Practice Makes Perfect

Today I made the most perfect crust ever.

It was a crust for one of the last pumpkin pies of the season. I didn't change any proportions or use any different ingredients or leave anything out, so my technique must be improving. In fact, the pie itself appears to have come out perfect as well. This one didn't crack or get too dark around the edges or overflow, and looks like it could be on the cover of Fine Cooking. But that's not the most exciting part.

The best part was what I did with the extra crust. I normally make cinnamon rolls with it, and they normally come out good. I again made cinnamon rolls, but only with half the dough. With the other half I experimented, starting with the dough and my homemade peach butter which I canned last summer. When finished, I sat Gerard down and served the results with tall glasses of raw milk. By his reaction I knew I had really scored with this one. The crust, I kid you not, was as buttery and flaky as any good croissant, and it was filled with hot peaches. "You have to teach me how to make this crust," he said. Unfortunately it disappeared before I thought to get any pictures, but I did give it a name: Everything's Peachy.

The cinnamon rolls, pictured above, will be breakfast tomorrow. With this crust I'm expecting them to reach new heights of tastiness.