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Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
My mom is completely the opposite. She'll eat the filling and maybe half of the top crust, and leave the rest for the dog!
Weekend Cook and Tell: Pumpkins Everywhere!
Last night, I roasted two medium-large pumpkins I bought from the 53rd st farmers market in Hyde Park, Chicago and made a double batch of Heidi Swanson's Thai-spiced pumpkin soup (recipe: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001525.html). I topped it with the pumpkins' seeds, which I had roasted with raw sugar, salt, and olive oil (they tasted like kettle corn!).
The Most Unhealthy Thing You've Ever Made
Without a doubt, Ina Garten's 'Croissant Bread Pudding,' which includes three eggs, EIGHT egg yolks, FIVE CUPS of half and half, ONE AND A HALF CUPS of sugar, A CUP of raisins, and SIX LARGE CROISSANTS. Holy crap, that stuff is rich. Addictive? Absolutely. But also potentially fatal.
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Recent Posts
Cook and Tell: Thai-spiced pumpkin soup
Posted by ChristineB, November 4, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Carrot, red lentil, and chickpea curry
Posted by ChristineB, April 7, 2009 at 2:55 PM
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Recent Favorites
Seriously Italian: Spaghetti All'Ubriaco
Posted by Gina DePalma, April 2, 2009 at 8:30 AM
French in a Flash: Crispy Salmon with Lentils du Puy and Two-Mustard Crème Fraîche
Posted by Kerry Saretsky, March 26, 2009 at 3:45 PM
Dinner Tonight: White Bean and Tarragon Soup
Posted by Blake Royer, February 5, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Dinner Tonight: Curried Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Tomatoes
Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, October 6, 2008 at 4:45 PM
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Meatless Main Dishes for Thanksgiving
I've made this mushroom pie recipe (originally in Bon Appetit, now mysteriously missing from the epicurious and Bon Appetit websites) for Thanksgiving a few times in a row, and it's a delicious alternative (for me, then a vegetarian), or substantial side, to turkey. I made it exactly as printed the first year, and substituted heavy cream for 3/4 of the cream cheese in following years (the cream cheese flavor was too prevalent for my taste). The sour cream crust is awesomely flaky, and the filling is rich and yummy, especially if you use a variety of wild mushrooms. Highly recommended!
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
My mom is completely the opposite. She'll eat the filling and maybe half of the top crust, and leave the rest for the dog!
Weekend Cook and Tell: Pumpkins Everywhere!
Last night, I roasted two medium-large pumpkins I bought from the 53rd st farmers market in Hyde Park, Chicago and made a double batch of Heidi Swanson's Thai-spiced pumpkin soup (recipe: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001525.html). I topped it with the pumpkins' seeds, which I had roasted with raw sugar, salt, and olive oil (they tasted like kettle corn!).
The Most Unhealthy Thing You've Ever Made
Without a doubt, Ina Garten's 'Croissant Bread Pudding,' which includes three eggs, EIGHT egg yolks, FIVE CUPS of half and half, ONE AND A HALF CUPS of sugar, A CUP of raisins, and SIX LARGE CROISSANTS. Holy crap, that stuff is rich. Addictive? Absolutely. But also potentially fatal.
Does one need a microwave?
I've been microwave free for a month, and I'm loving it! It would be nice to have one to reheat food, I suppose, but that's about it (and it's easy enough in the oven or on the stove). The one thing I thought I would really miss it for is melting butter for baking recipes, however, since the majority of my microwave messes have resulted from turning my back on melting butter just to have it explode all over the microwave walls, I quickly realized that the safety and cleanliness of melting on the stove is definitely worth the time spent washing a small saucepan!
Snapshots from London: The Real Food Market at Covent Garden
I just returned from a year in London this September, and I still miss it so much! Thanks for all the great London foodie profiles. I wish i could be back there now...
What's your favorite cake?
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (hold the nuts and raisins!) is definitely my favorite, but Ina Garten's iced lemon pound cake is a very, very close second! I've tasted (and made) more "innovative" cakes, but these classics always come out on top for me!
What Are We Eating Today-10/14
Breakfast: nonfat greek yogurt with honey and the seeds of half a pomegranate
Snack: An apple and a cup of tea
Lunch: Leftover cauliflower gratin
Dinner: ??? My roommate wants to make celery root gratin, but I think lunch might already have put me over my creamy-cheesy threshold for the day. I'm tempted to throw together my favorite dinner of cottage cheese and peas, with dry whole wheat toast. Mmmm...
Asian Pears
I'm crazy about them raw, on their own, but have been contemplating adding them to salad for a few weeks now. I definitely wouldn't cook them, if I were you. The best part is their juicy, crunchy texture!
What's your favorite food when drunk?
To be completely honest: bananas. And no, that's not a euphemism for anything...
What's up for dinner tonight? Sunday 10/11.
My roommate is taking charge of the kitchen tonight, and is making black beans cooked in beer, braised collard greens, and something involving a cassava. Yum!
chocolate chip cookies: the best
I've made all of those recipes before, as well as the classic tollhouse, and my favorite is the Torres recipe (followed by CI). I don't even bother with the mixture of cake and bread flours. Just use all all-purpose, and they'll still turn out fanstically!
What did you eat tonight?
I had leftovers of this soy/ginger glazed salmon and veg dish:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cburas/3586117219/
It was really easy to make the first time around (marinated two salmon filets in a mixture of soy sauce, hoisin, garlic, fresh ginger, and orange juice, then seared the fish and veg separately, whisked some cornstarch into the reserved marinade, and simmered it all together until the sauce thickened), and was just as tasty two days later.
Magic Meatballs
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/10/meatballs-and-spaghetti/
I made these, altering only by soaking the breadcrumbs in an equal part of milk before mixing in, and pretty much died and went to heaven. Can't recommend them highly enough!
Cook the Book: 'Rustic Fruit Desserts'
Apple pie or strawberry rhubarb pie (depending on the season), both with streusel topping instead of top crust! Vanilla bean ice cream is absolutely necessary as well.
What does a young foodie/recent grad need in his kitchen?
I'd say definitely either a good chefs knife or a cast iron skillet. He'll use both for almost everything he makes, and having a skillet that can go straight from stovetop to oven is a must.
where to find great bagels in dc
I'm a fan of the Georgetown Bagelry (locations in Georgetown and Bethesda, and possibly elsewhere). I don't pretend to be a bagel authority, but I really like that their bagels are less heavy/bready than Einstein and other big chains, and that they are always fresh and crisp. Definitely no toasting required.
Large Movie Popcorn with Butter: 1,220 Calories
carrot sticks, my own two cans of diet coke, and red vine licorice!
Eaters and eating disorders
@sweethunibabi
Who eat's a pound of broccoli for dinner? Me too! Or, like, two pounds of carrots! Haha, well, not anymore, I guess :)
Eaters and eating disorders
Wow, it's incredible how many of us serious eaters have dealt with serious eating problems. I was anorexic in high school as well (combo of being super stressed and being a chubby kid), and weighed around 98-105 in junior year. Around then, I realized that I could start actually eating again, as long as I got rid of it afterward. I'd describe myself as semi-recovered, although in stressful times I revert back to full-on bulimia and/or anorexia. I've also never been diagnosed or seen any kind of doctor about this, and have only spoken to two friends about it. However, I recently made a big step (for me) towards recovery, and told one of those friends that I was planning on making an appointment after exams!
I've been cooking like crazy basically ever since I became anorexic, since cooking somehow repressed my appetite (or tired me out so I wasn't hungry anymore, I guess). I just need to keep reminding myself to eat things that are nutritionally valuable to my body, since the times when I give in and eat junk food is when things start going downhill. Luckily the food that's good for us also tends to taste the best and be the most enjoyable to prepare, so I have high hopes for the future!
Great thread. It's nice to know I'm not alone here in my love/hate relationship with food!
NYer heading to London!
St. John, Smithfields ('nose to tail' eating, Fergus Henderson's restaurant. I've only eaten at the bar, but it was fabulous, and I've heard only great things about the dining room as well) http://www.stjohnrestaurant.com/home/
Moro (awesome Spanish food. a must.) http://www.moro.co.uk/
Tayyabs (the best Indian restaurant, IMO, and super cheap too. make a reservation if you're going for dinner, otherwise you'll be queuing for about an hour) http://www.tayyabs.co.uk/
Monmouth coffee (absolutely incredible stuff) http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/
Borough Market (huge food market. go there for lunch on Friday or Saturday) http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/
Gordon's wine bar (really old wine bar. great atmosphere. go early to get a seat!) http://www.gordonswinebar.com/
I'm sure I'll think of more, but these are good to start!
You can only eat one type of cheese for the rest of your life...
Does 'cows milk' count as a type? :)
How to Store Coffee, from Coffee Expert Jerry Baldwin
Odd that he should say those things, but at Starbucks school during barista training, we were told to never refrigerate beans (because taking them in and out of the fridge promotes condensation, and moisture is bad for the unbrewed coffee) and to always store beans in airtight containers. The only things Starbucks and the co-founder of Starbucks seem to agree on is that the freezer is best for long-term storage. Huh.
what food do you miss from childhood ?
Bizarrely enough, tuna noodle casserole, with a side of cornbread! My mom made the casserole with a bechamel sauce and fresh veggies (instead of canned soup) and the 'Rich Corn Cake' from the Fannie Farmer cookbook. Total comfort food!
House Warming-Brunch S
Frittatas are great cold, room temp, or warm, and can be vegetarian or meat
Any kind of baked french toast or bread pudding is always great (Ina Garten's delicious croissant bread pudding is killer...literally, you might give your friends heart attacks if you serve it)
Big fruit salad is always popular
Bagels are nice with a wide selection of spreads - maybe whitefish salad, smoked salmon, veggies, hummus, and/or homemade flavored cream cheeses, in addition to the standard plain cream cheese
Cava or any kind of bubbly mixed with anything (or nothing!) is always a good brunch drink in my book!
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I also love the pastry snails made from leftover dough, butter, sugar and cinnamon. I like crust, but not the bottom soggy crust. Usually pick around it and leave it behind. Lately I've been making little tarts and putting just a dab of whatever homemade jam or jelly is around. I use less sugar so the fruit flavor is more pronounced. Good way to clean the refrigerator out of too many jars with just a dab in the bottom. I've also used guava paste and quince paste with good results. I have silicone tart pans and a tart tamper gadget that takes the work out of pressing the dough in place. It really works! Can't live without it now. Here is my dough recipe. It exactly fits two 12 cup tart pans and I whip it up in the food processor. A fast sugar pastry fix!
JAM TARTS
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cream butter and sugar. Add yolk and vanilla. Mix well.
Add flours and salt. Mix just to combine.
Pinch off about a tablespoon of dough, roll gently into a ball and press into tart mold.
Fill with a teaspoon of jam or jelly.
Bake at 350 for 9 to 11 minutes. The edges should be very lightly golden.
Cool on rack. Make a pot of tea and try not to devour them all.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I've always put up with the filling to get at that crust! MMM! Snapping off the golden brown crunchy goodness as a prelude of the goodness to come! MMM!
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I also am a "good" crust junkie. When my mother made pies she always had enough scraps left to make what we kids called piewheels. She would roll out the scraps into a rectangle shape, put a layer of butter then brown sugar and sprinkle with nutmeg & cinammon. It was the rolled up on the longer side, edges pinched and cut into little rolls. These were baked until golden brown & bubbly. I cannot make a pie without a few piewheels to snack on while the pies finish baking. Even friends ask me to make them.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
CRUSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!! Yes! Yes! Yes! Flour, butter, sugar, a pinch of salt, lovingly baked together..........H-E-A-V-E-N ON EARTH! Which is why my 3 favorite baked goods have always been plain scones [from Premier Gourmet here in Buffalo, NY-no one makes them better] shortbread cookies, and my piecrust made only with butter. Ya know, my husband will chow down.....no pun intended..... the innards of one of my fruit or pudding pies and leave the crust. He does it with everyone's pie......disgusting!!! However I usually retrieve the fluted edges of his discard to savor as dessert to my now finished piece!
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
This sounds exactly like my Asian family. Everything is "too sweet! too sweet!" We also scrape most of the frosting off cakes. I'm a savory kind of gal, but my favorite sweet pie is when the fruit filling is a bit tart.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I lurve the toasty taste of a nicely browned pie crust and I truly love nutty flavor of the crimped edge. That said, nothing tastes better than a crisp, well-browned crust with a tart-sweet fruit filling. Boysenberries, anyone?
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
i could never resist fruit pie filling! But, that being said, i used to make little pie crust cut-out cookies for an old boyfriend. He loved them - they were little, flaky bits of goodness that were covered in cinnamon and sugar. Good alone, with milk, or sprinkled over ice cream... mmmmm :)
Asian Pears
I have a couple of Asian pear recipes.
Ginger Pear sauce for latkes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxquscg6Wcw
Korean Potato Salad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHkFPJnSvV8
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I have ignored fillings before, yes. It is better when you can eat the filling and the crust together but the crust is almost never problematic.
Meatless Main Dishes for Thanksgiving
these all sound so lovely, but i know the times my neice and i have tried making a "fill-in" centerpiece dish for ourselves, it's usually mercilessly cast aside lest it suck up too much potato/green bean/pie space in the tummy!
Meatless Main Dishes for Thanksgiving
@brucey79: Ha! Somehow I missed that. Or I was just trying to dupe you with a sneaky gateway meat.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I think whoever said "maybe crust haters are used to store bought crusts and never had a scratch crust" might be onto something. Well-made scratch crust...OMG, nothing like it. And you KNOW that someone making a scratch crust would not waste such a labor of love on acky Sandra Lee canned filling.
Meatless Main Dishes for Thanksgiving
Meatless? The Chestnut, Pumpkin, and Farros Soup has pancetta. I often think that pancetta is candy, but it's still considered as meat to some people.......
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I agree that a higher crust-to-fruit ratio is preferable with fruit pies. The filling is often too sweet and I like a good thick crust to balance it.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I loooooooove pie crust unplugged, especially hot, with a glass of ice cold (whole) milk. I usually make a two crust recipe even if I just need one for a pie so I can have a special treat.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
Not particularly but my husband loves, loves, loves pie crust by itself.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
@PommeDG: Knowing Robyn's mom personally... yeah, this conversations definitely happened.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I totally ignore the fruit - especially when its way too gooey. I'm a crust eater all the way.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
@PommeDG: Yeah, she was....I talked to her on the phone yesterday afternoon before I wrote this post. (Can't say I have a recording of the conversation, but my coworkers overheard me.) After she told me how much she liked crust and how not into filling she was, I said something like, "Uh mom, people usually like to eat both together," and she she responded with surprise. Not that she doesn't understand that people tend to eat both together, just that her tolerance for sweetness must be so low that she's surprised most people enjoy the fillings, or something like that.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
When you told her, your mother was suprised that people like to eat filling and crust together?!? :-| Shouldn't an artifice at least serve a purpose and be a little less obviously contrived?
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I heart pie crust. I usually eat the fruit filling first leaving the pie crust to enjoy last. When I have leftover pie dough scraps, I end up putting dabs of Nutella in and making mini turnovers.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
Oh I have been doing this for years! I used to joke that I performed "stealth surgery" on pies because I could hit the dessert table at family Christmases or Thanksgivings and remove 2 slices worth of crust, leaving behind most of the filling, and no one realized what I was doing:)
If fillings are made with good, fresh fruit and not loaded w/ sugar, I'll eat them. But all too often, I'd take a bite and realize the apple or cherry filling was canned. Not wasting calories on that, thanks!
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I also love pie crust and save it for last. On the rare occasion that my mom made pies from scratch, she'd roll out the scraps and do the sugar/cinnamon thing as a few people above described. I liked that better than the pie.
Weekend Cook and Tell: Pumpkins Everywhere!
No camera, but ...
My roommate and I held a Halloween Pregame Potluck, for which I made pumpkin and black bean enchiladas (and I didn't skimp on the chipotle, either).
And I've been eating mashed pumpkin in my lunch everyday.
Weekend Cook and Tell: Pumpkins Everywhere!
This weekend I made marbled pumpkin cheesecake http://www.kirbiecravings.com/2009/11/marbled-pumpkin-cheesecake.html.html
I've been doing a lot of pumpkin the last two weeks. I've also made pumpkin mochi, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin tea cake, chocolate chip pumpkin bread , pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin bread
Recent Posts
Cook and Tell: Thai-spiced pumpkin soup
Posted by ChristineB, November 4, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Carrot, red lentil, and chickpea curry
Posted by ChristineB, April 7, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Gluten-free peanut butter cookies
Posted by ChristineB, January 26, 2009 at 3:55 PM
Chocolate cake with fresh mint ganache
Posted by ChristineB, January 20, 2009 at 6:55 PM
Recent Favorites
Seriously Italian: Spaghetti All'Ubriaco
Posted by Gina DePalma, April 2, 2009 at 8:30 AM
French in a Flash: Crispy Salmon with Lentils du Puy and Two-Mustard Crème Fraîche
Posted by Kerry Saretsky, March 26, 2009 at 3:45 PM
Dinner Tonight: White Bean and Tarragon Soup
Posted by Blake Royer, February 5, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Dinner Tonight: Curried Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Tomatoes
Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, October 6, 2008 at 4:45 PM
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About ChristineB
Website: http://cburas.blogspot.com/
Location: London
About: music student in London, grocery shopping addict, compulsive baker
Favorite foods: margherita pizza from 2 Amys, fresh bread, aged gruyere, mushrooms, guacamole, carrots and hummus, nonfat greek yogurt with honey and pomegranate seeds, Haagen Daz coffee ice cream, crisp grapes, roasted beets, frozen yogurt, anything fresh and tasty!
Last bite on earth: margherita pizza
I've made this mushroom pie recipe (originally in Bon Appetit, now mysteriously missing from the epicurious and Bon Appetit websites) for Thanksgiving a few times in a row, and it's a delicious alternative (for me, then a vegetarian), or substantial side, to turkey. I made it exactly as printed the first year, and substituted heavy cream for 3/4 of the cream cheese in following years (the cream cheese flavor was too prevalent for my taste). The sour cream crust is awesomely flaky, and the filling is rich and yummy, especially if you use a variety of wild mushrooms. Highly recommended!
http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/15972/mushroom-pie.html