Adaptations: for us, for unicorns, for pie
Hello out there!
Happy high days of gourd season to you. I didn’t write on Tuesday because I had a birthday cake to bake and it turns out writing a newsletter once a week is enough. I’m still figuring out what Care & Feeding should look like, and how to get there.
PART ONE:
How to get there, hmmm. I’ve been wobbling along on my path lately, but the thing that puts my feet back on the ground is shifting my focus away from the end goal and toward the thing that’s working right now.
Because as we know, change happens/we adapt, and I think adaptation is simpler when we’re focused on the things that are working, and changing up the things that aren’t. To borrow something my friend Heather wrote recently about opening her new business, push the thing that moves.
When things are working, we’re more in the flow, more readily open to change and adaptation. Like water.
It’s simple, really. In theory.
PART TWO:
In honor of gourd season, I made a list of things I’d like to squash:
Any VC-backed company labeled a unicorn. It’s just not working out, guys.
A value system that says it’s cool for the WeWork guy to walk off with almost $2 billion while his workers lose their jobs and see their shares in the company evaporate.
Amazon’s oversized “flywheel” that moves too fast to vet last-mile delivery drivers or factory safety.
And because I know rage needs a counterpoint, I’m also imagining how we could adapt our systems and institutions to better care for and serve ordinary people in this world. So I also made a list of some intriguing adaptations that might move us in a better direction:
Zebras over unicorns.
Shareholders and stakeholders, unite (toward a more humane version of capitalism - I’m skeptical but still).
The bubbling up of B-Corps, fully vetted supply chains, and unions.
PART 3:
I baked an apple pie earlier this week and I didn’t measure anything that went into the filling. It was perfect and I felt like Hestia, the original domestic goddess. Pie is a simple thing that radiates joy, and you should make one.
I did measure for the crust - the recipe I always use is from Bon Appetit and calls for:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 sticks plus two tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Mix the dry ingredients together, then use your fingertips to work the butter in until the mixture resembles a pile of loose, pebbly sand. Mix the apple cider vinegar with 3 tablespoons ice water and drizzle over the top of the flour mix. Run your fingers through the mixture until liquid is absorbed and then empty onto a clean work surface. Gather together and knead lightly until the dough comes together. You should be able to see chunks and flakes of butter suspended in the dough.
If you need a little more liquid to get the mixture to come together, drizzle on a bit at a time. Don’t overwork the dough - you want it to come together, not be too dry, but not get warm or overly pliant. Divide into two chunks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (but I like to do it a few days ahead - the dough rests and hydrates, and it also breaks up the pie labor, which makes the process feel easier).
FILLING: It’s adaptable! I like:
Fat chunks of peeled apple, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, grated fresh ginger, lemon, vanilla, and a little bit of flour to hold it all together. I also often add cranberries because they add a tart counterpoint, a pretty color, and some additional pectin to thicken the juices.
Here’s a good recipe (with images for how dough should look)- but also: play! The only rules are that you need to sweeten the fruit (sugar of some kind), amp up its flavor (spices, citrus), thicken the juices (flour or cornstarch), and cook the pie thoroughly - (at least an hour if not longer - use your nose and eyes). Then you need to let it cool - and this is the hard part - for like 2-4 hours or more. I cooled mine overnight, and my people ate it for breakfast. Here’s another good recipe.
Have fun!
Yours in adaptation,
Leigh
XO
PS: Speaking of a vetted supply chain, if you’re looking for a Halloween candy that doesn’t rely on child slave labor, here’s one.