A few weeks ago, I got an automated email. My domain registration for www.pieareround.com was about to renew itself. At that point, I was faced with a decision: should I let the registration expire or should I re-commit myself to this blogging project. After all, it had been quite a while since I last written anything for this blog. My heart just hadn’t been in writing for the blog lately; the joy had kind of gone out of it. Combined with the time it took to document and write each post, I seriously considered abandoning the whole thing. But a funny thing happened. Just as I was contemplating giving it all up, I had several people ask me, unprompted, what happened to the blog and whether I was working on anything new. Coincidental timing, but it at least inspired me to give it another go. Continue reading
Baking Steel — Not From Krypton, But Still Super
17 FebBy now, the secret of the Baking Steel is not much of a secret. The word is out that this project, started on Kickstarter by Andris Lagsdin after reading a review Nathan Myhrvold’s Modernist Cuisine: The Art & Science of Cooking, is the “most impressive home pizza product [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats] ever tested.” Pizza lovers everywhere are trading in their stones for these well-made (and really heavy) sheets of steal.
I got mine for Christmas (thanks Tania!) and it has been an incredibly useful tool as I’ve begun to explore the world of bread baking. As I try and try again with my bread baking, I’m learning more about cooking than I have in years. And as good (or bad) as some of the breads I’ve made are, I hadn’t put the baking steel to its real intended purpose: making pizza.
Uncommonly Good — Sam’s (award winning) Apple Pie
4 NovThe name of this blog is not just a math pun. (Get it, pie are round, not πr2!) I also really, really love pie. Of all the things that I create in the kitchen, pie is probably my favorite. And, it can be any kind of pie—strawberry, blueberry, peach, you name it. I must admit a strong preference for fruit pies however. Not to give cream, or other types of pie short shrift, mind you. But if it’s a fruit pie…well, it has fruit! It’s not just dessert, it’s healthy! (Right?)
My pie obsession isn’t entirely new. As my mother would be happy to tell you, at some point in elementary school I declared that apple pie was my favorite smell in the world. This is probably still true.
What is new is the fact that I’m no longer just the pie eater—I’m also the pie maker. The transformation from one into the other came about in large part because I was seeking out a culinary challenge. It seems that many people are intimidated by pie crust; making pie crust is perceived as a time-consuming task whose prospects for success are uncertain at best. With that in mind, I set out to master the art of the crust.
Pie are Round 