Wonderful!
My pie fails weren’t the hollow crust issue, more like badly-textured apples. It’s been so long that I don’t quite remember what the problem was. The juice was probably runny and the apples tough, but I couldn’t swear to that.
Somewhere or other I read to blind-bake the bottom, cook the apples and juice separately, then add the filling and a top crust, which seems like a lot of work but I guess a good apple pie is worth it.
I do make a mean pie crust, I have a hefty marble rolling pin I keep stored in the freezer and roll it between layers of parchment paper on cool granite. I stick mostly to berry and stone fruit pies; apple pies seem like a whole different beastie, I’ve never had any luck getting the right texture for the filling.
The rule of thumb I always heard was a “slow bubble” of juices out of the steam vents. Sometimes this seems to take an hour and sometimes an hour and a half in my crappy oven, but they are always gelled!
Ooh, may I take a stab at this one?
What fat are you using? Is it shortening? I think shortening, like the classic Crisco pie crust recipe, gives you a crumbly texture. It’s the little chunks of very cold butter cut very quickly into the flour with minimal handling that cause the flaking in a butter crust… that’s why you’re always supposed to keep it very cool, roll it quickly, and handle it as little as possible, to keep from melting those little pockets of butter.
I’ve worked in Antarctica - you’d like it. Unfortunately, on one trip the cook, who was also in charge of procuring and loading the food before we left, wound up breaking up with both his wife back in Norway, and his Chilean girlfriend, so he dropped the ball on the food-getting. I’d come into the galley after working on deck for hours, and there would be…some…small…potatoes.
On the plus side, I was a lean machine by the time we got back to Punta Arenas.
Cheers
Keep us posted on that Blueberry-Habañero jam! I don’t know what fifty-six would do with it, but I would definitely do something along the lines of “NOM NOM NOM”
I picked up a few extra shifts. I am at about 80+hours a week with one day off. I am closing my other restaurant and moving equipment on that day off. So I dont have much time to keep up with this thread.I am taking another stab at catching up with some of the lingering questions Feel free to ask more or jump in.
I am an ex convict. you can search my ask the ex convict thread if you like.
In fact I have a theory as to why so many cooks are rejects and outcasts and alcoholics, yet good at their job. Attention deficit disorder. Cooking lends itself to ADD. You have have many short fast tasks there is little opportunity of boredom. There are many many tasks required at any given time and you can switch around as needed and desired. Cut onions till you are tired of it then on to tomatoes or making a sauce. Make some bread real quick let it rise till you get bored of the other tasks at hand, then of to other things like flirting with waitresses and smoking cigs or drinking or making a special or creating a menu or ordering. It is different than other jobs. ADD in other jobs is a negative. ADD in real life is a negative ADD in a kitchen is a positive. Your attention has to be changing all the time.
All added note I only hire women. An usually will only work with women. Although that is not entirely true I do hire dudes from time to time I just fire them quickly.
I almost never cut myself. That is my rarest injury. Burns daily. I have many scars all over my body and always have a current burn in the process of healing sometimes several. I get sprains and bunps and bangs all the time. As for the worst it may have been a recent one. I slammed an I oven door on my leg last summer. At lest that is what I think happened. You see I injure my self daily and often have wounds that I have no Idea how I got. Well my leg started hurtign and I am telling you what that fucker really hurt. I finally went away and them came back with a vengeance. I have been to the doctor twice in 20 years “I went to the doctor and guess what he told me guess what he told me” No. He did not say girl try to have fun he said there is no better place in the world to be than here right ow. I had gotten a strep infection in my leg yes strep I though that was througt only and it had begun to go systematic. And that is what Jim Henson died from. I had one day of on 100 days and during that day with my leg infection I kayaked in a three man kayak with my two kids dragging their paddles and them climbed a 4000 foot peak from sea level with my two year old on my back then cooked diner on an open flame for the five if us. When back to work and my baker and head cook quit. Then took an hour oof work to goto the doctor. Me and my young girl wonder Svea call it hell week. We were gonna get T-shirts that said I didn’t survive hell week 2009 because more people would buy one. This was the week that an old friend was in town his memorable quote was “I am never gonna complain about anything ever again”
Henckels don’t sharpen worth a shit. You technique is probably spot or perfect. That is one of the reasons I like cheaper Forcheners, they sharpen. Try a grinding wheel that should do it. If you ruin it get another brand and don’t buy that heavy ass over priced knife brand again.
Toss the pasta in a little olive oil it wont stick and will be just fine.
When you get close to the desired internal temp of the prime rib take it out turn off the oven and let it rest for a few then put it back in. Don’t cut it till plating time. Forget about cutting it first. That wont work. Have everything else ready. Cutting will only take a few min.
Bingo. Do not ever think that the chef is int he kitchen meticulously preparing your meal. In larger cities and bigger restaurants the chef my not even be there. They already spent all day with schedules and ordering and menu planning. Some bad add sous chef is at them help though. I have worked at kitchens that the chef never cooks anything. I like smaller places though were I get to do it all.
JUST LIKE THAT. It is a hard but sometimes very rewarding life. We maybe banged up and bruised and work countless hours late into the night. Stressed and tired and sore, but we heal and eat and drink hellla good and have a restaurant all to ourselves at the end of the day. To me nothing is more satisfying than being exhausted and spent after an great night. I know I am not the only one.
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