New Tricks for Old Dogs

     I mastered the pie crust! Well, it wasn't perfect but better and without the stress I usually face when trying to make a crust from scratch. I used the perfect oil crust recipe I linked yesterday. I have to say though, the simple trick of rolling the dough between two pieces of wax paper, after letting the dough get very chilled, was the key. Did the pie still pull away from the edges? Yes, a bit. Did I figure out how to get the lovely scallop pie crimping? No, but my fork tines worked well enough. Did I sprinkle a touch to much nutmeg in my mixture-yes, but learned my family likes nutmeg. Did the pie have a nice golden brown tone? No, but my daughter is vegan so I wasn't sure what I could brush over the top and chose way to late in the baking cycle that a sugar water brush would do the trick. The biggest pain was the small apples, thanks to so much rain, and having to peel and slice  several more. I still did too many, and using the scraps of dough, I made a couple little unkept, oddly formed turnovers with the rest of the apples.

     Would Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry, and Pru call my creations "a bit messy"? Yes, absolutely. Do I care? Not a bit. I  finally had a crust that was flaky and for the most part, was able put over the plate and then filling in one go without ugly piecing and overworked toughness. This old dog learned a new trick-never thought oil could be used in pie crust. Now for my next trick, a chicken pot pie!