100 year old pie crust recipe, Ida Bailey Allen, never fail pie crust recipe, rich pie crust recipe

100 year old pie crust recipe
Rich pie crust recipe
Can NOT fail pie crust recipe

I have claimed for years that I just don't have the pie crust gene.  Every  pie crust I  ever made had been some level of fail. Until I found Ida Bailey Allens  Rich Pie Crust recipe.   This thing is the  bomb shelter of pie crusts.   It works every time!  It is perfect for  fruit pies in a pie pan, cobblers, Cornish meat pastries, pot pies,  fruit tarts and pretty much anything you need a crust for. I am amazed! I have used it for all of the aforementioned  pies with no hint of fail.  Jimmy now requests Cornish meat pies regularly and I am excited for the fall and all the apples we will have from our trees.

It is very rich


2 1/2 cupfuls  pastry flour
1 cup butter (use real butter for best results)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup  ice water. (yes ... this is the correct amount of water)
Do not melt the butter.
Mix the flour and salt together and then cut the butter into the flour with  a pastry cutter ( a fork will work but pastry cutters are easier) Be very thorough about this, you don't want any large  chunks of butter in your mix.  When you have finished cutting  in the butter, make a hole in the  flour mixture and pour in your ice water. Mix until it forms a ball.   Roll it out onto a floured board with a rolling pin, sprinkling lightly with flour as you go to keep it from sticking.

100 year old tomatoe bisque recipe,

Dinner tonight will be Ida Bailey Allens Tomato Bisque with homemade foccaccia bread and a salad from the  fall garden

100 year old Tomato Bisque recipe

3 cups stewed sifted tomatoes (I'm gonna puree with the food processor)
1/2 tsp baking  soda  (to lessen the acidity)
3 cups scalded milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter

Mix baking soda into tomatoes and set aside.  Put butter and flour in a saucepan  on medium and stir til melted together. Add milk, salt and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until  milk thickens. When milk is thickened  add tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.

I'm going to add  a tablespoon of basil  since I went to all the effort of growing it, drying it and storing it.  Ida recommends adding a bay leaf and one slice of diced onion if you have it.  I'm going to add these three in the butter and flour and sautee' them before adding the milk.

100 year old green tomatoe pickle recipe, Texas Chow Chow, Granny's Chow Chow, Green Tomatoes, (southern chow-chow), Ida Bailey Allen

Many of our tomatoes are turning this week thanks to the strangely warm and summery weather we are experiencing here in Seattle. But its not going to be enough. Now.... I told Jimmy we should put  a half cold frame back over them ( or go on a national search for a virgin to sacrifice) but he has valid reasons for not doing so. That means, it falls to me to get creative.  In desperation I am once again turning to Ida. Pickled green tomatoes. I'm hoping this serves two purposes;
 1.) Our cucumber crop was less than stellar this year resulting in only 7 pints of pickles. We go through about 2 dozen (including gifting).
 2.) Substituting green tomatoes for classic cucumber pickles will keep ALL those wonderful tomatoes, we had such high hopes for, out of the compost bin.

I will be practicing some kitchen courage with 10 of  the  40 pounds or so of unripened tomatoes.  The rest I will pull this weekend , put in a cardboard box (not touching) and allow to ripen  before making sauce.
I have faith in this because I have used green tomatoes for other purposes ( southern  chow-chow and frying)

Pickled green tomatoes
5  pounds green tomatoes (quartered and the seeds cleaned out)
2 pounds onions
2 pounds green peppers  (quartered and the seeds cleaned out)
5 cups  vinegar
2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp mixed pickling spices
1 tsp each celery and mustard seed (I'm gonna use 2 tbsp mustard seed cuz I like all pickles really mustard-y)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp horseradish (I'm not gonna use this cuz horseradish and me do not mix well)

Put all vegetables in a container of brine water (1/2 cup salt to 1 quart of water) Let stand over night. Drain and pack in sterilized  jars
Put vinegar,sugar and seasonings in a pot and bring to a boil, simmer 20 minutes. Pour over  vegetables in jars making sure to cover all vegetables  with liquid.  Put on sterilized lids  and water bath for 10 minutes. Store in cool dark place.  Allow 6 weeks for curing.