Plain Basmati Rice & Rice Pulao (India: Part 1)

Why a plain rice recipe? Consistently beautiful, fluffy white basmati rice. Every time I make basmati rice this way, I tell myself that it should be on the blog. This method comes from "The Bombay Cafe" cookbook, by Neela Paniz. The recipe for the rice pulao is also a dandy. It kicks the plain rice up a notch, without that much more effort. I have never been that great at cooking rice, my main problem being rice that either came out in sticky lumps or stuck to the bottom of the pan. When I make basmati rice using this method, I am always amazed that the grains of rice remain separate and light. The picture below is my friend Kumar's father walking through their rice fields. The men following behind may have been some of the farm hands, but I can't say for sure.


In January 2000, I headed off to India on a Rotary GSE trip (Group Study Exchange) with four other people, each of us learning about our respective professions. (Find out more about GSE at www.rotary.org) I was learning about Indian cooking and food, something that I had plenty of access to in every home I stayed in, not to mention going to markets, restaurants, chicken farms...


In each town we traveled to, we were billeted out either separately or in pairs. The first family that I stayed with on our trip was Kumar's (see picture above). Turned out, this was my favourite family of the whole trip, which may or may not have spoiled me for the duration of our time in India! Everything was new and very exciting, and I was able to spend some quality time in Kumar's kitchen with his cook and her mother. In the picture below, I am making a peanut chutney. I will never forget how the stones felt as I crushed the peanuts between them. The rolling stone and the bottom stone fit together perfectly, creating an amazing texture that could never be duplicated by a food processor. The afternoon before we left Kumar's home, he and his wife Anu organized a delicious lunch that I still remember as being one of the best that we had during our time in India. The peanut chutney was served at the lunch.


Kumar and his family have a rice farm near their home. I remember that they had a buffalo (maybe a few of them?) that was milked every day on the farm. Someone would drop off the milk at the house and it would be made into butter, by hand. I recently heard a radio documentary on the state of the rice industry in India and I emailed Kumar to see if what they were saying was true. Apparently, Kumar's family are starting to use more modern methods of farming the rice, and in turn, not employing as many people as they used to. The documentary mentions that farmers are using more chemicals as well. I didn't really get into all the details, but it was interesting to get the scoop from someone I know.


This picture is of an idli tray, filled with idli ready to be scooped out and served, usually with a chutney or two. A south Indian specialty, idli are made with ground rice and black lentils (urad dhal), mixed into a batter and left to ferment, usually overnight. Then the batter was spooned into a tray (like the one in the picture) and they were steamed. We were served idli numerous times, always as a breakfast food, although they are also served as snack food, apparently. The picture below is from one of the jails that I visited during the trip (a great way to kill two birds with one stone - You're at the jail now; why not check out the kitchens?!). They were making food in huge quantities and the rice had actually been cooked in a massive black cauldron over a fire. I think he was cooling the rice by spreading it over the table.


Plain Basmati Rice

1 1/2 c. basmati rice
2 1/4 c. warm water
1 t. butter

1. In a bowl, wash the rice in a few changes of cold water. Place the rice in a medium saucepan and add the warm water. Soak the rice for at least 20 minutes, but no longer than 45 minutes.

2. Bring the rice and water to a rapid boil over high heat, add the butter, and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 8 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and let stand for 2 or 3 minutes. Fluff rice gently with a fork and serve. Serves 6.

*The woman holding the pot with her feet was Kumar's cook at the time.

Rice Pulao with Peas and Cumin
1 1/2 c. basmati rice
1 T. butter
1 1/2 t. cumin seeds
8 oz. frozen peas, rinsed with warm water
2 1/4 c. hot water
1/2 t. salt

1. In a bowl, wash the rice in a few changes of cold water. Soak the rice for at least 20 minutes, but no longer than 45 minutes.

2. In a 10-inch skillet with a tightly fitting lid, heat the butter over medium/high heat. Tilt the pan and add the cumin seeds to the butter. When they sizzle, level the pan and add the drained rice. Mix gently so as not to break the grains.

3. Add the peas, hot water, and salt, stirring well. Bring to a full boil.

4. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and let cook for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered and undisturbed, for 5 minutes.

5. Uncover, fluff rice with a fork and serve immediately.

*The woman holding the pot with her feet was Kumar's cook.

Raspberry Rugelach

Here it is - the recipe for the prize-winning cookies from the Mount Albert Fair! These cookies are easy but they do require a little bit of time for chilling. I used to sell these cookies at the Farmer's market and they usually sold out. They looked so good in my glass cookie jar! In a nut shell, these are little triangles of cream cheese pastry, smeared with jam, covered with a mixture of sugar, walnuts and currants, and then rolled up, crescent style.


I decided to do a little hunting around to see if there were other recipes for this little gem of a cookie. There were only two differences with the dough that I found. Bonnie Stern has two recipes for rugelach in her book, "Essentials of Home Cooking". One is her recipe that uses the same cream cheese dough, minus the sugar. The other one is a little more interesting. It is from her Aunt and the dough is made with yeast. I haven't tried it, but I think I will. Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of "Rose's Christmas Cookies", has almost the exact same recipe as the Barefoot Contessa. Rose credited Lora Brody, for having the "very best" rugelach recipe that "couldn't be improved on". Naomi Duguid and Jeffery Alford offer two types of dough, as well - a cream cheese dough and a sour cream dough. The other recipes that I found were all for the cream cheese recipe, give or take slight variations.


As for the fillings, many recipes call for apricot jam. They are delicious, but I happen to love raspberries even more than apricots. I always toast the walnuts - a quick 10 minutes in the oven brings so much more flavour out of the walnuts. You can substitute the walnuts for pecans or even almonds. Some recipes call for raisins, but I prefer currants in these cookies because they are smaller, and they seem to fit into these two-bite cookies better.

Rugelach

8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 lb. unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 c. white sugar + 1/2 c.
1/4 t. kosher salt
1 t. pure vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. currants
1 c. walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 c. raspberry jam
1 egg beaten with 2 T. milk, for egg wash

1. In mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together until light. Add 1/4 cup of white sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Divide the dough up into four equal pieces and form each one into a disc. Wrap each one in plastic, and refrigerate for one hour.

2. To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 t. cinnamon, the currants, and the walnuts.

3. On a well-floured board, roll each ball into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 T. raspberry jam and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 T. white sugar with 1 t. cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

*For the market, I would freeze the rugelach individually, then pop them into a large ziploc bag. They bake beautifully, just add a couple more minutes to the time.

Fresh Strawberry Sauce

The kids & I did a little road trip today. We headed down to Oakville to visit with my friend Brenda and her kids. She told me not to bring anything, but I had just finished a productive weekend in my kitchen and I had the perfect little gifts to take with me.

A half litre of frozen Rhubarb Punch mix, a slightly smaller container of Fresh Strawberry Sauce, and a third of a pound of Chive Flower Butter. After enjoying my customary "arrival latte" from Brenda's incredible coffee machine, we broke out the punch. I suggested that we use club soda with the rhubarb punch mix, as I now think that the ginger ale makes it too sweet for me. Brenda poured our drinks into a couple of wine glasses and we headed outside to watch the kids on the "Diego Slip & Slide". Vodka would have been really nice, but we are fairly responsible mothers, and we somehow talked each other out of it (very tempting though...)! The punch was delicious; it really hit the perfect balance of sweet and tart (I may have said the same thing about the rhubarb custard pie, but I'm not just saying it because it sounds good!). The thing that I don't always like about the punch with ginger ale is that it doesn't provide much in the way of thirst quenching. This version was lovely. I think someone should turn the rhubarb punch mixture into a martini. Let me know if you do!


For dinner, Brenda marinated chicken breast pieces in a mixture of coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, cilantro, etc., and then we grilled them, along with veggies. Very good! After dinner, we finally wised up and sent our little darlings downstairs to watch a movie. Finally, we were able to sit and talk without being constantly interrupted, and Brenda made a pot of Barry's Irish Tea (I am so glad I thought to give her a box!). Along with tea, we had dessert. She had bought those little individual cakes that you usually see around strawberry season. We each had one of those, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, and this fresh strawberry sauce ladled over the top. It was pure strawberry bliss. I said, and Brenda agreed, that the sauce was so much better than having the sliced fresh berries on top (and we all know how good fresh local berries can be)!

This recipe came from my Grandma McDonald, and I remember standing in her kitchen while she was making it. She would freeze it in little margarine containers (although I only remember her ever serving butter) and every now and then, pull out a container for a taste of early summer. The amazing thing about this sauce was that no matter how long it had been frozen for (I'm sure there were limits, as with everything in life), once it was defrosted, it tasted just as fresh as the day those berries were picked.


Fresh Strawberry Sauce
3 c. fresh picked strawberries, washed & hulled
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. lemon juice
A little water, if needed

In a food processor or a blender, place the berries, sugar, and lemon juice. Blend well. Add a little water, if you want to thin the sauce out a little. Place in containers and freeze until needed.

*The recipe that I wrote down straight from my Grandma calls for 1/2 c. water. A line or two down, I wrote a note that I should dry the berries with a paper towel before blending them, as you didn't want to add extra moisture. The first batch I made on Sunday was with the 1/2 c. of water added. The next batch didn't have any. I think I would definitely add less, rather than more, but see how it looks to you.

Recipes For Summer

With fish-fry season upon us, I started thinking about tartar sauce, "My Favourite Tartar Sauce" to be exact. I put that recipe on the blog ages ago, and I am afraid that it may be forgotten with new recipes coming out all the time. I went back over all the recipes on the blog and there are definitely some recipes that deserve to be looked at again for summer.

Let's start with the recipe that I have already mentioned - My Favourite Tartar Sauce. This can be found back in June '07. It is the third recipe that I put on the blog, and one of my all-time favourites. I love it with fish & chips, but it is also wonderful with any type of fish or seafood, done any way. I probably wouldn't serve it with a cold shrimp cocktail, but I would certainly serve it with breaded shrimp. I also mentioned in the original blog that roasted potatoes or homemade french-fries are divine when dipped in this tarter sauce. With all the seafood we ate in Newport a few weeks ago, I realize now that I should have taken my own tartar sauce! (I know what you are thinking, and even my own family may have thought that was just a bit odd...)


Also from June '07, the Chickpea & Carrot salad. Still a real favourite of mine, the leftovers from this salad are usually turned into a spicy hummus. The Tabbouleh with Feta (March '08) is a an easy way to make a salad with ingredients that you probably have on hand right now. Especially as the summer goes on, I always have fresh tomatoes and cucumbers just waiting to be turned into something special. I love the picture that goes along with this recipe, too (Alan's finesse with a camera!).


The Curried Couscous is a cross between being a salad and a side dish. If you don't think you are a curry fan, don't be deterred by that here. The curry really adds more colour than anything in the yogurt dressing, and there are so many other flavours that are fighting for your attention, you probably won't even notice the fact that you are enjoying something you didn't think you liked before! My advice would be to make sure that your curry (and all of your spices for this matter) is not old. It is quite easy for spices to linger in the cupboard for years at a time, and for us to not notice how old they really are. If you haven't done it lately, maybe it is time to clear out all of your old herbs and spices? If you keep your spices in the jars that you buy at the grocery store, you could always empty and wash out the jars, and then refill them with new ones from someplace like your local health food store, where they most likely sell them in bulk. Buying herbs and spices this way is much cheaper, too. I keep my herbs and spices in little glass containers that I bought at Ikea. The containers are then kept in a drawer, away from direct sunlight.

Last November, I made the Black-bean Salad with Avocado & Cilantro (Nov. '07). It would be delicious with burgers or barbecued chicken, or taken to a potluck. I happen to love the Mexican flavours, and they are perfect for summertime eating. Last night I made a quinoa salad, and I remembered that I had the Lentil & Quinoa salad with a Ginger & Curry Vinaigrette (Jan. '08) on the blog. I wish I would have thought to make this salad in time for dinner. This salad is downright delicious, not too mention the fact that it is very healthy!

I want to bring your attention to the Smoked Trout Dip (Dec. '07). I made this dip in December, when I thought the Clean Food Connection was going out of business. I have made it several times since then, and I even made it to sample to customers when I was at the Clean Food Connection that Saturday in May, drumming up awareness about the new recipe section on their website. Check it out if you haven't already at www.cleanfoodconnection.com/recipes. I can't say enough about this dip. It is very addictive! Don't forget about the Salmon Dip (August '07) either. I regularly make Salmon Dip and use it as a spread in Gavin's lunch. It makes a great after-school snack as well (for me & him!).

Last week, my neighbour called to ask if she could substitute salmon for the chicken in the Yogurt-Marinated Grilled Chicken recipe (April '08). I told her I thought it would be fine. She called the next day to say that it was "fabulous!". The salmon stayed so moist and tender, she was amazed. This recipe is so simple, but it really takes chicken (and salmon, apparently) to that next level, without adding a lot of work. The Charmoula Marinade (May '08) is just begging to be mentioned again! It does require a little more time, but the results are so worth it. If you haven't made this marinade yet, don't delay! Lamb, chicken, beef, even peppers, zucchini, eggplant - you name it. I think almost anything will taste great with this Charmoula Marinade!

At this time of year, there seem to be lots of baked beans doing the barbecue circuit. Last winter, I made Maple Baked Beans (Jan. '08). I know these would make an excellent dish for any barbecue or party that you are having this summer. Usually, cans of beans are doctored up and baked in the oven. If you are feeling adventurous, why not try making them from scratch. These were the beans that Alan was quite happy to eat for a few days after I made them. They are pretty easy, just a bit of planning required!

Ever since I started "The Good Egg Blog", there has been the question of how to print off a recipe without printing off the entire blog. More than a few people have said that they tried to print off a recipe, and ended up with a print job of 75 pages or more! Last weekend, my friend Dionne came for dinner and she mentioned that she keeps a file of Good Egg recipes that she has printed off. I asked her about the problem of printing the whole blog off, and she told me that when she finds a recipe she wants a hard copy of, she opens up her Microsoft Word. She then highlights and copies just the recipe that she wants, pastes it into Word, and then prints it from there. Why didn't I think of that! You may have figured that out a long time ago, but as I hadn't, I thought it was worth mentioning.

And there you have it! A few suggestions for recipes to re-visit this summer. There may be others on the blog that would be great for summer, but this is a selection of some of my favourites. I cannot emphasize enough - try the tartar sauce!

Chive Flower Butter

I may be a little too late in getting this recipe to you. My chive flowers are just starting to dry out and I think I made this butter in the nick of time. Last week, the chive flowers were perfect, but I guess my timing wasn't. If your chives aren't in full southern sun, as mine are, you may still have time.

This butter is inspired by The Good Earth Cooking School, down in Niagara. My sister has worked there off and on for a number of years and she is now the "special projects manager". One of Lori's projects this year have been the creation of the Moveable Feasts. These are delicious lunches that you can pre-order, pick up at The Good Earth, and munch on while you meander your way around various wineries in the area. Essentially, they are fancy brown-bag lunches. Check out The Good Earth at their website... www.goodearthcooking.com

This butter is really easy and really good. I have wrapped the rest of mine in wax paper and plastic wrap, and I will freeze it, in order to have a little something special the next time we have friends over. You might not realize (I certainly didn't) how much flavour is in a chive flower. They have a delicate onion flavour, and the butter looks so pretty with the little specks of purple throughout the butter.

I do have a compound butter story, but it didn't happen with chive flower butter. It was with the nasturtium-chive butter that Lori made for her wedding (yes, Lori & her husband did almost all of the food for their wedding, along with some help from a few friends). It was a beautiful butter, flecked with oranges and greens, and had quite a strong flavour. After the wedding, held in the middle of the summer, someone put all of the butter dishes (full or not) into a plastic milk crate. After sitting in the Ford Ranger for a day or so, all of the excess butter had melted out into the cloth seat. What a mess! That vehicle was never the same. Incidentally, the butter was so good at the wedding, my cousin Petra's son, Zachary, was seen licking the butter off a spoon, lolly-pop style!

Chive Flower Butter

1 lb. unsalted butter, softened
About 12 chive flowers, freshly picked
1 t. fleur de sel or kosher salt

Pick the flower petals off the stem of the chive. Whip the butter until creamy in KitchenAid. Add the flower petals and the salt. Whip until combined. On a piece of parchment paper or wax paper, roll the butter into a log. Keep in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to use it.

The Baking Contest Results

What a day! Last night, I was up baking pies until almost midnight, then up again at 5:30 this morning. By 8'oclock, I had the car loaded with the following baking: a pumpkin pie (the prize-winning pumpkin pie from Sept. '07), a rhubarb custard pie (from this month on the blog), banana muffins (from June '07), and Rugelach cookies from "The Barefoot Contessa Parties Cookbook".

I had my heart set on making the rhubarb custard pie, mostly because the one I had made earlier in the week turned out so well. After tracking down an armful of fresh rhubarb at our friend's farm, I went to work on this pie first. I figured it could be my best chance at a ribbon. When I made the pie on Monday, I used my deep-dish Emile Henri pie plate. That may explain why it took quite a long time to bake it properly. For the contest, I bought the tin foil pie plates, but not even the deep dish ones. Unfortunately, I didn't adjust the baking times for the different pie plates nearly enough, and I think the pie today was overdone. With that said, it was probably the neatest looking lattice pie crust that I have ever done.

Next up was the pumpkin pie. No real problems to report. You may remember the recipe from last September (the 2nd prize winner at the Harrow Fair). I really wanted to make this pie, just to see how my results would compare from last summer. I made the big recipe, using the large can of pumpkin (Stokely), and I made two pies in the aluminum pie plates. In the morning, decided to make the banana muffins and the Rugelach. These are one of my favourite cookies and I used to make them to sell down at the market. They are made with cream cheese, creating a rich cookie crust, then rolled out into a flat circle. The circle of dough is then covered with apricot jam, and a mixture of currants, toasted walnuts, cinnamon, and sugar. Each circle is then cut into 12 wedges and rolled up. They are addictive little cookies and I hoped the judges would feel the same way.

I was feeling very nervous as we made our way back into the community centre to see the results. Turns out, I didn't need to worry!

1st Place Single Crust Pie - Pumpkin Pie
1st Place Cookie - Rugelach
1st Place Muffin - Banana
3rd Place Double Crust Pie - Rhubarb Custard Pie

We were all so surprised and excited! The kids were running around hugging me, Alan was snapping pictures of my entries, and I was being congratulated by Ellen, the woman who runs the competition. It was a happy day for the Sanders family!

Then there was the auctioning off of the desserts. Earlier in the morning, Ellen said that she could use a hand, so I volunteered to help collect the money from people after they bought something. The crowd wasn't too big but everything sold. Gavin bid against a very big man covered in tattoos. They both wanted the 1st Prize pan of brownies. Gavin finally won at $12. Ellen bid on some chocolate/white chocolate chip cookies, so those came home with us, too. Alan just had to have the buttertarts, baked by one of the ladies. I ended up getting a strawberry jam and a strawberry rhubarb jam. Also a jar of icicle pickles (they look like sweet pepper strips, sort of?).

As for the ladies, neither one of them looked blind to me! Lorna and Evelyn are sisters and I had a chance to get to know them, as they were interested to know who had come in and won so many ribbons. They couldn't really remember how long they had been entering the contest, but they started after one woman monopolized the contest for so many years. They were very happy to have some new competition, and one of them said that this might be her last year. I hope not! They both ended up with $24 in prize money, so I didn't dent their winnings by much!

The auctioneer just happened to be one of their sons and when he was auctioning off their items, he would say, "These are my Mom's buttertarts. Our whole family runs for these at potluck dinners." He even bid on some of the baking while doing the auctioning. It was so much fun to be a part of, I have given my name to Ellen and told her that I would be happy to volunteer next year.

Last night, the kids and I started leafing through last years contest book from the Harrow Fair, looking for what we could enter on Labour Day weekend. The Harrow Fair is a whole other kettle of fish. More people, more entries. Could be a very interesting summer!

Rhubarb Punch and the Mount Albert Fair

There has been a request for this recipe, and since rhubarb is in season, I think it is the perfect time to share it. This rhubarb punch has been showing up at our family functions for about six years. My Aunt Karen introduced the punch to us and we have been making it ever since. According to Aunt Karen, "People who are not even fond of rhubarb enjoy this drink."

"Tang" is not something I go out of my way for usually, but I make an exception for this recipe. If you find that the punch is too sweet or strong, add more ginger ale. This punch would also taste great with some vodka in it.

A bit off topic, but I got some scoop on the baking contest this weekend at the Mount Albert fair. I called the woman who is running the contest, but I hadn't heard back from her. I was in the post office uptown today and asked the ladies behind the counter if they knew anything about it. They did, and they were eager to share. Apparently, there are a couple of older sisters that consistently win a lot of the prizes at the contest. And there is one other woman who is their biggest competition. Legend has it that one of the women used another one's recipe for butter tarts one year - and won! Tensions were probably running high, as you can imagine. I also found out that one of the sisters is legally blind, but this doesn't stop her from winning many of the prizes. Good for her! I like to hear stories like that. Doesn't mean I'm not going to try to knock her off her perch...

We supposed to drop off our entries on Saturday morning. They will be judged and then auctioned off at about 1 o'clock (note to self - go get some tin foil pie plates). If you are around, please come and bid on something. I don't want Alan to have to buy back everything that I made! I will keep you posted with the results on Saturday.

Rhubarb Punch

12 c. rhubarb - sliced and cooked in 2 two litres of water
3 c. sugar (or less)
1 pkg. orange Tang mix
2 litres of ginger ale or club soda (my personal favourite now)

Cook the rhubarb in the water for 10 minutes or so. Strain. Then add the tang and sugar to the hot liquid. Store this in the fridge and add the ginger ale just before serving. You can freeze the rhubarb mixture in several containers and the ginger ale at the last minute. Use fresh or frozen rhubarb (a great way to use up frozen rhubarb from last year!).

Rhubarb Custard Pie

This has got to be one of my favourite pies. The combination of sweet and tart, with the custard and rhubarb, is so perfect. My Grandma McDonald used to make this pie and this is her recipe. It is probably from one of her favourite cookbooks, Better Homes & Gardens or Mary Moore perhaps, but I'm not sure.

On Monday, I took the kids over to Farmer Jones' place to get eggs. I asked if he had any rhubarb that he would be willing to sell. Sure enough, we went back to one of his gardens and he cut me an armful. I happened to have my camera in the car and I was able to get Farmer Jones in action. Those are a couple of his bee hives in the background.

It has just come to my attention that there is a baking contest at our local Mount Albert Fair this weekend. I have a call in to find out the exact details, but I am considering entering this rhubarb custard pie. I may even enter my "prize winning pumpkin pie", just to see what happens! The baking contest is very small compared to the contest at the Harrow Fair, but I think it would be fun to give it a shot. Soon after the judges are finished, all the baked goods are auctioned off. That's good, because I cannot have another rhubarb custard pie in my kitchen, without some really, really good reason not to help myself!

Now, there are a few things you should know about this pie. Last spring, I made this pie and in my haste to have it ready for company, took it out of the oven too soon. The custard didn't set and the rhubarb didn't cook as long as it should have. I didn't make it again until a month or so ago, while visiting my sister in Niagara. I was really checking to make sure that the custard was set, and it seemed to take forever. At this point, Lori & I discussed what solution we thought we could come up with to bake this pie. That is how the half hour at 425 and the 1 hour at 350 came up. Yesterday, when I made the pie using our revised times and temperatures, I questioned whether the pie was actually done after 45 minutes of being at 350. I left it in longer, just to be on the safe side, but the crust was actually a little darker than I would have liked. The inside of the pie was perfect, however. To avoid such a dark crust, you can place a piece of tin foil over the crust after it reaches the perfect golden colour.

Yesterday, after I brushed the lattice crust with egg wash, I sprinkled the top with demerara sugar. This was a mistake because the little bits of sugar didn't dissolve the way the white sugar does, and the little sugar crystals basically burned on top of the pie, making it look like it had a bad case of spots. This didn't affect the taste, but it looks much better with just a light sprinkle of fine, white sugar.


Rhubarb Custard Pie
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
3/4 t. nutmeg
dash salt
3 eggs, well beaten
4 c. rhubarb, sliced
2 T. butter
1 egg, mixed with milk for egg wash

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flour, nutmeg, and salt. Add beaten eggs and mix until smooth. Stir in the rhubarb and mix well. Place in the unbaked pie shell. Scatter the butter on top of the rhubarb mixture. Top pie with a lattice crust (see note below). Brush the egg wash onto the crust and sprinkle white sugar over the crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for at least another 45 minutes, possibly even an hour more.

* When making a lattice crust, roll out your pie dough as you normally would. Cut strips about the width of your thumb. Start laying the strips on the pie in one direction. Don't press the dough down because you are going to want to lift the strips up to create the lattice. Starting laying the strips in the other direction, starting at one end of the pie and working towards the other. Over and under, over and under. It seems to be a lot fuss, but it really takes hardly any time to do and it is important for this pie as you want the steam to be able to escape and the custard to cook underneath.

* As for making a pie crust, use your favourite recipe or try my favourite. This probably sounds very unhealthy of me, but I like to use Tenderflake lard in my pie crusts. I have never had much luck with pie crusts made of butter, but now that I mention it, I should probably delve into the subject again and see what sort of results I get. The recipe that I use is the one on the back of the Tenderflake box. What got me hooked on this recipe was my time spent working at Elaine's restaurant in Windsor. There were lots of tarts on the menu and it seemed that most days one of us would be whipping up a batch of pie crust. Each batch makes almost 5 pie crusts, and it seemed that every pie or tart came out perfect every time. Here is the recipe...

Never-Fail Pie Crust

5 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 lb. Tenderflake lard
Place flour and lard in a large bowl. With your fingers, incorporate the lard into the flour until it turns into smaller bits.
1 egg
1 T. white vinegar
Water
In a liquid measuring cup, beat the egg and vinegar together. Add enough cold water to make one cup. Pour liquid over the flour mixture and fold together with your hands. You may need a little extra water to get the flour incorporated. Divide the dough into 4 or 5 discs and wrap individually in plastic wrap. The dough will behave better if you let it chill for at least half an hour or so in the fridge. Any dough that you have left over will keep for up to a week in the fridge or you can freeze it until you need it. Double wrap the dough if you are going to be freezing it.

*When rolling out the dough, I use a piece of wax paper to roll it on. Once the dough is rolled out to the right thickness, I easily flip the dough over onto the pie plate, peel off the wax paper, and trim the edges.