To me, one of the greatest joys in the kitchen is the process of cooking. Are you surprised? Some are. Yes, I'm thrilled when the dish hits the table to resounding ooohs and aaahhhs. Yes, I'm humbled when people take a moment to thank me and appreciate my talents. But, the process is the real deal for me. Watching the ingredients transform under heat or technique; enjoying the aromas of flavors melding as the organic process of cooking plays out. And, I always feel a little giddy -- like I have a little guardian angel sous chef -- when my instinct kicks in and I just know that "it's done", no matter what the recipe says.
Naturally, and it should come as no surprise, when I discover a new approach to an old process, I am elated! And trust me, it's as good as it gets when my discovery is in pastry. For I have resolved myself to the fact that it will be years before I master the art of pastry and baking. But, last night, during a recipe test, I discovered a little nugget of wisdom that is sheer genius. Simple and, obviously now, rather obvious.
The test recipe is for a rustic galette. Galettes as we all know (or do now) require pastry dough. I thought the instructions seemed a bit odd, but hey when it's a recipe test, we follow instructions to a "tee". "Put the flour and the butter in the freezer for 1 hour", the instruction read-- or so I thought it read. Actually, they wanted me to cut the butter up into a fine dice and then freeze. I am wildly happy I misread the instruction.
The frozen butter chunked up so nicely under the pressure of my Santuko knife (a brilliant christmas present from my sisters!), that on top of the cold flour and the whirring of my food processor, I had a crumbled mixture the size of coarse meal and small peas in no time. A small amount of ice water and whamo! Pastry dough!. To boot, the dough was still so cold that it rolled beautifully and uniformly.
Despite the thrill of my discovery, there was real joy this time in the result. Because the frozen butter was so evenly distributed through the flour, and hence the dough, the airy-lightness of the baked pastry was to die for. Even I was surprised.
Perhaps the recipe test must now be considered flawed having failed to follow the directions exactly. But, at least I know I am one step closer to mastering the art of pastry and baking... and my freezer has a new permanent resident.
8:56:45 PM 
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