skeptic7

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  • in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of August 27, 2017? #8798
    skeptic7
    Participant

      Chocomouse, I envy you your blueberry bushes. The blueberry season is ending here, I couldn't get blueberries in the Farmer's market last week. I baked blueberry scones with the last blueberries on August 27th and just ate the last ones today.
      Do you find it hard to defend your blueberries from the birds?

      in reply to: Lemon Meringue Pie #8797
      skeptic7
      Participant

        I'm eating through the lemon meringue pie which is in the refrigerator. It seems to be emitting a liquid as it ages. Anyone know what causes this?
        I'm not sure whether to go on my fourth blind baking pie crust trial or not. I'd like to get a nice flaky crust. What other sort of pies use a prebaked crust? I'm almost through with the lemon juice.

        in reply to: Eclipse Cookies #8768
        skeptic7
        Participant

          I love the pictures of the eclipse cookies! I had a 80% eclipse and saw it from work. I didn't have time to build a pinhole box but was able to look through other peoples' boxes and a coworker's really high grade wielder's glasses.

          in reply to: Lemon Meringue Pie #8766
          skeptic7
          Participant

            Yes I was trying to use two pie pans for blind baking. I had picked them up in a thrift store, they are similiar size and a heavy metal, but the inside pie pan is perforated. This is the first time I tried blind baking with this technique and I wasn't impressed with the results.
            This mornings pie shell slid to the bottom despite having been well pricked and going from the refrigerator to a very hot oven. I thought that the first failed attempt was caused by an oven at only 325 degrees and resolved to try again at 400 degrees.
            The pie crust was rather thick. I used all the dough ( 1 1/2 cups flour ) in the crust instead of rolling it thin, and discarding the extra. Would a blind pie crust have worked better if it was thinner?
            I did the KA Lemon Meringue again but used corn starch instead of flour, and 1/3 cup lemon juice instead of 1/4 cup. It isn't notably prettier with corn starch instead of flour. The lemon meringue filling was fine and pretty.
            I want to try blind baking again, but will have to wait for another cold snap. How much beans will be needed if I try that route? Do the beans have to fill the pie crust?
            Maybe I will try the two pie pan method and use parchment paper to prevent sticking.

            in reply to: Lemon Meringue Pie #8738
            skeptic7
            Participant

              I did another lemon meringue pie with buttermilk crust the week before last. The crust was better. I handled it less and added less liquid and refrigerated before baking. I basically did a half recipe with 1 1/2 cups of white flour, 1/2 cup butter and about 6 tablespoons of buttermilk. I mixed it, refrigerated the dough, rolled it out and placed it back in the refrigerator before baking. However I tried a new method suggested by Susan Purdy in her pie book. I placed a pie pan upside down and put the rolled pie crust on top of it, then I covered it with another pie pan and put the whole thing in a deep dish pizza pan instead of a baking sheet. This has the pie crust sandwiched between two pie pans. I was suppose to be able to bake this for half the time, and then flip it over, take out the internal pie pan, and finish baking it.
              Well this didn't work as planned, mainly because the pie crust stuck to the internal pie pan and wouldn't come loose. I had to bake the pie crust nearly completely and than carefully pry them apart. And then finish baking it. The crust was crisp and golden in the middle but a little too hard and brown at the edges. And it wasn't as pretty since I couldn't do a pretty fluted edge and the rim had broken in places.
              I plan to try this again tonight, but this time use a normal pie pan and bend the edges over the rim to keep it from sliding down. Also I will keep this refrigerated until the time to put it in a very hot oven. I think not being in a pie pan sandwich will let it be softer and lighter.
              I used the KA 200 Anniversery lemon meringue which is made with boiling water, and flour not corn starch. The boiling water makes the lemon filling cook faster than using cold water which made for less time standing over a hot stove. Very important two weeks ago as it was hot even late at night and I needed the air conditioner on all the time. The lemon filling tasted ok, but not as lemony as the recipe by Susan Purdy. It had slightly less lemon juice 1/4 instead of 1/3.
              I think I will have to look for still another lemon meringue recipe, I want more lemon flavor but also appreciate the speed of using boiling water.

              in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of August 13, 2017? #8737
              skeptic7
              Participant

                Two weeks ago it a cold spell I did a double batch of blueberry scones, and a lemon meringue pie. I reread the directions that BakerAunt gave for the buttermilk pie crust and it turned out much batter. The blueberry scones were well received. I used the lemon meringue pie recipe from KA 200th Anniversery cookbook, it used boiling water and was faster than the last recipe but not as lemony.

                in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of August 6, 2017? #8489
                skeptic7
                Participant

                  On Monday I did blueberry scones -- its more like a muffin recipe, but baked in a small cast iron frying pan and cut into wedges, and today I did a zuchinni pizza with cheese topping.

                  in reply to: Quiche/Pizza cross #8488
                  skeptic7
                  Participant

                    Thanks! This is the sort of help I needed. There are surprisingly a couple different recipes for yeast based pie crusts. King Arthur Flour used one for their Italian Easter Pie which was eggs and cheese and ham. I ran into another one decades ago when I first looked into low fat pie crusts. This was low fat but more like having apple pie filling beteen two slices of bread. This didn't appeal to me then, but it might appeal more now.
                    I hope to try some of your kind suggestions soon.

                    in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of July 30, 2017? #8404
                    skeptic7
                    Participant

                      I did an apple pie in my favorite cast iron pan. This is a tried and true recipe for me, it doesn't look pretty but is always well received. I also did a zuchinni cornbread, that started with an all corn Southern cornbread, but substitued grated zuchinni for the buttermilk. This was made for a vegan friend who was going to be at the same party. I was surprised at how willing other people were to eat it. I thought that Fran who combines raw food veganism with a desire to avoid gluten would be the only person to like it. I think that the whole gluten free fad is silly, especially for people who not only aren't allergic but genuinely like bagels.
                      I also did a whole wheat rosemary focaccio which was boring but useful. Its been too hot to do much baking in general, but last weekend was fairly pleasant.

                      in reply to: Lemon Meringue Pie #7915
                      skeptic7
                      Participant

                        BakerAunt;
                        I wish I had read your recipe for buttermilk pie crust before I started. Most of my problem with the pie crust came from thinking it was too dry and adding more buttermilk. Why do you like this recipe? I am on a sort of buttermilk kick for the last year since I found out how easy it was to culture your own buttermilk. I have used it in all sorts of baked goods but the pie crust isn't as easy as quick breads and pancakes. I want to try buttermilk pie crust at least one more time but I dont think its going to be a regular part of my reportor.

                        in reply to: Lemon Meringue Pie #7897
                        skeptic7
                        Participant

                          I made my pie. The filling and the meringue were quite tasty, the pie crust was a disaster. It was heavy and solid instead of flakey and light. I think I had too much liquid. It was a little dry when I first mixed it ( 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup buttermilk ) so I added a little more buttermilk and placed it in the refrigerator. When I got the pie crust dough out of the refrigerator it was a little too moist and rather stretchy. I rolled it out but it got sticky and hard to handle so I refrigerated it again as a rolled out pie crust between two sheets of wax paper. When I got it out I rolled it some more but then found the wax paper would tear off and had to be carefully removed from the dough in pieces. I formed a nice high pie crust with a rim and baked it at about 375. When I took it out it had slumped into a disk at the bottom of the pie pan and the butter was oozing out the crust and bubbling.
                          I'm not sure whether to give up on the recipe or try again. I've some ideas to try like putting baking powder in the pie crust to keep it from the heavy flatness. Try baking a little longer or at a higher temperature. Push the pie crust over the rim so it can't just collapse when the butter melts. On the other hand it uses a lot of butter.
                          The filling was made in a double boiler, and started with cold water. I think its less likely to scorch than a filling made in a sauce pan, but it also seems to take longer. It came out a nice yellow color and was a nice bright lemon flavor. It used 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar and 6 tablespoons cornstarch and 3 egg yolks. I was surprized it didn't take more lemon juice, and I have enough lemon juice left I could try this recipe again and again and again.

                          in reply to: Lemon Meringue Pie #7876
                          skeptic7
                          Participant

                            I haven't had time and its been very hot but I hope to be able to bake a pie this weekend. I'm going to try a buttermilk pie crust but with all butter as found in KA 200 anniversary cookbook and the recipe from "As easy as Pie" by Susan G. Purdy. This seems a reasonable recipe with 3 eggs and no milk.
                            My memories of Lemon Meringue pie date from my childhood making it with a lemon pie mix. So dairy seems a strange ingredient, as does recipes using boiling water. So this will be the first time I've tried this from scratch.
                            I found a recipe that called for boiling water, and another one for using a double boiler both of which seems complicated. Why would these techniques be used?

                            in reply to: Mrs Cindy #7672
                            skeptic7
                            Participant

                              Thank you. I wish I had kept up my correspondence with Mrs. Cindy but I hadn't written to her at all this year. I kept telling myself I would send her something lemony when I had more time but I never got around to it.

                              in reply to: Sponge vs Dough #7668
                              skeptic7
                              Participant

                                I find that its possible to overferment a whole wheat dough so that it doesn't have a final rise but just sorts of sits limply in a pan.
                                Are you keeping the dough in the refrigerator or at room temperature? I've kept doughs refrigerated for 24 hours, but at room temperature it will rise too much and tear the gluten, or use up all the sugar so it doesn't have energy for the final rise.

                                in reply to: Mrs Cindy #7667
                                skeptic7
                                Participant

                                  This is the first time I had logged in for months and months -- possibly this year. I am so very sorry to hear about Mrs. Cindy. If I wanted to send a very late condolence card, whom should I address it to? I know she had a husband but I don't know his name.

                                Viewing 15 posts - 1,126 through 1,140 (of 1,165 total)