Writing this from the precipice that is the election. How have you been taking care of yourself this week?
Writing | In Progress
Excited to say I have a short photo-essay up in the #BLM section with The Universal Asian. Also I have a new blog post up about election feelings (also cake!)
On Sunday, I’ll be participating in the trans-Atlantic Cultivating Voices post-election open mic from 12pm-2pm PST. Though the open mic is watchable on Facebook Live, you do have to “join” the Facebook group to watch..because the Internet has a lot of trolls, and not the creepy but fun dolls with the ridiculous upcombed hair.
Kitchen Kernels
What actually happens when you develop a recipe - the sides of your pie crust slump because of an inelegant pan landing. See also: your cat will think he’s quite cleverly hidden behind a curtain, and that no one could possibly realize he’s there. The pie crust in this photo is actually a gluten-free recipe I developed for cookbook author Jeffrey Larsen’s recipe development class in September. The following recipe is the base recipe of that:
Pie crust
Yields 1 shell to line a 9” pie pan. Double the recipe for a pie shell bottom AND a lid.
170 grams (about 1 and 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
113 grams (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, in small, even 1/2 inch cubes
57 grams (about 2 tablespoons) half ice cold water and half apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (omit if for a savory pie)
A pinch of kosher salt
Measure flour and butter into the same bowl. Working quickly, pinch the butter cubes into the flour - not so hard the butter breaks, but enough so that the butter feels feathery and resembles little ears. You want some visibility of the butter, since those pockets produce the desirable flakiness.
Evenly sprinkle the cold liquid mixture over the flour mix. With your hand in a claw shape, rake your hand through the flour, distributing the moisture. The flour mixture will start to turn shaggy, resembling damp hair. If it’s dry and powdery, you may need to add more ice cold water, a teaspoon or so at a time. Keep in mind that the dough will hydrate as it chills, so don’t add too much liquid. The dough should eventually come together. Cut a square of plastic wrap and dump the dough onto the plastic. Using the corners of the wrap, gather the dough into a round disk.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling out as directed in your recipe, or freeze up to 3 months. It’s also possible to roll out and crimp your pie crust ahead of time and freeze.
I’ve had success subbing some of the flour for matcha. Cocoa powder, beet powder, etc. could produce some interesting pie doughs! You can also of course sub the butter for Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
Kitty Kernels
Nezu, like all the other cats, is anxiously awaiting the results of the election. In the meantime, she’s tuning in to the kitty-version of the Calm app (which is certainly just a soundtrack of wet food cans and treat bags opening), watching the leaves fall from the walnut tree, and stealing warmth from her brother. Lately, she’ll even sleep at my feet - until she gets annoyed that the silly humans move around too much.
How I’m Surviving Current Events
Attending
Ballot Curing | virtual : This volunteer-curated Google Doc has links to volunteering with post-election ballot curing - helping voters correct rejected ballots (due to mismatching signatures, etc.) The deadlines vary by state, but there’s still shifts available for Arizona and California for sure.
Creative Voices: Composing for Racial Justice | Tuesday, November 17th @ 5:30pm PST: “Samora Pinderhughes & Marcus Shelby join in dialogue about their music and its role in community—inspiring action and cultivating well being.” One of the most interesting pieces Marcus Shelby produced so far is a suite of music responding to the prison industrial complex. I know the moderator for this, so I’m excited to see where the conversation goes.
Reading
Madness by sam sax: I know sam from the poetry/slam/open mic scene in the Bay Area, but more specifically one that was in a literal underground basement in the Mission that has since shuttered. Since then, he put out this debut poetry collection as well as a few more books, and has been published in the The New York Times Magazine and plenty of other exciting places. Also important - he encouraged me to keep being creative.