Lessons learned along the way

Downloading a pattern from the internet sounds like a good idea.

At first I thought that downloading would be the way to go for me - there is a certain amount of instant gratification to it. But then you have to tape all the frackin' pieces together. Uuugh! I'm becoming rather bitter about the whole thing; it took me an hour to tape all the the sheets of 8.5x11 together for this pattern. Given the limited amount of sewing time that I have, this is just too much time to spend dealing with scotch tape.

I've had a tough time with jackets lately. I just can't wear the styles that are being shown - jackets that button high on the chest/neck, are not shaped at the waist, and often have puffy or gathered sleeves. They look cute on some people, but just don't work on my figure - they make me look boxy and wide. Not flattering. Anyway, this is the pattern I am using for the jacket that will match my pants. I used it for my mom's shrug. The cut was pretty and I think that the jacket version will go well with my trousers and be flattering on me.

Pecan Pie Experiment II

MMMmmmm...

On Monday night, I made another pecan pie. This time I used my usual pecan pie recipe (i.e. the one on the back of the corn syrup bottle) and just substituted Lyle's Golden syrup for the corn syrup.

The merit of the Karo recipe is that it's easy as... well, you know. The only change I made was the addition of a little kosher salt (1/4 tsp) to the batter and a pinch sprinkled on top before the pie went into the oven. As always, I egg washed, sugared and then covered the crust with a pie shield.

This time I remembered to take a picture
before the pie went into the oven...

It can be tricky to figure out when a pecan pie is done because the filling will still be liquid-like even when it is done. It sets as it cools. My surefire way to guarantee a pie that is done, but not overdone: check it with an instant read thermometer. An internal temperature of 200-205* is perfectly done. However, this time I was worried about whether the Lyle's would set the same as the Karo and by the time I took the pie out of the oven it was 208*.

...And after it came out, but not before I cut into the pie.

The results: Heaven. The flavor was spot-on. It may even have been slightly better than the corn syrup version thanks to some caramel and brown sugar notes. The texture, however, was slightly different. It was more firmly set than the karo pie, which made it seem ever so slightly jelly-like. I am guessing that this is because of the way cane syrup sets as contrasted with corn syrup. I would be totally happy with this pie for myself, but I think I am still going to tinker with it for the texture. Two options: take the pie out a little sooner (at 200*) or see if adding 1/4-1/2 a cup of cream would make it less firmly set.

But first, I still have half a pie to finish.

Clio in 2-D

I never updated you on my pattern drafting class. Here's a recap.

Here's my muslin.

You already heard about week 1. In the following weeks we created our slopers using the measurements we took in week one, and then used it to make a pattern. From the pattern we made a muslin - a sample on cheap fabric - and then tinkered with the fit. Once you have the muslin perfected, you transfer the changes back to your pattern and sloper. So, now I have a pattern for pants that is custom fit to my body. All it needs is style details - pockets, belt loops, zipper placement, etc. in order for it to become real pants.

The class really taught me a lot about the way my body is shaped, why RTW pants don't fit and how I will always have to alter clothing and patterns because of my unique proportions. In fact, looking around the classroom, I realized how different each of us is shaped. No wonder pants don't fit!

Anyway, this weekend, I finally carved out a few hours to tinker a bit more with my sloper; mostly, I was working on the shape of the leg and now I am ready to actually make pants. I'm going to keep it simple for this first run since my focus is on the fit of the pants rather than any stylistic embelishments. I am just going to do a basic dress pants with a side zipper, narrow waistband and no pockets using some black gabardine I bought on sale over the summer. If the pants go well, I will also make a matching jacket from the same pattern I used to make my mom's shrug. Finally, something for myself!

Pie Crust: A Turkey Day Primer

As the holidays approach, my thoughts tend to linger around the kitchen, planning for all the cooking and baking to be done. And, as you can tell, I get really preoccupied with pies. Lately I have been tinkering with the filling, but in the past it has been the crust that has been the focus of my experimentation.

I know there is a faction that believes that pie is all about the filling. But I cringe at the generic, insipid store-bought crust. A good crust can really enhance a tasty pie, providing texture, flavor and some heft.

After testing several variations of crusts - some with crisco, others with part crisco/part butter - I found that I got the best results from an all butter crust. Specifically, the all butter crust recipe in Phineas' White Dog Cafe Cookbook. One bonus is that this recipe comes out just fine in a food processor, which is the way to go for me since I hate cutting in the butter by hand.

The basic recipe is: 2 sticks of unsalted butter, 3 cups of flour, 2 tbsp sugar and a pinch of salt, plus ice water. I assume you know the basic procedure. Here are my tips:

• First and foremost: do not overwork the dough at any stage of the process.
  
• Cut the butter into little chunks and then stick it in the freezer for about 30 min or so to get it really cold
  
• The larger the lumps of butter in the dough, the flakier the crust (ie pea-sized pieces)
• After making, refrigerate your dough for at least 30 min. I usually make my dough days or weeks in advance and freeze it. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• When you are ready to roll out the dough, make sure to roll from the middle so that you are working the thickness from the center to the edges. Rotate the dough frequently.
• After rolling out the dough and moving it to your pie plate, put it back in the fridge for 30 minutes. This is when I make the filling.
• A final brush with egg wash or milk and a sprinkle of sugar will make for a nice brown, crackly sweet crust.
• Finally, cover the pie crust with a pie crust guard or tin foil. To do otherwise is to invite a burnt crust with underdone filling.

People have told me that pie crust is too much effort - too hard to roll out, too hard to cut in the butter, not worth the effort... This crust is easy to make (thank you, Cuisinart), easy to roll, and comes out looking beautiful and tasting even better - no comparison with a prefab crust. Give it a try.

The Boy Who Trick-or-Treated

Expelliarmus!

Here's my nephew, Orpheus, in his Harry Potter costume on Halloween. He told me that he allowed every kid in his class to try on his Harry Potter glasses and even let one boy try them on twice!

What a Weird and Wild Trip

From the Obama Girl to Tina' Fey's Sarah Palin, this election has at the very least given us a good chuckle. Here's a smattering of my favorites...



The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.





And now we wait.

Pecan Pie Experiment I

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, I felt compelled to begin working on my corn syrup-free pecan pie recipe this weekend.

Since the main ingredient in my normal recipe is corn syrup, I decided to forgo that recipe entirely. Instead, I settled on John Thorne's well-reviewed recipe, which calls for Lyle's Golden Syrup, rather than corn syrup. This recipe is a little more involved than the mix and dump recipe on the back of the Karo bottle.


First I had to boil the brown sugar, Lyle's syrup, rum and butter. While it cooled, I rolled out the pie crust, and then I beat the eggs with vanilla and salt.

Finally, I beat in the semi-cool syrup mixture. This was not nearly as easy as it sounds. Lyle's is a good deal thicker than corn or maple syrup. And when I boiled it with the sugar and it began to cool, it thickened even more. It required more beating to blend evenly into the egg mixture than I thought. Plus, it was a sticky process - pouring thick caramel into a mixer while it is still warm enough to pour, but not hot enough to curdle the eggs.... I got warm sticky caramel everywhere. OH, two changes I had made to the recipe: the addition of 1 tsp of vanilla and a sprinkle of kosher salt on the top before I bakes it. Both were good ideas.

Naturally, I forgot to take a picture of the pie when it was ready for the oven. However, the end result was pleasing, aside from some aesthetic issues. (What the heck happened to my crust?) The filling was less aggressively sweet, but more complex. The cream in the recipe and the excessive beating made it cook up lighter and puffier. Also, it was a very nutty pie. Yum.

Final evaluation: This pie was different from my normal pie. It was very good, but not exactly what I was looking for. The cream gave it a somewhat different texture. Plus dealing with the molten syrup was a messy hassle. So, I am not entirely sure I will do this again.

I think my next pie will be my regular recipe with Lyle's as a straight substitution. Stay tuned.