The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten

I just pulled a blueberry pie out of the oven. Glossy, bubbling blueberry juice is peeking through the vents in the golden brown crust. I can’t wait to taste it, but as I always am when trying a recipe for the first time, I’m terrified. I shouldn’t be. This recipe is from Jeffrey Steingarten’s book, The Man Who Ate Everything.

Like It Must’ve Been Something I Ate, this book is a compilation of Steingarten’s articles as the food writer for Vogue Magazine. In the introduction, he explains how he switched careers from being a lawyer to being a food writer, and his six-step plan to eliminate all his food phobias in preparation for his new job is both hilarious and inspiring. Down with food phobias!

Of course, all the articles in this volume are infused with Steingarten’s wit and self-deprecating humor, and packed with information about every type of food. The last chapter is entitled, “Pies From Paradise.” Naturally, Steingarten’s objective was to perfect the pie crust, the holy grail of baking. He enlisted the aid of pie expert Marion Cunningham (who happens to live in the same city as I do).

Amazingly, Marion Cunningham breaks just about every rule for making pie crust that you’ve ever seen. The shortening is not chilled, she doesn’t use a pastry cutter or machine—she gets her hands right into the dough. She uses plenty of water, and doesn’t chill the dough before rolling it out. And she can complete the whole process in ten minutes.

After years of my own pie-dough travails, Last ThanksgivingI decided to try her unorthodox method, which Steingarten elucidates in great detail. From step #5:

“First scoop the fingers of both hands down along the sides and bottom of the bowl under the flour, and lift them several inches above the rim of the bowl, with a pile of flour and one large chunk of fat in each. Holding your fingers slightly open, lightly rub your thumbs back and forth across your fingertips, about three times, in order to break up the large chunks of fat into pieces the size of small olives while coating them with flour.”

There are twenty equally detailed steps.

That day, I made an apple pie that was the most delicious I have ever tasted. Even after everyone was stuffed with turkey, there was not a crumb of apple pie left over. (Usually I eat leftover pie for breakfast for the next few days.) Not only is the crust truly perfect, but the apple filling that Steingarten recommends is fantastic. The key? No cinnamon! Using just a drop of vanilla extract, the true flavor of the apples comes through, not an overpowering taste of cinnamon. Truly delicious.

This afternoon, we are heading to my parent’s house for a barbeque. I am in charge of bringing salad and dessert. Since it is the peak of blueberry season right now, and I do love blueberries, I decided to make a blueberry pie. It certainly looks perfect. I hope it tastes as good as it looks.

The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten

tags: books book reviews food writing cookbooks blueberry pie apple pie Jeffrey Steingarten