Adeline Olmer
- Mar 30, 2023
- 2 min read

SOMEHOW, IT’S ALWAYS ABOUT FOOD

I have friends who, I’m happy to say, I’ve known for a very long time. We’ve been getting together throughout the years, but it was only when Zoom came into our lives that we started meeting bi-monthly.

Occasionally, we also gather in New York City to talk in person. This week was one of those times. We met for drinks at the French Brasserie Marseille in the theater district and indulged in wine, great conversation, and oysters—the perfect combination.

As the evening came to an end and we walked down the street saying our adieus, the conversation shifted to making pie crust; I'd promised Lynn to show her how easy it was to make. We were going over what tools she'd need for our Zoom class. When she said, "Oh wait, I don't have a rolling pin," I replied, "No problem. You can use a wine bottle; it will work perfectly." She laughed, and we said our final goodbyes.

As I crossed the street, a woman beside me repeated, "A wine bottle that's a great idea." We continued walking in the same direction, and she peppered me with questions. "Do you use lard or butter?" And before I knew it, I was rattling off the recipe for my pie crust to a perfect stranger.

That is what I love about New York City: you never know who you are going to meet or what you’ll learn, but for me, it always seems to revolve around good food and I love it.

The pastry dough recipe can be found in Le Kitchen Cookbook: a Workbook

on pages 320 - 322

Pastry Dough Recipe

These proportions are for one pie crust

1 1/4 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick sweet butter, cubed and kept cold

5 tablespoons ice water

To make the dough by hand:

In a bowl, sift the flour and salt together
Add the cubed, cold butter and blend it into the four using your fingers until the flour mixture becomes flaky and stringy.
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of ice water over the flour mixture and using your fingers gently turn the mixture over to spread the moisture throughout the flour.
Continue adding ice water only until the dough sticks together when squeezed.
Form the dough into a ball and flatten it slightly cover with plastic wrap.
Using your palm press the dough into a disk shape.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes
Sprinkle your work surface and the dough with flour and using a rolling pin (or wine bottle) roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/4"- 1/8" thickness until you have the size you need for your pie pan.
Roll the dough loosely around the rolling pin and unroll it over your pie pan and gently ease it into the bottom and sides of your pan.
Leaving a ½ inch of extra dough around the edge cut off the extra.
Tuck the extra dough under and create a decorative edge using your fingers or the tines of a fork.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour before proceeding.