Pie Pic

October 17th, 2009

Ribs Roasting

I had a crisis. I forgot to buy new lard. Luckily I was able to persuade my father to go run an errand for me. He went to five stores to get the right brand. Here is the result.

10 17 09 apple pie

Not too shabby. I’m not sure what those spots are. I must have gotten something on the crust. Sadly, I didn’t have the wash ready when I put the pie in the oven, so it’s just turbinado sugar up there.

The crust looks really nice. Flaky and airy. I hope it’s like that on the bottom of the pan.

I should use a real pie pan, but the added capacity of that straight-side pan is hard to resist, and it’s Teflon, too.

Because of the crisis, the roast didn’t get in the oven until about 2:40, so I’m thinking dinner may be an hour late. I guess 7:30 is not unheard-of.

This should be one of the finest feasts in history, provided I can figure out how to bake potatoes at 450 while roasting at 200. That’s something of a puzzle. I think the answer is to finish the roast at 450, which will take some time, and throw the taters in above it. That will buy me 20 minutes of 450 for them, and I can let them finish while the roast rests. I am highly skeptical of the “resting” theory, however, since it’s completely wrong with regard to steaks. A total waste of time. Steaks should be sizzling outside and warm inside when they get to your table. Resting the meat makes that impossible, and it provides no benefits whatsoever, as I proved in a Youtube experiment.

Maybe the answer is to put the potatoes in the oven a couple of hours before I expect to eat. They’ll cook most of the way at 200, and then 450 will finish them off with a nice crispy jacket.

I found an easy horseradish sauce recipe, so I guess I’ll hit the store and buy some cream. In the past, I just dumped horseradish on the meat, straight from the bottle. But I really like horseradish. I assume most people prefer it toned down somewhat.

Some people don’t trust me when I say to put two tablespoons of vanilla in a pie, but it works. Although I suspect that my tablespoons are undersized. So maybe it DOESN’T work. When you have a real tablespoon.

Anyway, I better hit the store.

6 Responses to “Pie Pic”

  1. walt Says:

    The pie looks terrific and your planned feast has my mouth watering.
    BUT!!

    “I should use a real pie pan, but the added capacity of that straight-side pan is hard to resist, and it’s Teflon, too.”

    Be VERY careful with Teflon coated anything around your birds. If Teflon is overheated it releases toxic gases which have resulted in many pet bird deaths. Even birds in a room not near the kitchen may be affected. I dumped my Teflon cookware and bought Calphalon which has an anodized treated cooking surface, much safer than Teflon around pet birds. Link: http://www.theaviary.com/teflon.shtml.
    Regards,
    Walt

  2. Heather P. Says:

    But dude do you make your own vanilla extract?
    You could put the baked potatoes in a crock pot to cook while you are cooking the roast.

  3. Andrea Harris Says:

    People who say steaks should “rest” before you eat them are afraid that the nice hot juice will spurt out and burn their delicate hands. I say eat those babies right over the fire.

  4. pbird Says:

    Hey, Kentucky is pretty durn fancy. Wow. I had no idea they paint their barns and fences black. You never see that in photos. At least I don’t.

  5. Dale Says:

    Hello,

    What is the right brand of lard for you?

    Thanks.

    Dale

  6. Steve H. Says:

    El Cochinito.