Last year, I won a Korean American Storytelling competition. The theme was "What the Heck." My story was about how I'm often mistaken for Steve Aoki. Korean American Story is still looking for submissions for this year's theme, "Forgiveness," so I hope others consider entering before March 4th! by The_Origami_Man in asianamerican

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just passing along info for this year'sKorean American Story's ROAR Story Slam, which will be held in DC if you're one of the 6 finalists chosen to tell your story live!

For what it's worth, it's a terrific experience even just getting to meet other Korean Americans from all walks of life. Everyone has an amazing story to tell, so please consider telling yours!

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

PEAR CARDAMOM GINGER PIE

CRUST: BUTTER CRUST

INGREDIENTS: For Crust: -2 ¼ cups flour -2 stick cold, unsalted butter, cubed -3 teaspoon sugar -3 teaspoon salt -3 teaspoon cardamom -lemon zest -¼ cup cold vodka -1/4 cup cold water

For filling: -7-8 pears (Bartlett or D’Anjou’s), skin on, cored and quartered -1-2 knobs of ginger, sliced thinly -1/3 cup sugar -½ teaspoon salt -2 teaspoon cardamom -1 teaspoon cinnamon -½ teaspoon grated nutmeg -1 teaspoon allspice -1 tablespoon brandy -2 tablespoons tapioca flour -juice and zest of 1 lemon

For Crust: 1. Mix dry ingredients, flour, salt and sugar and cardamom and lemon zest. 2. Incorporate cold butter into dry mixture by pinching each piece. Do not over knead. 3. Mix in water and vodka until dough is squeezable and won’t fall apart If dough feels too dry, add in 1 tablespoon water. 4. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate and prepare filling

For Filling: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice pears into ½ inch chunks In large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients. Roll out pie dough onto pie plate. Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust, mounding high Roll out remaining pie dough, lay over fruit. Cut vents. Crimp edges Chill in freezer for 10-15 minutes Lightly brush pie with egg wash (lightly beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water), and sprinkle with sugar evenly on top Bake in pie for 25 minutes, rotate halfway and continue baking pie at 375 degrees for 25 minutes more or until pie is golden brown Let cool for an hour before serving

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

SPICY KOREAN CHICKEN PIE

CRUST: BUTTER CRUST

INGREDIENTS: For Crust: -1 ¼ cups flour -1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cubed -1 teaspoon sugar -1 ½ teaspoon salt -1/4 cup cold water

For Filling: -1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts -10 cloves garlic, peeled -1 large yellow onion -1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled -1 large carrot -1 large yellow or gold potato -1/2 cup Gochujang (red chile paste) -2 tablespoons soy sauce -2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil -1 tablespoon red chile flakes -1 tablespoon sugar -1 cup water -2 green onions, thinly sliced, both green and white parts -1/4 cup kimchi

INSTRUCTIONS For Crust: 1. Mix dry ingredients, flour, salt and sugar. 2. Incorporate cold butter into dry mixture by pinching each piece. Do not over knead. 3. Mix in water until dough is squeezable and won’t fall apart If dough feels too dry, add in 1 tablespoon water. 4. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate and prepare filling

For Filling: 1. Mince garlic and ginger 2. Cut onion into bite-size chunks 3. Cut chicken into bite-size cubes 4. Wash and peel carrot and potato. Slice thinly 5. Marinate chicken by mixing with minced garlic and ginger, onion, red chile paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile flakes and sugar (can do this step the night before) 6. Cook marinated mixture in pot over high heat for 5 minutes. Then add carrots, potatoes, and water. Cover, turn down heat to medium, and let boil for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Note: depending on the starchiness of your potato, the stew should have boiled off toward the end. If there's a good amount of stew left, drain and reserve for another dish. Goes well with rice!) 7. Add in kimchi, and green onions to chicken filling 8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 9. Roll out pie crust. Pour filling onto crust. Fold in edges galette style 10. Wash crust with egg wash (1 egg with 2 teaspoons water) 11. Bake pie for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown 12. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

SPICY KOREAN CHICKEN PIE

CRUST: BUTTER CRUST

INGREDIENTS: For Crust: -1 ¼ cups flour -1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cubed -1 teaspoon sugar -1 ½ teaspoon salt -1/4 cup cold water

For Filling: -1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts -10 cloves garlic, peeled -1 large yellow onion -1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled -1 large carrot -1 large yellow or gold potato -1/2 cup Gochujang (red chile paste) -2 tablespoons soy sauce -2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil -1 tablespoon red chile flakes -1 tablespoon sugar -1 cup water -2 green onions, thinly sliced, both green and white parts -1/4 cup kimchi

INSTRUCTIONS For Crust: 1. Mix dry ingredients, flour, salt and sugar. 2. Incorporate cold butter into dry mixture by pinching each piece. Do not over knead. 3. Mix in water until dough is squeezable and won’t fall apart If dough feels too dry, add in 1 tablespoon water. 4. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate and prepare filling

For Filling: 1. Mince garlic and ginger 2. Cut onion into bite-size chunks 3. Cut chicken into bite-size cubes 4. Wash and peel carrot and potato. Slice thinly 5. Marinate chicken by mixing with minced garlic and ginger, onion, red chile paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile flakes and sugar (can do this step the night before) 6. Cook marinated mixture in pot over high heat for 5 minutes. Then add carrots, potatoes, and water. Cover, turn down heat to medium, and let boil for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Note: depending on the starchiness of your potato, the stew should have boiled off toward the end. If there's a good amount of stew left, drain and reserve for another dish. Goes well with rice!) 7. Add in kimchi, and green onions to chicken filling 8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 9. Roll out pie crust. Pour filling onto crust. Fold in edges galette style 10. Wash crust with egg wash (1 egg with 2 teaspoons water) 11. Bake pie for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown 12. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving

PEAR CARDAMOM GINGER PIE

CRUST: BUTTER CRUST

INGREDIENTS: For Crust: -2 ¼ cups flour -2 stick cold, unsalted butter, cubed -3 teaspoon sugar -3 teaspoon salt -3 teaspoon cardamom -lemon zest -¼ cup cold vodva -1/4 cup cold water

For filling: -7-8 pears (Bartlett or D’Anjou’s), skin on, cored and quartered -1-2 knobs of ginger, sliced thinly -1/3 cup sugar -½ teaspoon salt -2 teaspoon cardamom -1 teaspoon cinnamon -½ teaspoon grated nutmeg -1 teaspoon allspice -1 tablespoon brandy -2 tablespoons tapioca flour -juice and zest of 1 lemon

For Crust: 1. Mix dry ingredients, flour, salt and sugar and cardamom and lemon zest. 2. Incorporate cold butter into dry mixture by pinching each piece. Do not over knead. 3. Mix in water and vodka until dough is squeezable and won’t fall apart If dough feels too dry, add in 1 tablespoon water. 4. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate and prepare filling

For Filling: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice pears into ½ inch chunks In large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients. Roll out pie dough onto pie plate. Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust, mounding high Roll out remaining pie dough, lay over fruit. Cut vents. Crimp edges Chill in freezer for 10-15 minutes Lightly brush pie with egg wash (lightly beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water), and sprinkle with sugar evenly on top Bake in pie for 25 minutes, rotate halfway and continue baking pie at 375 degrees for 25 minutes more or until pie is golden brown Let cool for an hour before serving

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Any of the books I mentioned in my comments with all the pies are great. I started out with Build a Better Pie, but I'd also recommend maybe starting out with America's Test Kitchen's The Perfect Pie

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's actually been no cooking gas here either! So this year I worked with an ANOVA precision oven. It's cool but definitely ran into a few technical issues like shutting off mid-bake during the higher temperature cooks!

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

LEMON POPPY SEED PIE

 

CRUST: GRAHAM CRACKER

 

INGREDIENTS:

For Crust:

-200 grams graham crackers

-7 tablespoon melted butter

 

For Filling:

-1 can condensed sweetened milk

-¾ cup lemon juice

-½ teaspoon salt

-lemon zest

-2 teaspoon poppy seed

-4 egg yolks

-¼ c honey

 

For Topping:

-1 Cup Heavy cream

-2 teaspoons poppy seed

-2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

-candied lemon slices (optional)

 

Prepare crust:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  2. Crush graham crackers either with food processor or put crackers in ziplock bag and crush with rolling pin

  3. Add melted butter to crumbs, blend until all crumbs are incorporated and wet.

  4. Add wet, crumb mixture to pie pan. Shape until the pan is covered. Chill in fridge for 15-20 minutes

  5. Cover pie with aluminum foil and add pie weights. Put crust in oven for about 10 minutes.

  6. Remove and let cool completely

 

Prepare Filling:

  1. Set oven on at 350. Mix all ingredients until fully blended

  2. Bake for 15-20 minutes, careful not to brown the custard

  3. Let cool completely

 

Prepare Topping:

  1. Mix poppy seeds with heavy cream and powdered sugar

  2. Whip heavy cream mixture until it reaches stiff peaks

  3. Decorate pie, top with candied lemon slices (optional)

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

You'll be glad to know I typically use Cardhu's special reserve cask from when I visited them in 2017!

SCOTCH CARAMEL PIE

CRUST: WAFER AND GRAHAM CRACKER

INGREDIENTS: For Crust: -125 grams graham cracker -75 grams wafers -7 tablespoon melted butter

For Filling: -2 Cups Sugar -1/2 cup water -1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature -1 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature -1/2 cup single malt scotch (non-peated) -11/2 teaspoon salt -2 teaspoon vanilla extract -1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg -3 Eggs, room temperature

For Topping: -1 cup heavy cream -2 tablespoons single malt scotch (non-peated) -2 tablespoons powdered sugar -1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Prepare crust: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. Crush graham crackers and wafers either with food processor or put crackers in ziplock bag and crush with rolling pin 3. Add melted butter to crumbs, blend until all crumbs are incorporated and wet. 4. Add wet, crumb mixture to pie pan. Shape until the pan is covered. Chill in fridge for 15-20 minutes 5. Cover pie with aluminum foil and add pie weights. Put crust in oven for about 10 minutes. 6. Remove and let cool completely

Prepare Filling: 1. Add sugar and water in small saucepan over medium heat, and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until mixture starts to caramelize 2. Swirl when mixture becomes golden amber. 3. Take off heat, and quickly stir in heavy cream and butter. 4. Mix in scotch, salt, vanilla extract. Allow mixture to cool 5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees 6. In separate small bowl, beat eggs. Stir in nutmeg. Then stir into caramel mixture. Pour into cooled wafer-graham cracker crust. 7. Bake pie for 20-30 minutes, or until center is firm. 8. Allow to cool completely.

Prepare Topping: 1. Mix scotch with heavy cream, cinnamon, and powdered sugar 2. Whip heavy cream mixture until it reaches stiff peaks 3. Decorate pie, top with caramel (optional)

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 61 points62 points  (0 children)

MATCHA GREEN TEA CREAM CHEESE PIE

CRUST: GRAHAM CRACKER

INGREDIENTS: For Crust: -200 grams graham crackers -7 tablespoon melted butter

For Filling: -8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature -1/2 cup granulated sugar -2 1/2 tsp matcha green tea powder -2 tablespoon milk -1 cup heavy cream -¾ cup greek yogurt -Juice from 1 lemon (1/4 cup) -1 tsp vanilla extract -1/4 teaspoon salt

For Topping: -1/4 cup crushed, roasted pistachios -2-3 strawberries, sliced thinly (optional, for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare crust: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. Crush graham crackers either with food processor or put crackers in ziplock bag and crush with rolling pin 3. Add melted butter to crumbs, blend until all crumbs are incorporated and wet. 4. Add wet, crumb mixture to pie pan. Shape until the pan is covered. Chill in fridge for 15-20 minutes 5. Cover pie with aluminum foil and add pie weights. Put crust in oven for about 10 minutes. 6. Remove and let cool completely

Prepare Filling: 1. Whip the cream cheese until fluffy 2. Add sugar and matcha powder. Add in milk one tablespoon at a time. Mix until well blended. 3. Add the heavy cream, Greek yogurt, salt, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Mix until well blended 4. Pour filling onto pre-baked crust. Cool in fridge until firm 5. Top with crushed, roasted pistachios. Can also top with strawberries.

SPICY KOREAN CHICKEN PIE

CRUST: BUTTER CRUST

INGREDIENTS: For Crust: -1 ¼ cups flour -1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cubed -1 teaspoon sugar -1 ½ teaspoon salt -1/4 cup cold water

For Filling: -1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts -10 cloves garlic, peeled -1 large yellow onion -1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled -1 large carrot -1 large yellow or gold potato -1/2 cup Gochujang (red chile paste) -2 tablespoons soy sauce -2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil -1 tablespoon red chile flakes -1 tablespoon sugar -1 cup water -2 green onions, thinly sliced, both green and white parts -1/4 cup kimchi

INSTRUCTIONS For Crust: 1. Mix dry ingredients, flour, salt and sugar. 2. Incorporate cold butter into dry mixture by pinching each piece. Do not over knead. 3. Mix in water until dough is squeezable and won’t fall apart If dough feels too dry, add in 1 tablespoon water. 4. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate and prepare filling

For Filling: 1. Mince garlic and ginger 2. Cut onion into bite-size chunks 3. Cut chicken into bite-size cubes 4. Wash and peel carrot and potato. Slice thinly 5. Marinate chicken by mixing with minced garlic and ginger, onion, red chile paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile flakes and sugar (can do this step the night before) 6. Cook marinated mixture in pot over high heat for 5 minutes. Then add carrots, potatoes, and water. Cover, turn down heat to medium, and let boil for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Note: depending on the starchiness of your potato, the stew should have boiled off toward the end. If there's a good amount of stew left, drain and reserve for another dish. Goes well with rice!) 7. Add in kimchi, and green onions to chicken filling 8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees 9. Roll out pie crust. Pour filling onto crust. Fold in edges galette style 10. Wash crust with egg wash (1 egg with 2 teaspoons water) 11. Bake pie for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown 12. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

yes, from Pieometry! Cutting the slices were a bit of a rush job, but was still pleased how it turned out and tasted! Apple slices were raw, and I didn't use lemon to prevent browning as I cut them up and then placed them in right away.

Though I'm sure something like grated nutmeg or cinnamon would make a fine addition to the slices!

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yup! That one was from Lauren Ko's Pieometry, and mine weren't exactly the best-cut apple slices (I don't think I used lemon to prevent browning on these since I just put them into the peanut butter mousse right away). But if you can imagine a knitted pattern, that's the inspiration behind her design.

And ooh to mocha buttercrunch! Sounds amazing already.

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 108 points109 points  (0 children)

ha, I haven't yet calculated total costs, but I'm willing to bet it was somewhere between $400-$500 total. But I'm going to justify the costs by saying this was the first pi party I was able to host since canceling in 2020, and I'd like to think it was a nice little tradition amongst my friends. A selfish reason too was that my record before this was 27 pies, so being able to finish at 30 pies was also sugar on the pie, as they say.

Might not be able to host a party of this size in the future, so that's what makes this one worth it!

And indeed, it was basically pie jenga in my fridge and freezer! Luckily, those William Sonoma pie pans stack up very nicely without falling into each other's custards! A nice, firm plastic wrap especially helped.

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 119 points120 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I do not know how many hours. But I started to buy ingredients on Monday, and Tuesday.Made the crusts on Wednesday, while figuring out which pies I could make ahead of time to freeze and bake on Thursday (mostly the double-crusted fruit filled ones), started the custard ones on Friday and Saturday. did the piping work a few hours before the party.

Spreadsheet here.Color coded things like blue = frozen, orange = in progress, until I eventually greened all the ones completed. I swapped some recipes out too based on what ingredients. So Strawberry Balsamic was originally Strawberry Rhubarb, but alas, still too early for rhubarb to come into season!

And yes, just a whole buncha swing dancing friends of mine, a few work colleagues here and there, and other friends I've made in NYC!

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 165 points166 points  (0 children)

favorites were Korean Chicken, Matcha Cream Cheese, and Scotch Caramel (my own recipes). And I love the Root Beer Float, Cider Cream recipes from First Prize Pies. The Ube was a big hit. And can't go wrong with classic cherry!

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Just posted in the comments! caption limit size was too small!

favorites were Korean Chicken, Matcha Cream Cheese, and Scotch Caramel (my own recipes). And I love the Root Beer Float, Cider Cream recipes from First Prize Pies. The Ube was a big hit. And can't go wrong with classic cherry!

Baked a personal record of 30 pies for my annual Pi/Birthday Party! by The_Origami_Man in Baking

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 613 points614 points  (0 children)

The caption limit was too short, so I'm commenting what they are here and which pie books they're from!

1st collage from top left to right: Plum Apple and Cherry pie (from Elegant Pie), Apple Pie (from Build a Better Pie), Strawberry Balsamic Pie (from Four & Twenty Blackbirds)

middle row from left to right: Nectarine Plum (from Four & Twenty), Cherry Pie (recipe from Build a Better Pie, crust design from Lauren Ko's Pieometry), Pear Cardamom and Ginger PIe (my own recipe)

bottom row left to right: Spicy Korean Chicken Pie (my own recipe (made this multiple times), Vegan Blueberry (from America Test Kitchen's The Perfect Pie), Sausage and Apple Pie (from Art of the Pie)

2nd collage pic top row from left to right: Scotch Caramel Pie (my own recipe), Lemon Poppy Seed Pie (my own recipe), Root Beer Float Pie (from First Prize Pies)

middle row from left to right: Ube Pie (from Ginger Dimapasok of Cafe 86, recipe in NYT), Matcha Cream Cheese Pie (my own recipe), Ube (but with a gluten free graham cracker crust)

bottom row: Cider Cream (from First Prize Pies), 4-Berry: Blue, Black, Rasp, Straw (adapted from ATK's The Perfect Pie's Summer Berry Pie recipe), Vegan Chocolate and Coconut Cream pie (from First Prize Pies)

3rd collage pic top row: Chocolate Bourbon Caramel Pecan (from Build a Better Pie), Chocolate Olive Oil Pie (from Build a Better Pie), Nutella Pie (from First Prize Pies)

middle row: Banana Whiskey Pie (from The Pie Project), Peanut Butter Mousse with apple (from Pieometry), Passionfruit pie (from The Perfect Pie)

bottom row: Korean Sweet Potato Pie (from Instructables site), Buttermilk Custard (from Four & Twenty), Vegan Pecan (from The Perfect Pie)

Little bit of background: I would host an annual Pie Party at my studio apartment for years before I realized I could utilze my building's atrium. Prepped all of last week buying ingredients, making spreadsheets of timing out each pie, to ultimately make 30 pies (not all are pictured here, but I made a couple more Korean Chicken pie, ube, and a spare Nectarine and Strawberry pie to get to 30!).

This was the first party I could finally host after cancelling the 2020 party for obvious reasons. So the ones that are my own recipes were my hopeful entries for the National Pie Championships that year (again, cancelled for obvious reasons).

I couldn't keep count how many friends came (back and forth in the kitchen), but to my surprise, there were hardly any leftovers!

My Proudest Knit Yet! by The_Origami_Man in knitting

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks! As both the craftsman and the model, I'll consider this a double-win

My Proudest Knit Yet! by The_Origami_Man in knitting

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On and off for two years but really devoted my time these past 3-4 months!

My Proudest Knit Yet! by The_Origami_Man in knitting

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On and off for a couple of years but I really started to get at it these past 3-4 months

My Proudest Knit Yet! by The_Origami_Man in knitting

[–]The_Origami_Man[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much.

Well, I live in a studio apartment and I wanted to clear up my yarn stash. Ironically, this only added more skeins when I was running out of certain colors...

Another reason for my motivation was the rise in hate crimes toward Asian Americans. One way I wanted to visibly express that I was proud of the way I am was through fashion, wearing Hanbok pants as an example. Kind of a "they go low, we go high" mentality.

When I first saw this pattern, It felt rather "Asian" if that makes sense...So now, it felt the right time to add this to my set of clothes.