Well, pastry will sure test your kitchen mojo.

Do you ever read Cook's Illustrated? They had a pie crust recipe that's pretty ingenious - uses vodka as part of the liquid. Why? Water + flour = gluten = tough crust. Alcohol & flour doesn't create gluten, so you get more liquid into the dough, making it easier to handle & roll out, without making it tough.

Probably the sickest thing I've done with c- butter was puff pastry. & even then I didn't go the whole hog, I made the blitz puff pastry (pate feuilletee rapide).

Tell you something for free: making puff pastry is an acquired skill...

Funny - I got started cooking on Indian food too...