Whether you're spearheading the entire feast or just bringing dessert, one thing's for sure: You don't want to fudge up everyone's last bite, the pie. You skip the store-bought stuff in an attempt to make your own from scratch, but the dough won't stop breaking apart when you try to roll it out. What should you do? If the pastry is crumbly and difficult to roll, then the crust is most likely too Read more

Thanks to your encouraging words, this Summer, I've made it a goal to officially get over my fear of dough. I'm following ticamorena's advice, she says, "it's more about experience." Since practice makes perfect, I'm taking every opportunity I can to make dishes that involve dough. I made grilled pizzas, blueberry pie, and last weekend, this peach pie. Although I prefer pies with a lattice on Read more

PartySugar keeps puff pastry in her freezer; it comes in handy when she's looking for an easy appetizer to pull together at the 11th hour. But what exactly is puff pastry, and what differentiates this dough from others? Puff pastry originated in the 15th century in France, where it's known as pâte feuilletée, or "leafed pastry," a reference to the dough's countless flaky layers. Although its Read more

There are some dishes that I'm absolutely terrified of making at home. They're scary because I'm afraid of failing. Dough (pizza, bread, pie, etc.) has always been very intimidating to me. However, I'm taking baby steps, like mastering pie dough, to overcome this fear. One recipe that I'm totally intimidated by, and not ready to face, is Boston cream pie. I made it years ago and it was a total Read more

Anytime I bake a recipe that requires the rolling of dough (pizza, pie, cracker, etc.), I get a little scared. What can I say? Dough is intimidating. That's why, whenever I can make it easier on myself, I do! Many recipes will have you place the rolled, ready-to-be-baked dough on parchment paper. When this happens, I recommend rolling the dough out directly on the parchment paper. None of the Read more