Magnolia Grill food processor pie crust

This is my favorite pie crust recipe, taken from Karen Barker's Sweet Stuff cookbook (she of Magnolia Grill fame). The idea of using half harder and half softer flour came from the King Arthur Baker's Companion; this gives just enough gluten to hold together but not enough to make the dough tough. This recipe makes enough for two 9" pie crusts, with plenty to spare.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine

1. 12.5 oz flour (half all-purpose and half pastry flour)
2. 3/4 t Kosher salt
3. 3/4 T sugar

Pulse to cut in fats until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal (very small chunks of fat)

1. 4 oz (1 stick) butter, cut in small pieces and chilled 20 min. in freezer
2. 4 oz (1/2 c + 2 T) shortening, cut in pieces and chilled

Sprinkle most of water over dough, adding last 1 oz if needed, and pulse just until dough starts to come together

1. up to 1/2 c ice water

Dump dough out and separate into halves, flatten into relatively thin disks (so they're as close as possible to the final desired shape!), wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least a few hours and as long as overnight. I like to roll the dough out between lightly floured sheets of plastic wrap, as this makes it much easier for me to roll quickly without having the dough stick or tear.

Baked Gruyere Scallops

Taken from the Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, this dish has become a family tradition whenever we go to the beach. And you need a hard day playing in the surf to work this off...

The cheese for this dish will be relatively expensive, in the $10+/lb range, but don't skimp: you need good-quality ingredients to make this dish shine. Scallops aren't cheap either, come to think of it. I guess that's why I make it at the beach when my parents are paying!

In a large skillet, saute 2-3 minutes, then drain and set aside:

1. 2 T butter
2. 1 lb bay scallops

In same skillet, saute until tender:

1. 2 T butter
2. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
3. 8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms

Stir in scallops and

1. 6 oz shredded Gruyere or other Swiss cheese (e.g. Emmentaler)
2. 1/2 c mayonnaise
3. 1/4 c dry white wine
4. 1 T lemon juice

Spoon into greased oven-safe dish (one large or four individual) and broil 6" from heat until browned, about 2-3 minutes.

Tony Chachere's

"Tony's" is a hot and smoky seasoned salt product from Louisiana. Katy's cousins swear by the stuff, carrying a can with them everywhere in their purses. They gave us some for Christmas, but I just tried it the other day. I have to say: it's the best seasoned salt I've ever had. It rocks on french fries. I don't know what else it's good on ("great on everything," the label says), but I'll keep some around just for that!

Two pizza recipes

I recently created two successful pizza recipes and thought I would record them here. They're both built on my Refrigerator Flatbread dough, stretched out thin and baked on a pizza stone at 450 F for 10 minutes. (I tried using 1/3 part higher-protein flour and some dough relaxer, but the standard recipe is fine.) I put the dough on parchment to make it easier to slide into the oven. The high heat and stone are important for getting a nice crisp crust and nicely browned cheese.

I find that freshly shredded part-skim mozzarella works best; the whole-milk stuff gets awfully greasy. I use Polly-O because that's what the store carries. The secret is to go light with both cheese and sauce: too much of either makes the pizza heavy. Use less than you think you need, and it will come out just right.

Pork BBQ Pizza

Top the dough with a thin film of sweet tomato-based barbeque sauce, such as KC Masterpiece. Add diced red onions, fresh herbs if you have them (parsley, cilantro, or chives would all be nice), and some shredded pork barbeque. Top lightly with grated mozzarella and bake as above.

White Pizza

Brush dough with extra virgin olive oil. Use the really good stuff; this can make or break the whole thing. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle with mozzarella and grated Parmesan and bake as above.

Carolina-style pulled pork barbeque

This is a really easy recipe for pork barbeque that produces a reasonable imitation of the real thing. I got it from my friend Bryan Arendall, a true grill master. Since Carolina BBQ is going to be hard to find in Seattle, I'm really glad to have this recipe.

It's important not to get too large a piece of meat: 5 lbs would be about the limit of what my crockpot can handle. Removing the bone from a picnic ham was hard work and not something I would like to try again.

The key to NC barbeque is the sauce, made primarily of vinegar and cayenne pepper. I don't have a recipe for homemade sauce yet, but Scott's Sauce (www.scottsbarbecuesauce.com) is awfully good. Using some generic, tomato-based sauce in this recipe would really change the results (not for the better, in my opinion).

Start with

1. a 5 - 10 lb. Boston butt or picnic shoulder

Make sure it will fit in your crockpot! Start on the small side if you're not sure. 5 lbs is all mine will hold. Season liberally with choice of spices, such as

1. garlic salt
2. black pepper
3. cayenne pepper

Place meat in slow cooker and add

1. 32 oz vinegar-based Carolina barbeque sauce (enough to cover)

Cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce heat to low and cook for one hour per pound of meat, up to a maximum of 8 hours. (Adjust for your cooker as experience dictates.)

Remove meat from sauce and shred with two dinner forks, removing fat. Ladle over some of the leftover sauce to moisten. Serve on big fluffy hamburger rolls with coleslaw and extra sauce on top. Feeds a crowd!