I'm sipping coffee (first cup so excuse any typos) and staring at a strawberry pie. I think I'm going to eat a piece for breakfast. It's a healthier pie than your average. I took the recipe from Rodales Basic Natural Foods Cookbook, which has dessert recipes that use whole grain flours and natural sweeteners like honey.
It's not a pretty pie. And frankly, it's not actually that delicious. I'm sure you're not surprised since it's a 'healthier' pie. But, it is not the fault of the recipe. It is my fault.
I have a baking 'problem.' I haven't actually followed a baking recipe letter-for-letter since the 80s when I had the recipe for Tollhouse Chocolate Chip cookies memorized. I would carefully measure out each ingredient, leveling off the flour before dumping it in the sifter, pack the brown sugar with care and attention, etc.
Somewhere between junior high and adulthood I became a baking deviant. The result of this is that here I sit with a whole pie that is not worthy of sharing. This means I have to eat the whole thing or suffer the guilt of throwing it away.
The filling is actually quite tasty, which was a nice surprise. The strawberries I bought at the Greenmarket yesterday weren't very tasty. I should have guessed when this particular stall still had loads of berries left at 2:00 p.m. Even on a rainy Saturday this is unusual.
A woman next to me tasted one and declared to her husband that they were watery. I rolled my eyes thinking this was silly. Then I came home and tried one. They were watery and not very flavorful. Perhaps they would be better cooked and sweetened. Just in case there wouldn't be enough flavor, I added dried sweet cherries which plumped up deliciously when baked.
Where things really went awry was the crust. The recipe called for whole wheat pastry flour. I was out, and the nearby stores didn't have any. I used a combination of millet and chestnut flours. I also substituted walnut oil for vegetable oil. I suspected this might be a bad idea... The muffins I made last week with the same flour combination weren't spectacular, and walnuts can be bitter. But, after reading a few blogs about baking with walnut oil and crossing my fingers about the flour, I persevered.
The result of these digressions was a dry, gritty, bitter crust. It's not inedible, just not very good. The chestnut flour actually gives it a hint of sweetness. The bitterness doesn't show up until last, which is a big bummer when eating a bite of pie.
After all, pie is meant to remind us the world can be sweet. (Yes, now I can see that you are rolling your eyes.) Such is life. I'm actually not much of a pie person, as you know. I made the pie because my mom gave me several dishes from her favorite potter over the years, including two pie plates. I don't use them enough, it makes me feel closer to her to use the things she gave me, particularly those things that she was excited about giving. So, the pie is sweet and bitter. If she were still here I would have called her to lament over my failed pie. She might have reminded me that it's better to follow the recipe when baking, but she certainly would have been happy to hear I used the pie plate.
So next time, I'll follow the recipe. In the meantime, I'm going to have pie for breakfast with a large scoop of greek yogurt to help disguise that bitter crust. Perhaps that next pie will be sweet without the bitter.
It's not a pretty pie. And frankly, it's not actually that delicious. I'm sure you're not surprised since it's a 'healthier' pie. But, it is not the fault of the recipe. It is my fault.
I have a baking 'problem.' I haven't actually followed a baking recipe letter-for-letter since the 80s when I had the recipe for Tollhouse Chocolate Chip cookies memorized. I would carefully measure out each ingredient, leveling off the flour before dumping it in the sifter, pack the brown sugar with care and attention, etc.
Somewhere between junior high and adulthood I became a baking deviant. The result of this is that here I sit with a whole pie that is not worthy of sharing. This means I have to eat the whole thing or suffer the guilt of throwing it away.
The filling is actually quite tasty, which was a nice surprise. The strawberries I bought at the Greenmarket yesterday weren't very tasty. I should have guessed when this particular stall still had loads of berries left at 2:00 p.m. Even on a rainy Saturday this is unusual.
A woman next to me tasted one and declared to her husband that they were watery. I rolled my eyes thinking this was silly. Then I came home and tried one. They were watery and not very flavorful. Perhaps they would be better cooked and sweetened. Just in case there wouldn't be enough flavor, I added dried sweet cherries which plumped up deliciously when baked.
Where things really went awry was the crust. The recipe called for whole wheat pastry flour. I was out, and the nearby stores didn't have any. I used a combination of millet and chestnut flours. I also substituted walnut oil for vegetable oil. I suspected this might be a bad idea... The muffins I made last week with the same flour combination weren't spectacular, and walnuts can be bitter. But, after reading a few blogs about baking with walnut oil and crossing my fingers about the flour, I persevered.
The result of these digressions was a dry, gritty, bitter crust. It's not inedible, just not very good. The chestnut flour actually gives it a hint of sweetness. The bitterness doesn't show up until last, which is a big bummer when eating a bite of pie.
After all, pie is meant to remind us the world can be sweet. (Yes, now I can see that you are rolling your eyes.) Such is life. I'm actually not much of a pie person, as you know. I made the pie because my mom gave me several dishes from her favorite potter over the years, including two pie plates. I don't use them enough, it makes me feel closer to her to use the things she gave me, particularly those things that she was excited about giving. So, the pie is sweet and bitter. If she were still here I would have called her to lament over my failed pie. She might have reminded me that it's better to follow the recipe when baking, but she certainly would have been happy to hear I used the pie plate.
So next time, I'll follow the recipe. In the meantime, I'm going to have pie for breakfast with a large scoop of greek yogurt to help disguise that bitter crust. Perhaps that next pie will be sweet without the bitter.
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