In search of the perfect pie: Part 1

Whoever invented the phrase “as easy as pie” needs to take one in the face ala Anita Bryant style. Honestly making the perfect pie from scratch takes a lot of dedication and practice, and in my case a little luck as well.

The key I believe is in the crust. Like any good building structure, a well made pie crust is the foundation for any good pie regardless of its topping. I’ll admit I’m still not there yet and still needs lots of practice (or divine intervention) but that’s what the internet is for. 

I found this video very helpful for newbies like me:

The key is to control the temperature of the butter and your pie dough. I kept mine in the refrigerator while I prepared the filling.

For my first pie I made it with potato and cream of mushroom, a variation of this Shepard’s Pie recipe. I added some carrots and sweet corn to the mash potato along with a few pieces of garlic for a stronger taste. Granted chicken soup would have gone better with the garlic but I wanted to make it vegetarian hence the cream of mushroom.

The tricky part however was covering the pie and as you can see from my attempt you really need a decent rolling pin in order to get it right:

And after almost an hour in the oven this came out:

The crust tasted saltier than the filling which I don’t think is necessarily a bad thing and the pie actually tasted better the next day. Don’t think I’ll be winning a ribbon for best looking pie anytime soon though.

Coming soon in Part 2: Blueberry Cream Pie!

Tater Pancakes

You ever had that situation where you bough too much potatoes and left them a little too long, and they start to grow those nasty little stalks?

No? Anyway, I love potatoes but how many times can u bake and boil them the same old boring way? Besides I wanted to find a dish that I could make for tea or breakfast. So a quick search on Google and wah-la, potato pancakes!

I substituted a few things from the recipe. Mainly margarine instead of butter (I’m sure the latter would have made it taste 10x better but I was out) and instead of the fancy garlic salt I just chopped up some garlic and used regular salt and pepper. I also served them with barbecue sauce and mayo instead of sour cream though my friends preferred Thai sweet chilli sauce

I had some trouble shaping the batter into pancakes. Even with insane amounts of flour the damn thing wouldn’t hold and kept falling apart in the pan. I’m thinking the issue could have been avoided if I had used butter or left it refrigerated for a few more hours.

Although mine ended up looking more like flat tater fritters, I bet they would make a great addition for breakfast along side some cherry tomatoes, bacon and eggs.