Thursday, January 5, 2012

Making pastry


So life has settled into a nice little patten here for me. Im in my new home and still loving holidays. I have started a new lifestyle while I don't have much on, and it mainly revolves around reading books, staying in bed late and going for little runs. Everyday I wake up feeling blissful in the knowledge that there is nothing I have to do. I only share my time with a few people and mostly sit with myself and just enjoy being here.

I have been doing some wonderful experiments, and have just started my first sourdough culture. Its amazing, and all bubbly and wonderful. It takes five days to make, and I have to feed it daily. Its a bit like having a pet. In a weeks time I will be making fresh sourdough bread. I will invite you all over to try it!

I have been exploring my new town. Its really very lovely. So nice just to walk the streets and poke around in shops. I've had a lot of thinking to do lately, so this slow pace is working perfectly for me. I feel all fresh and new, despite also feeling a little bit small. Somehow I think shop keepers and cafe owners sense it too. Everyone smiles politely at me as I walk around vaguely trying to work out my head and heart. Old men smile at me and ladies on the train give my kind looks. There can be something amazingly beautiful about feeling a wee bit fragile at times. Its very refreshing to be able to look at life and say "ok right now, I've got some things to deal with, so I'm just going to take it really slow on myself, and be super kind, until I'm ready to take on the world again." And I will be ready soon, I'm sure of it. Nothing stops me for very long. I will dust off my knees and say "Things are better now, whats next?"

So while I'm taking this little rest, I have been so happy to have good friends. People who say "go back to bed and cancel all your plans if it makes you happy", people who drop in for pie, and friends that cook me dinner and sit with me for hours as I outline every emotion thats passing through my head, friends that take me out for drinks, look me in the eye and tell me "this year is going to be really good for you", friends who let me call them at 1 in the morning when I cant sleep and say "ok I'm going to tuck you in now, pull the blankets around you tight and close your eyes." And a family that makes me laugh so very hard. A mother that I can call up and say "mum what do I do when I like a boy," and she will give me advice, and we will giggle about silly things I say. A dad who will listen to everything I have been cooking, and tell me I am just like my great grandmother, who was also a pasty chef in Melbourne (this warms my heart a lot.) Also a crazy sister, who gives me the most honest advice I have ever heard, and will stand very loyally next to me no matter what I say or do.

I am very very blessed.

So now I'm going to bless you with a recipe for pie pasty. I didn't invent this recipe but stole it off joy the baker. Don't tell her! I've just discovered her recently, and she is an amazingly talented, funny, and good looking food blogger and pasty cook (I like to think we have a lot in common! he he) Anyway, this is her pie crust recipe. I made it recently and It worked out really nicely. I hope you enjoy it!

Pie crust:

This will give you a lovely flakey pie crust. Its not too sweet, and just damn lovely!

You will need:
  • 225g cold butter diced into cubes
  • 2 1/2 cups of plain flour
  • 1 tbs of sugar (I used brown sugar to give it some extra yummy goodness)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup of butter milk
What to do:
  1. This is easy, so don't be scared. Pastry is your friend!
  2. Place all the dry ingredients together in a bowl (see thats not hard at all.)
  3. Add the cold diced butter, and with your finger tips rub it into the dry ingredients, until it looks like bread crumbs. If your not a fan of all this rubbing, this can also be done in a food processor. I like to do it by hand though. It make me feel all earthy and wonderful (like a real lady.)
  4. Make a well in the middle, and add the butter milk. Mix it all together, and work into a ball. You don't want to knead it much at all, as this makes the pastry sad (there are totally technical reasons, which I can't be bothered to go into today, but trust me .....kneading pastry = sad pastry.)
  5. Wrap in cling wrap and place it in the fridge for an hour for a rest.
  6. After its had a nap. Pull it out, give it a 5 second knead, and roll it out. Its all good and ready to use for whatever pie you want to make!

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