November Brings the Spirit of Apple Pies :)

November Blog Entry

This last month in Baking and Pastry has been great! We have made so many amazing things. I thought it was so weird that when we made soft pretzels, we had to boil them before we baked them. But it made them so chewy! I’ve never been a big fan of soft pretzels, but I’m sure that I’ll be baking them for my family soon.

When my group made apple pie, I learned that I’m the only one in my group who can peel an apple at a rate faster than 1 apple per 10 minutes. I have to say though, listening to Katie Moss wince every time the blade got close to my hand was pretty entertaining. I was not expecting to cook our pies by just wrapping the dough around the apples. I have never seen it done before. I love apple pie, but I’m very picky about the kind of pies I eat. Because I have eaten my mom’s pies basically my whole life, I’m so used to eating that certain kind of pie. My mom puts a sugar and butter crumb topping on the top, and she puts the raw diced apple into the pie shell and bakes it like that. She doesn’t cook the apples ahead of time, like we did in class.  

We made pie crust, and I really appreciated technology then because when you use a mixer it is a lot easier and looks prettier than if you have to mix the ingredients together with a pastry cutter and spoon in a bowl. I know, I’m so spoiled. But why not use it if we have it, right?

I went to a restaurant called The Iron Bridge, which is right in Sandy Hook Center. The food was really good there! However, it really bugs me when restaurants give you potato chips if you get a club sandwich or a wrap or something. I mean, how hard is it to give out french fries with the meal? I can eat potato chips anywhere! The french fries are usually the only thing I’m able to finish, too.

There are three kinds of french fries that I’ve eaten in my lifetime. You have the french fries that taste like cardboard, steak fries, and crispy fries. The ones that taste like cardboard I’ve only seen in a few places, like the Blue Colony Diner in Newtown. They’re not terrible, but if I’m gonna eat french fries I’m going all out (extra crispy). I find it kind of funny that they made a french fry that corresponds to what you’re eating. If you go to the Outback Steakhouse, your meal always comes with steak fries. I don’t really understand why these types of fries can only be eaten in places like the Outback.

 Halloween is one of my favorite days, because you get candy of course! I really can’t decide what my favorite candy is, although if someone asks me I usually say Kit Kat. However, anything with chocolate in it I’ll eat. I’m more of a dark chocolate fan, though. I like the more bitter taste. If it’s available, I’ll always grab dark chocolate Raisinettes, M&Ms, pretzels, and plain Hershey bars. If I’m ever eating candy, I usually alternate between something with chocolate in it and something that doesn’t. So, I’ll eat a fun sized Snicker or something, and to balance it out I’ll eat a Starburst. What a great day Halloween is! 

Sarah L J