It’s that time of year again…

[BakerAunt]

Enjoy your pie, Aaron. Remember--taste makes people not think about shrinkage.

You may need to order the drip catcher at their online site and have it delivered to the store.

The bread flour is probably not helping the crust. In bread, I know that when using bread flour, the dough has to rest about 10 minutes after the first rise and being punched down, or it resists.

Have you looked at Ken Haedrich's Pie Academy online?

• This reply was modified 6 years ago by BakerAunt.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Thanks BA. And Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I don't think it was the bread flour as it's the leavening that makes it rise. It's the gluten that stretches and holds its shape. But the gluten was lower than bread flour since half was pastry flour. I was trying to approximate the gluten in AP flour since I didn't have any.

And last year I used all pastry flour with the same results.

I have not tried the online Pie Academy but maybe I will. Or maybe I'll go visit my friend in Seattle and spend a day making pies with her.

Thanks again.

[chocomouse]

I made pecan pie, but in tart form using the hamburger bun pan. The crust was fine - I think I may have mastered Pie Crust 101, finally. The problem was I had bought the store brand of corn syrup instead of Karo. I've always used the recipe on the jar, and there was no recipe on the store brand jar! I googled and came up with the "classic" Karo recipe. But later my husband said "Something is off, it just isn't right. Maybe it needs more butter?" I did use the 2 tablespoons of butter it called for. And "more butter" seems like an odd ingredient to fuss over in pecan pie. But, he is eating the tarts, no problem! Next year I'll buy Karo!

[aaronatthedoublef]

Hi Chocomouse. I used Karo and I checked the back and the recipe does call for two TBSPs.

I used a KAF recipe and it calls for a whopping EIGHT TBSPs! I didn't really think about it until I saw the Karo recipe. It has more sugar than KAF. Not sure which is supposed to be worse for you now.

Good thing I only make it once a year. 🙂

Here is the Karo recipe:

1 cup Karo corn syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 TBSP butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans
I unbaked deep dish pie crust

[BakerAunt]

When I bake pecan pie--which I have not done for years, I use the recipe in Bernard Clayton's pie or pastry cookbook. (I can't check it right now because that is one of the books still packed.) My only change is to use half light and half dark Karo, which is what my mother claimed was the secret to her pecan pies, which I think were the recipe on the back of Karo.

I will only use Karo for corn syrup recipes, just as I will only use C&H or Domino brown sugar. I tried a cheaper brown sugar once, and yuk--too molasses tasting.

[chocomouse]

Thanks Aaron. That's the recipe I found online and I used it. Good that I make pecan pie only once a year, and it's the only time I use Karo. Baker Aunt, I wonder if the store-brand corn syrup has a different taste? I'm not going to try a taste-test, but will probably toss the rest of the bottle.

[aaronatthedoublef]

BA, the KAF recipe I used calls for light and dark corn syrup and white sugar. Since I didn't have dark I subbed in some turbinado sugar for some of the white sugar. I also subbed in some turbinado sugar for brown sugar on my pumpkin pie when I ran out of brown. It gives some of the molasses taste but it's not an exact substitute as it's much drier than brown sugar. And, like you, I tend to stick with brand names I know. Although I've moved away from Land O'Lakes. It's just too expensive. And I tried Trader Joe's which is half the price of LOL on sale and I cannot tell the difference and, even more importantly, the people I bake for cannot tell the difference.

I did follow your guidance on par-cooking the pumpkin filling before putting it into the oven and that worked well. I might have even been able to cook it a bit longer. Thanks!

Mike - how did your turkey go?

[Mike Nolan]

Well, I started the two thighs in skin down and when I turned them over in 20 minutes I added the turkey tenders. The thighs got done a little before the breast meat, but they needed to rest more anyway. There was enough juice off the turkey in the bottom of the pan to kick the gravy (made with a roux and turkey stock) up a notch.

I think I was the only one who ate any of the dark meat, but that didn't surprise me.

For a change, I got the potatoes cooked enough that they weren't any lumps after I whipped them in the mixer. But I started them about 20 minutes earlier than in past years.

My son in Pittsburgh did duck legs using a sous vide circulator for 18 hours. He said they were incredible.

[Mike Nolan]

I tend to buy house brand corn syrup because it's usually half the cost of Karo, I've never noticed any difference when using it.

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--I'm glad that your pumpkin pie turned out well.

I also found that the standard butter--what Aldi's sells--is perfectly fine in baked goods. Of course, for now, I'm not using much butter. Sigh. The canola oil at Aldi's is a lot less expensive than what Walmart carries, so I buy that. I've been reluctant to move too far from name brands of extra virgin olive oil.

[skeptic7]

Baker Aunt;
I was counting up my pie pans a couple of days ago and realized that I have 4 of the rimmed pie pans. One I bought new years ago, and three that I found in various thrift stores. I can't find this style new so I check each thrift store and buy all available. One of the pie pans is only 7'' in diameter but so cute the rest are normal 9'' pie pans.

[BakerAunt]

Wow, Skeptic, I've only seen the 9-inch with the drip rims. I don't know that 7-inch pans are readily available anymore. I have at least one with a narrow rim, and it is exactly the right size for my light cheesecake recipe.

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