We are re-invigorated by the calendar change and committed to the New Year and Fresh Mouth.
If we teased that pork roll was the food of the gods at the end of 2008, we learned not to be facetious with Fresh Mouth. There was divine intervention for us. Not one of us indulged in this anti-Fresh Mouth fare. Fate dealt its hand, and we were ravaged by a stomach flu that left us unable to even look at the red packaged pork. We tossed all of it. I guess we'll have to try again in another 25 years ... or not.
Here's a great documentary called Our Daily Bread about industrial food production and modern farming techniques. Check it out and let us know what you think.
Nugget o' the Moment: "I ate a fish! Can you believe it, Mom?" - Aidan incredulous that he actually ate fish in lieu of chicken on a recent restaurant trip. "See how good it is to try new things," I said.
Martha's Pate Brisee
I've been making this for years, but just recently used a food processor. It took minutes to make and it's unbelievably good for sweet or savory dishes.
Ingredients
Makes one double-crust or two single-crust 9-inch pies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small
1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed
Directions
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender.)
With machine running, add ice water through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
