If there's one thing I love about the end of the summer, it's
turning the oven back on again. And if there's one thing I
like about an oven, it's getting to make dinner under, inside, or
on top of a crust.
My son's favorite
dinner is chard tart (sautéed greens in a Gruyère custard in a
crust, basically). That's followed closely by
Turkish börek,
which takes an easy yogurt pastry and is the only exception to his
anti-yogurt crusade. My daughter likes empanadas, I
think because she can run off with one clutched tight in her little
fist.
Personally, I have a weakness for chicken pot pie,
which I make whenever I can work up the energy for the puff
pastry. Why make puff pastry, you ask, when it's so easy
to find at the supermarket? Daft, I know, but it just bugs me to
pay the markup on something whose ingredients cost less than
$4.
Short crust, pâte brisée, phyllo, express puff...doesn't really
matter. As long as it gets shattery and golden-brown after 40
minutes at 375 degrees, you can be sure there will be whimpers
of crustatory pleasure at the table.
What's your favorite savory crust food? and how far will
you go to get it?
