Name: Sour Cream Pastry Dough
Yield: Makes enough pastry dough to wrap a 5-pound beef tenderloin roast
Ingredients: 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) cold unsalted butter; 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 1/4 cups well-chilled sour cream; 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

The amount of water necessary to make pastry dough is likely to change slightly from time to time, depending on variables such as humidity and the moisture content of your butter and even, believe it or not, your flour.

This recipe is used to prepare Beef En Croûte with Coriander Walnut Filling.

Recipe notes

Grape Dumplings

Native American people made these with cornmeal dumplings, simmering them with wild grapes, which were harvested at their peak sweetness.

Île Flottante

Originally called omelette à la neige (snow omelet) in reference to the fluffy snow-like appearance of the meringue, île flottante (floating island) has a lengthy history that dates back to the 17th century.

Palets Bretons

Palets bretons are oversize cookies that feature butter, and because they’re from Brittany, they’re traditionally made with beurre salé, salted butter.

Béchamel Sauce

This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.

Jammy Grape Galette

We don’t bake with grapes as often as we should. But even the most average supermarket varieties come alive when roasted with a bit of sugar and seasoning.

Wampanoaug Clam Fritters

The clams’ natural briny sweetness serves as a surprising foil for the tender fritter batter—just be sure to pull off the tough outer coating of the siphon.

Homemade Whipped Cream

Fluffier, fresher, and fancier than anything from a tub or can.

Mississippi Mud Cake

This cake was created from thrift and was supposedly named after its appearance, which reminded people of the muddy Mississippi River bottom.