black steel is what we chiefly need, be it French, Mexican, Chinese, or American

 high-carbon (black) steel is the best material for sauteing  and stir-frying. If heavy guage, it rivals cast iron for frying, and if lighter guage it allows all kinds of high-heat performance cooking (searing, braising, sauteeing) with a naturally non-stick seasoned finish.

Rowans lamb sausage and Dominiques red chard. Quick one-dish entrees are easily pulled together in an adequately sized saute pan. Always use the larger pan, so you can keep the heat to one side if you need to. Staging the addition of ingredients allows all components to arrive at "doneness" together, while flavors marry.

local rockfish and chinese vegetables in a light miso/black bean sauce.













grab a-hold of French black steel and you'll find it hard to let go. Crepe pans and saute pans. some Chinese woks, some Mexican comals. As at home on the campfire as they are on the range. The "two hot pans" technique for Spanish tortillas and Asian seafood pancakes, and braising kale or chard requires relatively light weight long handled steel pans. This is high performance cooking at its best!!

The pastry must be cut before the pie can be formed

   a good (and quick) pastry crust requires the "cutting in" of a fat in a chilled semi-solid state (usually butter, a butter/oil blend, lard, chicken fat, or coconut oil) into lightly salted flour (preferably chilled). Once the fat has been "cut" into pea-size flour coated granules, a little ice water can be added to encourage the dough to be manageable with minimal kneading.
   for this act of "cutting" chilled fat into flour, you will find forks very difficult, and knives next to useless. These pastry blenders, one antique American, and one contemporary German, make quick work of  preparing crust for a big batch of pies, tarts, or pasties.
 

blackberry-rhubarb tarts













pork and vegetable filled pasties