And it’s not chocolate!
A few weeks ago, I was watching a program on The Food Network. The show centered around apples, and one of the recipes was for an apple Tarte Tatin. It was beautiful. Frankly, I’m a cake person. Actually, I’m a frosting person. I never much cared for pie; I’d eat the filling and leave the crust. I couldn’t make a decent crust to save my life. I resorted to the kind you find in the refrigerator case in the market. My mom made a good pie crust, but couldn’t provide me with her recipe.
“You put in flour and shortening and a little water. Mix it up.”
“How much flour, Ma? How much shortening and water do you use?”
“I don’t know, I don’t measure. You’ll know by the look of it when it’s right.”
Oh for crap’s sake!
Anyway, that tarte tatin looked so good, I decided I’d make one. I had recently purchased a KitchenAid food processor, and except for a workout with some cabbage for cole slaw, I hadn’t used it. I decided I’d make the pastry dough in it. Then, when it turned out tough, I’d blame that machine.
There are plenty of nay sayers about the Food Network out there, but I have to say that I’ve learned quite a bit watching. One good tip that I don’t remember knowing was using ice water when making a crust. Literally filling a glass with ice cubes and water. That worked great for me. I also think that the food processor was a big help. It got the job done quickly and the dough didn’t have time to warm up.
It was quite a bit of work to get the thing made, but it was really delicious. I even ate the crust. I made a second one a couple of weeks later. It was easier going that time because I kind of knew the rhythm of things.
Then last week, I made one using pears instead of apples. I had actually intended to serve it as dessert on Thanksgiving, but ran out of time. We had purchased a Taffy Apple pie at work and used it instead. The Comice pears I had bought were in danger of being tossed in the garbage. The pears were perhaps a bit overripe, which made for a sweet tart, but a little mushy.
The crust has been excellent each time and, who knows, I may become a pie baker. Okay, probably not. I love frosting. It should be a food group. But a warm tatin with whipped cream is a close second.
