[SCA] Purim cooking

[cellio]

Tonight I did a trial run of one of the recipes for the Purim event, a fish pie. The ones for the event will not all be as whimsical as this, but one probably will be.



(The tail "fins" slipped in cooking.) I'm not sure what to use for the eye. I'm thinking maybe a green grape (or half of one), but I didn't have any in the house.

I seem to have zero talent for pie crust. The first problem is that it was kind of tough (I mean even before baking); I understand that this means I kneaded it too long, but the line between "not yet one coherent ball of dough" and "over-kneaded" is, in that case, way too fine. As soon as it all held together I stopped.

I assume my problems rolling it out are related to this. I couldn't get it as thin as I wanted. It just wouldn't go, after a while. I suppose I should go looking for "pie crust 101" on Wikipedia or something.

Comments

[cellio]

This recipe called for flour, water (in which the yeast is primed with a little sugar), egg, salt, and a little pepper. No fat (well, except from the egg), which I didn't think about until now.

Since this crust has to encase the fish (and a sauce), I think I actually don't want something too flaky -- it might lose structural integrity. But thanks for the tip -- there are other times when a flaky crust is exactly what I need, and now I have that clue.

[tashabear.livejournal.com]

Yeast, in a pastry crust? Interesting...

[cellio]

While these are called pies, they're apparently supposed to be stuff wrapped in something bread-like. (Granted, I have the impression that almost all bread and crust recipes are speculative, when it comes to the middle ages and renaissance.)

[tashabear.livejournal.com]

Okay, fair enough. Might something like a pizza crust be useful?

[cellio]

Good idea -- thanks!

[ralphmelton.livejournal.com]

Just in case it makes a difference (it probably doesn't), you might migrate from "pizza crust" to "stromboli crust".

[cellio]

Ah, good point -- crusts for containing stuff, as opposed to crusts for merely supporting stuff. (And there is a sauce inside this along with the fish.)