The Golfer's Wife wrote in news:kdssd39rcnbgr3ip6ibhh4rf79mjf7j96o@
4ax.com:
> My shortcrust recipe is
General rules As I couldn't spot a real problem...most of these if not
all you probably know.
I think the trouble might be the type of pie plate you are using...What
colour and material is it? Dark pie plates, glass pie plates, double
walled plates all require differing cooking times and temps from the
standard pie plate. As they all handle heat differently
But if you feel that the dark crust is your only difficulty...blind bake
it less time and put the baking sheet on a different rack (just to catch
any mess).
Convection ovens cook faster than standard conventional ovens. There is a
rule about reducing temperature and cooking time if the recipe isn't
written for a convection oven. See
http://www.broilking.com/convection_cooking.html
for more specifics
Oven thermometers are a cheap way to determine oven temp if your oven is
out of kilter.
In case you feel your pastry is inadiquate.
Madam Benoit was a Canadian Cooking Institution all by herself... before
J Child's time. She was French Canadian and collecteted some of her
recipes from travelling and cooking with French Canadian Farm Wives all
over Canada...many regional variations. Sadly (for me), it is not
possible to get her Books in English anymore; Since she is dead and the
last Translated to English book was published in the early 70's. But her
French CookBooks are still widely printed and used.
I use the following recipe...but sometimes replace the lemon juice with
vinegar, depending on need. (I should try lime juice once. Say on a
coconut cream pie)
@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format
Madam Benoit's No Fail Pastry
pies
5 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 lb lard
in a one-cup measuring cup
1 whole egg
3 tablespoons lemon juice
and enough water to make
for one cup of liquid
In A LARGE BOWL blend : 5 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon soda,
Cut in one pound of lard or shortening of choice.
Mix to resemble coarse crumbs.
IN A ONE CUP MEASURING CUP: Add 1 whole egg 3 tablespoons lemon juice Mix
with a fork and add enough water to fill the one cup measuring cup.
Add the cup of liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until dough forms
into a ball.
(at this point form into balls using approximate amount for the size pie
plate and place into a plastic bag until ready to roll.)
NOTE:
Rolling the dough between two sheets of wax paper makes for a nice even
sheet of pastry.
This will make 3-4 double pies-- depending on what size pie pans you are
using.
Usually I put the flour salt and Baking powder in a processor with a
dough blade... pluse a few times...add the lard, cold and in smallish
cubes pluse some more till correct consistancy then at the egg mixture
and pulse till a dough ball leave the side.
** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.82 **
--
The house of the burning beet-Alan
It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore