It was a good luncheon. My Korean coworker didn't throw anything away this time. Basically, lunch was a strange combination of hot dogs and pie—foods that I don't normally associate with each other. But the boss was in the mood for these two things, and I am but to serve. The boss brought the dogs and some not-homemade sauerkraut; I bought the buns, and I made two pies: apple and chocolate. The boss tried both and liked them despite how deformed the chocolate pie turned out to be.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQBRCuWL_A2Orf7xxvNQtawbLiwSA4CDaWXb19C7ZFdbDRzvedNwaKT9LIr3JfRd8amJ2GnX-LmAkBkTi9xyGb5VmWuObxi3gxCG20p2rgjygrXXEwlMvq6qBLMG2x8qDFWlmrJn58vjTXUPmE5WSULuS3eLwLfyzXb0HOQCamsTCejV3GHJv/w640-h626/20230927_110913.jpg) |
Apple pie: I ate the burned part, and it was fine. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCD0kIJbqLIk8mbBPtSGFr1koGW2nJk5xSGKBGM9TnM7eDxvRZz60kd8zAOqHSJE6GDdLZmmbm3efW2jKgmdIJBJOTYoTHug_Bcdu2_IZ_zR9B2pq37fOX9pu3L-0Zjm0-HBep8akyNN8O1CVn3tAEZ1pGYnGh_-j-YY8Gq8p9WmW_zEMbBITO/w640-h434/20230927_134238.jpg) |
Small, tight buns cannot contain massive sausages. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5u8a84TAXeoYBwpoZd5YcZR9zAH9D5XI7RDiSVYsXo3GjuOIUEYc8K-T038p1TNYCjxiHgNc-11yszFxqrW0lE7T4CDhRBdezUT3CGdhMxWRGwhASCt0vvpCJGbpZ6z8Rtz8QFcQXcuReN6K5c9sjTR7NkXoLBZGoQD8I1TYWCbCbfla48oyc/w360-h640/20230927_134333.jpg) |
The chocolate pie, which should have been fridged. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhVkhsIWuj4HYWo28gdWx8fvM9tKtHZk0w1gJXlzLrnbtJ-EqsS3Rhywgkb9Y8s-1H8fJy7aBPd4NgzfZgIN-uE22y5Dx6WrEUziHeWDFdQ4gXV_B7PEOgyQYgFiKYZ_cWE6LvNFn2oe1yKxLX80xU1Ns9BeLm3iIy9aymJzuGYZRH3MuBEH0/w640-h560/20230927_142644.jpg) |
my burned-but-tasty piece of pie |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_DBGwI7NUEmLuYoWagd2EUebJ2vY5LhH7HG4RH6xQ9Ut9ckURnycBYRa_358yKitbmS9jxfOUj3Z8Mf2dfU1ApTn81W83ff9nZ_iIcoMU_8EN1xZHD2-N8Xd-j_Ozlxn9tjQsHm9P-qIFfYvkZemJ-UOYUY3DKbvVvJXQUHxLeEQ9eYIgOnG/w360-h640/20230927_143506.jpg) |
The filling caved in a bit, but not too much. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9m1GxI7MBXtHsHSNsY5O0_BWpBAivaN7yv0Ufxre7N4WfQetelsmUQkk3Js8mSWZRhCHmj0EtroUY13emTyEcKZHmcQRSgP1VL_GaFcVrKM8xY8bkLiYjDdtPo9CSQVsr61eFSmUFmebgbiBuYJHviBkulv3skqBxeFMX_gyhR5NiZC7RfFK/w360-h640/20230927_143855.jpg) |
Despite being soft and mushy, the chocolate pie held its shape after I took a slice. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszzD--kApI9ToNEu0UzIjYR2t84qzptdwwiq_mFJ6RURB8y8ANVzaaNOELXvk7tGbFYPde2ktvsfU9b5S5sMqGKBaG2WAkM858lvD8LeRi-VByAUCED6o42ScwYMzPCypg8aOosooVee5H1khbFkZF2wyT8UE_EWqSkrAzm_c-WydmsEv9Br1/w360-h640/20230927_143900.jpg) |
more or less held its shape |
I really should have refrigerated the chocolate pie until it was ready to serve. Leaving it out during the hot-dog course was a mistake: despite the four sheets of gelatine I added to bolster the magic coagulants in the sugarless pudding mix I used, the pie wasn't as firm as a panna cotta. Still, the pie tasted fine. Where it fell down was (literally) the texture. Note to self: practice chocolate pies before serving them to unwitting officemates. And maybe make the pies the classic way next time. Overall, though, the pie had the right balance of chocolates. I even used a bit of cocoa mass, which is the purest of pure chocolate, but because I added sugar and cream, the impact of the mass was blunted.
Everyone enjoyed the hot dogs; both the boss and coworker complimented the chili. As I predicted, cooking six dogs was enough: I ate three; the boss ate two, and my skinny Korean coworker ate only one. These were the pornographically huge Kirkland pork dinner franks, so my Korean coworker cut his up into three pieces.
With nothing being thrown in the garbage, I'll call this luncheon a win. I have to think of what to do for October before I leave on my long trek. I have some ideas.
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