Penelope Pies

Or, “Deconstructing Apricot Glaze.” If you haven’t been to the new MoMA in New York or BCAM in Los Angeles (speaking of nuts), you can still experience post modern deconstructionism with a jar of apricot jam. In a small saucepan, bring one and a half cups of apricot jam to a boil, stirring the whole […]

Melting chocolate properly is really important because, in the words of Chuck Williams (although he was talking about stale cookie crumbs at the time), a weird burnt taste can “haunt” your pie. And there’s nothing worse than a haunted pie, even on Halloween.
Most recipes say, “If you’re using a double boiler, make sure the […]

Cream of Tartar (in the spice aisle) is actually a by-product of wine fermentation. It stabilizes egg whites and prevents them from deflating. Which is why a good lemon meringue pie might be a better idea for someone with a heart condition, who shouldn’t be taking Viagra.

Vanilla extract can be made from scratch by splitting 4 or 5 vanilla beans and placing them in a Mason jar with 2 cups of brandy or bourbon. Store the jar in a dark place (not the one you go to when you haven’t heard from someone in a reasonable amount of time about some […]

The same way a new pair of jeans shrinks the first time you wash it, tart dough also gets smaller as it bakes. So just like you might buy your jeans a little bigger to adjust for size, press your tart dough up the sides of the tart shell, making it thicker at the […]

“Ultrapasteurized” cream won’t whip up to the same amazingly fabulous heights as regular pasteurized cream, so going the extra mile (or for the extra money) isn’t necessary. And if you overpay for the cream, you might be the type to over-whip it, too. If that happens and the peaks get too stiff, just fold in […]

This may seem like stating the obvious, but to avoid feeling like Stan Laurel in the middle of a recipe, when you’re using the same lemon (or orange, or lime, you get the picture) for both zest and juice, do the zest first.