steam oven

This all-butter pie crust is works well for any kind of pie—sweet or savory. Blind-bake it in a two-stage bake with a hint of steam for even color and flaky layers. 

Notes: If you prefer, you can cut the butter into the flour using a food processor. Pulse until the butter forms black bean- to pea-sized pieces in the dough. Transfer to a bowl to mix in the water.

Depending on your filling, you may want to increase or decrease the baking time in the second stage. For pies with uncooked fillings, bake until deeply browned, 20 to 25 minutes. For pies with baked fillings, bake the crust until lightly brown, 15 to 20 minutes. 

Blind-Baked All-Butter Pie Crust

Cut Butter into Flour

Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and toss lightly to coat the butter pieces with flour. Use your fingers (see note) to rub and pinch the butter into the flour. The goal here is to have the butter in pieces no larger than a black bean, with some bits thoroughly incorporated into the flour. You shouldn’t see any dry bits of flour.

Add Water

Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of the water. Use a rubber spatula to stir and smear the water into the dough, pressing the dough against the side of the bowl to work in the water. If you see dry, cumbly bits in the bottom of the bowl, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. (I typically end up using between 5 and 6 tablespoons of water.) You’ll know you’ve mixed in enough water when you can pinch the dough together and it holds without crumbling.

Form and Chill

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and form into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Roll, Crimp, and Freeze

Return the dough to a lightly floured counter. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a round that is about 1/4 inch thick and is at least 1 inch wider than the edge of a 9-inch plate. Transfer to the pie plate and press into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Do not stretch the dough in this step; let it slide into place.

Trim off excess dough and crimp the edges as you’d like. Transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes.

Line Dough

Remove the dough from the freezer. Line with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrapping the foil around the crimped edge and pressing firmly into the bottom and sides of the dough. Fill to the very brim with pie weights, rice, beans, or sugar. 

First Bake

Place the pie plate on a sheet pan. Transfer to the oven and bake until the crust has set but is still pale in color, about 30 minutes.

Remove Weights

Carefully remove the pie crust from the oven. Using the foil as handles, carefully remove the pie weights. Use a fork or knife to poke several holes in the bottom of the crust. 

Second Bake

Return the pie crust to the oven and bake until it has browned to your liking, 15 to 25 minutes (see note). 

Cool

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool before using in your favorite pie recipe.

While traditional ratatouille is prepared as a vegetable stew of fried eggplant, summer squash, and peppers, this version, known as confit byaldi, is the fancier version of the dish showcased in the Disney film Ratatouille. 

This recipe is based on one by Thomas Keller, who served as a consultant to Pixar in the creation of the film. His method involves placing thinly sliced vegetables accordion-style over a pepper sauce in a round dish and baking them together in the oven. (You can plate the dish individually by using a ring mold to arrange the delicately cooked vegetables onto a plate.)

This dish usually requires a close eye to ensure perfection. But preparing this dish in the Anova Precision Oven is stress-free because you have complete control over the temperature and time. It’s a perfect way to use late summer vegetables and is great for entertaining. 

Confit Byaldi (a.k.a. The “Ratatouille” Ratatouille)

red bell peppers

0.5 of white onion, peeled

olive oil, divided

rosemary, leaves

salt and black pepper

zucchini

yellow squash

Japanese eggplants

Tbsp of sherry vinegar

parsley

Roast Vegetables

Coat the peppers, onion, and garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place on a sheet pan and transfer to the oven. Cook until the garlic has browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the garlic and continue to cook the peppers and onion until the peppers are charred, about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let sit for another 10 minutes

Make Pepper Sauce

Peel the skins from the peppers and remove and discard the stems and seeds. Transfer to a high-powered blender or food processor, along with the onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 of the tomatoes, half of the rosemary, and the thyme. Blend on high speed until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and set aside.

Blanch and Peel Tomatoes

Bring a pot of water to a boil. While the water heats, cut a small X in the bottom of the remaining 4 tomatoes.

Once the water boils, add the tomatoes and boil until the skin just begins to peel off around the X, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (The riper the tomato, the shorter the boiling time should be.) Transfer to an ice bath and let cool completely.

Once cool, remove the skin and discard.

Slice Vegetables

Using a mandoline slicer or very sharp knife, slice the peeled tomatoes, zucchini, squash, and eggplant into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Cutting the vegetables into consistent, evenly thick slices ensures that they all cook at the same rate. Place the vegetables in separate piles on a large sheet pan.

Assemble

Pour a layer of the pepper sauce across the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish or 12-inch paella pan. 

Arrange the vegetables on top by shingling a slice of eggplant with a tomato, yellow squash, and zucchini, leaving less than 1/4 inch of vegetable visible between each slice. Continue this pattern around the edge of the dish. Once the outside of the dish has been lined with vegetables, repeat another layer inside. Continue until the dish is filled with vegetables. 

Sprinkle the remaining rosemary over the vegetables, along with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil over the top.


Steam Cook

Transfer to the oven and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour.


Dry Bake

Continue to cook without steam until the vegetables are very soft and starting to brown on the top, 15 to 20 more minutes.

Make Vinaigrette

While the confit byaldi cooks, make a simple vinaigrette by whisking together the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil with the sherry vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve

Drizzle the finished confit byaldi with the vinaigrette and garnish with parsley. Serve straight from the baking dish or arrange the vegetables on individual plates using a ring mold.

Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, these baked potatoes are the kind you will want to dig into, skin and all. This recipe uses the steam function, along with the probe, to quickly cook multiple potatoes to their optimal texture. After the potatoes are tender, the oven switches to dry heat to crisp the skin.

Note: The initial baking time depends on the size of your potatoes. You can expect a medium, 8-ounce potato to take about 45 minutes to cook. A smaller, 5-ounce potato will take around 30 minutes; a larger, 12-ounce potato will take about 1 hour. 

This recipe uses a perforated pan, but if you don&apos;t have one, you can use a wire rack placed over a sheet pan.


Steam-Baked Potatoes

water

Tbsp of kosher salt

russet potatoes

1.5 Tbsp of melted duck fat or olive oil

Prepare Brine

In a medium bowl, whisk together the water and salt until the salt is dissolved.

Prepare Potatoes

Wash the potatoes and trim away any eyes. Use a fork to carefully poke the potatoes on all sides to allow steam to escape.

Dip in Brine

Add each potato, one at a time, to the brine, and roll to coat it in the water. Transfer to a perforated pan (see note).

Probe

Carefully insert the probe into the center of the largest potato.

Cook 

Transfer to the oven, attach the probe, and cook until the probe reaches its target temperature, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the potatoes.

Brush with Fat

Remove the potatoes from the oven and brush on all sides with the melted duck fat.

Crisp

Return to the oven, placing a second tray on the rack below to catch any drips. Cook until the skin is crisp, about 15 minutes after the stage begins.

Top and Serve

Slice each potato open, fluff the insides, and add butter or any other desired toppings. Serve hot.

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Blind-Baked All-Butter Pie Crust

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Steam-Baked Potatoes

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Blind-Baked All-Butter Pie Crust

Confit Byaldi (a.k.a. The “Ratatoui...

Steam-Baked Potatoes

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