3.14

Otherwise known as Pi(e) Day.

In honor of the occasion, I made two pies (the first two pies of my life that did not involve store-bought graham-cracker crusts and tubs of cool-whip):

Steak and Ale Pie from Cookstr.com

In a bowl, combine:

1½ lb beef chuck, trimmed and cut into ¾ in pieces

salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Shake the excess flour off the beef. Heat 2T vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet, and brown the meat in batches. Set aside. Add:

1 T. vegetable oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

and saute until soft. Add:

4 oz. mushrooms, sliced (the original recipe called for white, but I used crimini)

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 shallot, chopped (not in the original, but I can't imagine a dish like this without shallots)

Combine everything in a saucepan, and add:

¾ cup beef stock

¾ cup dark ale (I used an oatmeal stout; seemed fine to me)

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp tomato paste (didn't have this, so I left it out and compensated with some extra W. sauce; would probably be a good addition, though)

½ tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

Simmer for an hour or so, until the beef is tender. Pour into a 9" pie plate. Place a pastry lid on the pie plate, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350, until the crust is golden brown.

At this point, the recipe called for frozen puff pastry. I don't keep puff pastry on hand, so I just used a regular pie crust. It worked -- really well, actually. If you want to do it the 'right' way, click on the link and read their instructions (the 'right' way also involves reserving some of the gravy, which I forgot to do).

Verdict: VERY tasty.

*****

Vinegar Pie from Gourmet.com via TheKitchn.com

Par-bake a pie crust. I think that's what you call it. You make your piecrust and pre-bake it; this way the crust doesn't go all mushy on you when you put the custard in. I cooked mine for too long, so it came out a little crunchy under the filling.

Whisk together in a mixing bowl:

2 large eggs

1/4 C. sugar

In a saucepan, combine:

3/4 C. sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup cold water

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add to the egg mixture in a slow stream (from a great height, if possible -- it's more impressive that way), whisking constantly.

At this point, you can do what I did and pour it straight into the pie crust. Or you can do what the folks at Gourmet Magazine say to do, and cook it for 12 minutes first. It seemed to come out fine without the pre-cooking.

However you decide to proceed, bake it for 20 minutes at 350, 0r until the mixture is set. Dust evenly with cinnamon before serving.

Verdict: Good, but not stellar. On the other hand, I hate to criticize a recipe when I didn't follow it exactly, so we may give this one another try sometime in the future.

Magic

{I wrote this a while back, and just got around to posting it here}

Seed of grass, tears of sky, marrow of earth. Feed the elves, don't forget to feed the elves--they're in the coffee mug, over there in the corner. Double, bubble, toil, but oh what goodness when we cook the elves . . . just not yet, not yet. They still have work to do. Patience. Combine water, salt, and flour until you have a loose batter, then add the elves. More flour. Now it's time to knead.

Roll and press, roll and press. Standing at a counter like all the wheat-magicians before me, waving my hands in the same incantation. Stretch and fold, press. Rocking a little on my heels, I sway, entranced by the bread. Press. Dust. Roll, scrape, stretch, fold, press. Repeat. And repeat again.

Finally, it is time for the yeast-elves to work. I sit down, and wait for my minions to do their best. Ever so slowly, they push at the mixture, building it from the inside, until I decide that it has risen high enough. This isn't Dubai, you know. It's more like Babel. I push the towering structure down, dividing and remaking the masses into two -- this loaf is sheep, that one is goats. The top is stretched tight, and it'll only get worse if I don't make a cut now. So I do. A giant cross on the top of each loaf, to ward off evil.

Yes, to ward off evil. What do you think I am, a witch?

Brussels sprouts? Brussels sprouts!

I've never eaten Brussels Sprouts before.  They were on of the few vegetable exceptions my mother made, along with eggplant (a bad experience in her youth, no doubt).  We ate asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, onions, zuchinni, butternut squash, and all the normal stuff like carrots and tomatoes and broccoli.  But never brussels sprouts.  

Of course, it's sort of cultural to hate the little things.  They look like, I dunno, fairy lettuces or something.  The Borrowers probably ate them, but that doesn't mean they're human food.  In all the kid books and movies, the longsuffering child is forced to eat the dreaded sprouts.  So I was bound to hate them. 

But Mark Bittman has me convinced otherwise.  He posted a recipe for roasted sprouts and garlic.  Magic words, those:  "roasted, with  garlic."  I had to give it a shot.  And it was fantastic!  Paired with a poached egg, they made a marvelous dinner, and a fabulously easy one at that.  Once the pan goes in the oven, just wash the rest of the dishes and put a pot of water on to boil for your egg.  

I give you the fabulous recipe:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

With Garlic

Yield 4 servings

Time About 45 minutes

[Bittman writes:] I cannot remember when I intentionally began to almost-burn Brussels sprouts by roasting them until they were really, really dark. But cooked this way, the crisp outside leaves and tender, almost artichoke-like interior cannot be beat.

Ingredients

1 pint brussels sprouts (about a pound)

4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to coat bottom of pan

5 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Trim bottom of brussels sprouts, and slice each in half top to bottom. Heat oil in cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers; put sprouts cut side down in one layer in pan. Put in garlic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Cook, undisturbed, until sprouts begin to brown on bottom, and transfer to oven. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until sprouts are quite brown and tender, about 1/2 hour.

3. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in balsamic vinegar, and serve hot or warm.