Double Pie Crust

12 oz all-purpose flour (2.5 cups)
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
8 oz unsalted butter (2 sticks) cut into 1/4-inch dice, cold
1/4 cup frozen vodka
1/4 cup ice water

1. Blend flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in butter until pieces no bigger than split peas remain. With large spatula, quickly fold in both liquids, until fully incorporated. Dough should clean sides of bowl. With floured hands, press slightly more than half of the dough into a ball, then flatten into a 4-inch disc. Lightly flour, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 4 hours. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

2. Let larger dough disk rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before rolling. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness, a disk about 13 inches in diameter. Roll onto pin and unroll into pie plate. Without pressing, work dough into corner of plate and trim edge to 1/2 inch overhang. Chill. Roll out the second dough disk to 1/8-inch thickness and place on floured, rimless cookie sheet. Chill both doughs for at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rimmed cookie sheet on lowest level. Let both doughs rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before working with them. Fill the pie plate, place second dough disk atop pie and trim with scissors to match bottom edge. With fork, seal top and bottom crusts. Crimp, vent, and bake on pre-heated cookie sheet for 30 minutes. Crust will be just beginning to color. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake until crust is nut brown, another 40 minutes. If filling begins to bubble, but crust is not deeply brown, then switch heat source to broil without moving the pie and watch very closely. Crust will begin to color in less than 1 minute. Remove and cool on rack, about 4 hours.

July Cream Puffs

Sunday, July 5
in the kitchen of Sharon Myers, for the 8th year in a row voted Brattleboro's best caterer

Appetizer
Tea-smoked salmon on cucumber and baguette with sesame mayonnaise and scallion

Dinner
Thai fried rice with grilled salmon
Steamed salmon coconut pudding with red curry in banana-leaf bowl
Pan-Asian coleslaw (1 part sesame oil, 1 part mirin, 1 part rice vinegar, plus cayenne, lime zest, lime juice, salt)
Snap peas and zucchini with red wine and mint

Dessert
Gateau St.-Honorè
Profiteroles

Guests
Michael Krasner
John Calvi
Brian Long
Lyn ___
Lynna ___

Sunday Snack

If necessity is the mother of invention, then is feeling peckish the father of snack creation? I made these up today when the cupboard looked bare. I totally love them.

1 cup whole dates
2 Tablespoons unsalted peanut butter
1 Tablespoon honey
1/16 teaspoon cayenne
pinch fine sea salt

1. Pit the dates. Using the back of a strong fork, mash the dates into a course pulp.
2. Mix cayenne and salt into peanut butter. Add honey and stir until blended.
3. Fold peanut butter mixture into date pulp. It should make a stiff paste. Taste for seasoning. When thoroughly blended, pinch a piece off and, using the palms of your hands, roll into balls about 1.5 cm or one-half inch in diameter.

Serve at room temperature.