I enjoy traditions, but I also don't like to become so entrenched in them that new opportunities might be missed. Yesterday I made the traditional French Canadian pork pie that my family has always enjoyed at Christmas. We didn't necessarily eat it on a particular day, it could appear at any meal between Christmas eve and New Years. When this one came out of the oven, I thought it looked like it was adorned with the "holy gingerbread boy". If you are wondering, as Dennis A. did on facebook... yes that is a PYREX pie plate. It's the only pie plate I own right now. I managed to break every handmade pie plate that I owned. Someday I will find someone who can make me a new one.
;-)
This year Jeff and I decided to mix things up a bit on Christmas day. After a nice dinner with Jeff's family, we returned to Seagrove, fed the cat, and drove to Asheboro to see a movie. I always wondered who would go to the movies on Christmas day? I found out that the answer is LOTS of people! We saw the musical "Into the Woods". The movie was good and it was a great way to finish our day. I think we have started our own new tradition.
I hope that your holiday, however you choose to celebrate, was wonderful.
I am sick because I had all this baking stuff and when we left Florida Gary convinced me to sell it all or give it away because I had to be gluten free and didn't think I'd ever be able to bake again, and now there are so many other options but the items that are newly made are not near as good as the old ones, even the antique corelle is completely different than the newer stuff. Same with stainless cookware, the new stuff is so thin and stuff sticks to it, I had Revere ware from a long time ago and it is so much better but showing it's age. I may have to start shopping at the flea markets again to get some of that old stuff made so much better than the stuff nowadays
ReplyDeleteoh that pie look so delicious, yummy, nothing better than homemade crust
I agree with you, that so much of the new bakeware is flimsy, unless you spend really big money for professional grade. I am sure my pyrex pie plate is 30+ years old.
ReplyDeleteI have to come clean on the crust... I cheated this year and used a pillsbury pre-made! I think they taste pretty good and I haven't had lots of spare time lately.
I know, Christmas IS a big movie day. We started a new food tradition for Christmas: jam tarts!
ReplyDeleteThat pork pie looks wonderful! We used to get really good pork pies from our village butcher in the North of England when I was a child, but I haven't lived anywhere since where they were really part of the local tradition. Can you share the French Canadian recipe? Or is that a secret??
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how people are re-inventing Christmas for themselves. Over here it is summer at Christmas so a lot of people have BBQs or lighter meals... but I still like Christmas pudding!
I posted the recipe a few years back and you will find it here: http://meeshspottery.blogspot.com/2011/12/tourtiere.html
DeleteI often add more seasoning after tasting the mix once the pork is cooked. This year I used less potato - 1 1/2 lbs pork to 3 potatoes. I also added chopped green onions along with sweet onions. There are lots of variations, seems each family has their own way of doing it.
I just went back and looked at what I wrote for that recipe and I notice that I said two 9" pies. I have since decided that I like a thicker pie and with cutting down on potato, I made one pie the last couple of years.
DeleteThank you so much for the link to the recipe and for the thicker pie, less potato variation! I will do some pie making experiments here. I guess that my glaze testing experiences might lead me to doing a line test on several pies with 100 percent potato at one end of the line and 100 percent pastry at the other, and all sorts of good things in between!! :)
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