strong performances, and of course that car chase.  But, really didn't draw me in.  Neither the suspense of the case nor the characters ever really clicked with me.  One of those movie to watch to understand all the references in other movies, but not one for my shelf.

Test Knit Mitt Notes

I have, through one group and another, found my way to a Test Knitting group on Ravelry.  For those not in the know, test knitters are the ones who take a designer's pattern before it's published and knit it up and check for typos, instruction clarity, mistakes in the pattern, all that sort of thing.  Gives the designer a chance to make corrections before actual publication.

I was test knitting a mitt pattern, and I really liked it!  The designer is currently living in London, and the lace-and-twist stitch pattern on the mitt is inspired by the Tower Bridge.  And as London is one of my favorite cities in the world, I just had to sign up for this knit :)

My project is raveled here.  The pattern page is here, and it's available as a Ravelry download.

 

I'd say this is probably an intermediate pattern.  It's knit in the round, so you have to be comfortable with DPNs or Magic Loop or similar.  More so, though, is the lace pattern itself.  The lace pattern involved twisted stitches (you can see some in the ribbing below) which were fine to knit, but it also involved some twisted stitches that were very fiddly for me.  They are like one stitch cables, to make the "caps" on the lace "windows" in the pattern.  These did take a little bit of practice, as I'm a lefty.  Going in one direction, the twisted stitches were easy, but going the other, it was harder being a "backwards" knitter.  I ended up treating them like mini-cables.  No cable needle, but that's what I had to do to make the pattern look appropriate.  Being backwards, I like using charts because I just have to adjust my knitting to "look like the picture"! 

My other main comment on this pattern is that apparently my hands are even smaller than I thought!  I've always known I have small hands (playing handbells, I always had to use size small gloves, which as a choir member pointed out "Are you sure?  They're really small").  I made the pattern to size small specifications, though - US 0 needles with sport-weight yarn.  And they do fit.  The downside is that there isn't much negative ease, so the lace doesn't open up as much, particularly around the wrist.  A little bit of a pity, since the pattern is so cute.  So, simple solution - the next time I make these (and yes, I will make them again!) is that I'll do 4 pattern repeats, not 5 to encircle my hand.  I might need to go up a needle size so that they still fit, but that should make the lace more visible :)

 

And another attempt to get a clear picture of the lace pattern - it's just so pretty! And yes, you also get another picture of the omnipresent cat hair in our house ;)

The yarn I used is Knit Picks Stroll Sport.  I like the yarn - so soft!  It's a little splitty, but I was also working on 0's, so I think I'd've been sticking my needles through whatever yarn I used - those needles are just so small!  The color (Winter Night) is probably a little dark for this project, as it just makes the pattern a little harder to see.  But I think of blue when I think of the Tower Bridge, and I fell in love with this blue when I was looking for a yarn in the right weight to use for the project, so there you go!

Merry Christmas!

And a recipe to share for the season!  Super easy, but looks much more impressive!

Peppermint Bark

 

Ingredients

• 12 ounces (about 2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips.  Milk chocolate or dark chocolate can also be used.
• 12 ounces (about 2 cups) white chocolate, chopped, or white chocolate chips
• 1 bag peppermint hard candies (you could also use candy canes)
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Directions

1. Coarsely crush the peppermint candies.  The method we usually use is to place the candy canes in a tightly sealed, large Ziploc bag, then use a rolling pin or meat tenderizer to roll/smash the candy canes until they are the desired size.  Another method is to unwrap the peppermints and place them in a food processor. Pulse on/off several times for 5-10 seconds each, until the candies have been crushed into small pieces.
2. Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with smooth aluminum foil or waxed paper.
3. Melt the dark chocolate.  Use a double boiler or a bowl over a pan of boiling water.  Be sure to stir constantly.  You could also use the microwave: microwave in medium, microwave-safe bowl on Medium-high (70 percent) power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth.  Be careful if you're using the microwave though, as it's very easy (and smelly!) to burn the chocolate.
4. Pour the chocolate onto the prepared cookie sheet and use a spatula or knife to spread it to an even thickness.  Remember, the thicker the chocolate, the harder it is to bite into once it's set, so you don't want it too thick!  The chocolate does not have to reach all sides of the sheet, as it will be broken up later anyhow. 
5. Place the tray in the refrigerator to firm up while you prepare the white chocolate.
6. While the dark chocolate hardens, melt the white chocolate, again in the double boiler or bowl-and-pot set-up. Stir in the peppermint extract.  Optional: stir in some of the smaller candy bits, reserving about a quarter of the mixture to put on top.
7. Remove the tray from the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate in an even layer over the dark chocolate.
8. While the white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the remaining candy pieces evenly over the entire surface. Press down very lightly to make sure that they stick. Place the tray back in the refrigerator to set.  This usually takes at least 30 minutes.
9. Once the peppermint bark bark is completely set, break into small, uneven pieces by hand.
10. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Here you see the finished candy as it looks on the tray.  You break it apart like English toffee or peanut brittle.

You can see the layers of  the candy a little bit better here.  Sorry it's a little blurry, though.  I don't have a great super-zoom sort of lens on my simple point-and-shoot camera.

 

Some thoughts, notes, and variations:

• The amounts of chocolate are just estimates.  More or less chocolate won't really make a difference in the final product - just means you have more or less of a given layer (not one of those recipes where you can't use egg replacer instead of eggs, for example).  In the batch pictured, we used 18 oz. white chocolate (3 6-oz boxes of Baker's White Chocolate) and 16 oz semi-sweet (2 8-oz boxes of Baker's Semi-sweet Chocolate).  Why?  Because that's what the commissary had :)
• Always use good quality chocolate.  Besides tasting better as an end product, the layers will set better and not peel apart.
• It is common to see peppermint bark made with only one chocolate layer (usually white chocolate) and the candies. I like the layers, but if you don't, feel free to omit it.  Alternatively, if you don't like white chocolate, it is acceptable to just use the semi-sweet.
• If you are mixing in candy pieces into the white chocolate layer, you want the larger pieces on the top, as they are more decorative, and the smaller pieces mixed in.  Here is a great idea to accomplish that:.  Use a strainer with the candy, so that the smaller pieces are mixed into the chocolate and the larger pieces are caught in the strainer to set bet aside and used on the top.
• Rita Heikenfeld at AboutEating.com had an interesting variation on how to make the bottom layer.  I'd always made it by melting each layer in a double boiler, but she starts out by melting a layer of chocolate chips in the oven on a low setting, smoothing it, then letting it set in the fridge as usual.  Interesting!  I wonder how much time it saves...
• If you take the finished tray of candy out of the fridge and let it sit for a few minutes, it will soften enough to be MUCH easier to cut apart!

Enjoy!  And Merry Christmas!

Z is for...

Zimmerman sweater!  As in Elizabeth Zimmerman, grandmother of popularizing knitting.

This is the blue striped sweater that I made for Mom.  Twice, actually!  She liked it so much that when it stretched out over years of wear, she asked me to remake it.  I was happy to oblige.  Surprisingly, despite how often she wears it, I do not have any pictures of her actually in it.  So you'll have to deal with me struggling to take a picture of myself - see the little thinking wrinkle at my eyebrows?  :)

I really like the EPS (EZ's Percentage System) for making a sweater. I used the math for sleeves for my alterations to Cumulus in November, for example.  I didn't start as narrow as she does in her standard sweater (I don't think I ever do, as I don't like tight cuffs), but since I knew the final number of stitches I needed for the top of the sleeve according to the pattern, I used the EPS math for the increases to give me a sleeve line that I liked!

I do have to say I've some personal preferences, though, when it comes to her classic designs. For starters, as I mentioned above, I do not like cuffs as tight as she does.  If it has ribbing, it draws in enough for my personal tastes.  And I like my sleeves a little more closely fitting, so tend to start a little wider at the cuff, and then adjust the increases to what I want.  But, the EPS system certainly gives me the math to get to what I want.  I love having an easy starting point for customization!  :)

I haven't tried her other designs yet, but I'm hoping to make some Baby Surprise Jackets (from The Opinionated Knitter) next year (several babies expected next year in the Friends & Family world).  That design looks so interesting how it all folds together!  And the February Lady Jacket, very high on my queue, is an adult version of  her Baby Jacket on Two Needles (February in A Knitter's Almanac).  So perhaps more Zimmerman to come next year!

Literary silliness :)

Happy birthday Jane Austen!

Born 16 December 1775, so to celebrate, here's the link to some Regency fun. Found this some months ago, actually, but decided to share it today, in honor of her birthday. It's a dress up doll in Regency clothes, with a good dose of inspiration from Austen movies and series. Like a paper doll online, for those who haven't encountered them yet :) Kudos to savivi on DeviantArt for designing and sharing!