Vodka!

The youngsters took a well deserved break and were away for the weekend. I am sure a posting will be on their blog real soon now. Karen and I dropped by to look in on the cinco gatos. They were in fine fettle (fettle?) and lurked around as we ate. There was a recent issue of "Cooks Illustrated" on the table, and it offered a suggestion for battering shrimp: use vodka to make the batter.

The science behind the idea has to do with reducing the water content, thus reducing the amount of proteins formed from the wheat gluten. The note referenced an earlier article that raised the idea in an article for making pie dough. We had just come away from Wholefoods with a bunch of discount South American blackberries. It must be fate.

All in all, I am not wowed by the result. The crust is just o.k. but the kitchen smell is more medicinal than homey. Still, I have a pie, so how bad can it be?