"CookingLive" news and stories

Since we were talking about the best apples to use in making pies last week, it put me in the mood to make one myself. I love making pies because, even though there is some prep work involved, the procedure is very straightforward. Also, I really enjoy making homemade pie crust. It's fun to get your fingers dirty and a flaky, homemade crust is better than one you can buy at the store - especially because you can taste the work that went into making it.

If you've never made a homemade pie before, winter is the perfect time to start and apple is the best kind to start with. Not only are the apples easy to work with, but the fact that the weather is colder makes it easier to handle the dough for the crust. In summer, you need to work faster to keep the butter from melting as you work it in to the flour. After the jump, you'll find a photo-heavy, step-by-step guide to making both the crust and the whole pie. I make my crusts with a combination of shortening (non-hydrogenated, for those who are concerned) and butter. The combination of butter, which adds flavor and some leavening, and shortening, which adds tenderness and flakiness will produce the best crusts. I use a 3-1 ratio, so not much shortening is needed.

Since I love to bake, I prefer to make breads for sandwiches and things, rather than buying bread. Granted, I won't turn down a crusty baguette from one of my favorite bakeries, but I like homemade better than the bagged rolls and loaves that they sell at the market. Although it takes more time to bake the buns than it does to go out and buy them, the buns are not that difficult to make and the result is completely worth it.

These buns are neither too heavy nor too light and spongy (like some pre-made rolls). They will absorb any juices or condiments that leak off your burger without getting soggy. And on top of all that, they taste great.

This dish is based on a recipe from one of last summer’s issues of Bon Appetit. I was flipping though it for inspiration when the picture caught my eye. My dish is Grilled Salmon with Pineapple-Jicama Salsa, which uses salmon instead of the halibut called for in the original and eliminates the step of preparing a tostada, though corn tortillas are still a nice accompaniment. The thing that really made me want to try this was the salsa, a combination of pineapple, red onion, jicama and peppers. It sounded fresh and delicious, in addition to being colorful. Since it’s spring, fresh flavors and the chance to fire up the grill are definite pluses when it comes to dinner.

I've finished cooking my cassoulet, and it wasn't near as bad as I feared. Other than being labor-intensive for about an hour, it cooked all by itself while I hung out with my family. It's now being consumed as fast as we can shovel it in our mouths. It's so flavorful, and the different sorts of meats really go together well. I love LOVE the beans. I could eat them one by one all night long.

Next time, I think I'll make it with lamb and substitute something else for the garlic sausage - I don't really like it much. Maybe something spicy like andouille (although I know that's going a bit in a different direction). The duck is fantastic, and although the whole dish is pricey, it's worth it - I fed six adults for about $30, and you could go cheaper by purchasing your stew meat from a regular grocery store.

It's about 2 p.m. here in Portland, and I'm starting to cook my cassoulet. I've got a pile full of meats from Pastaworks (I'm using the veal for my yummy French stew). I'm a little jittery, as there are so many steps and so many different kinds of meat! I'm looking forward to finally attempting this legendary French country dish (the ultimate in slow cooking, if you ask me).

I'm going to start by cooking the white beans and, while they're simmering, I'll broil the duck confit. I'm terrified by duck, so I need a clear head and a clean kitchen.