I love getting into the theme of things and with St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, I thought a pie featuring Irish Cream liqueur would be magically delicious. Besides, the bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream given to me as a Christmas gift really ought to get used. This recipe calls for whipped cream and marshmallows infused with a hearty dousing of the liqueur. The fluffy concoction is then piled high into a chocolate pastry crust. Trust me, one bite and you'll be doing a jig.
My last several pies have featured cream as an ingredient, and heavily so. I promise I will eventually highlight fruit pies and nut pies. All I know is that ten pies into my fifty pie resolution, I am three pounds heavier. At the rate I'm going, I'll be as big as Santa Claus by December, barely able to do the jig but definitely doing the jiggle.
In keeping with the St. Patty's Day theme, I have penned a limerick just for ye fine lads and bonnie lasses. Don some green garb, boost your spirits with a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream, and recite in your thickest Irish brogue. Oh, and make sure to fit in a wee bit of exercise as you partake in more pies.
It's fun to bake fifty big pies
But one thing I strongly advise
Take care as you sample
The slices are ample
They'll end on your hips and thighs
Chocolate Pastry Crust:
This crust is super easy made in a food processor. I got great results; flaky and flavorful!
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold stick butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons cold water
In a food processor, combine flour, cocoa, and sugar. Process until well blended, about 15 to 20 seconds. Add butter, turn machine (pulse) quickly on and off until mixture is in fine crumbs. With machine on, add vanilla and cold water, one tablespoon at a time. Process just until dough forms ball. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and flatten into a round disc. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Roll out dough in a 12-inch circle on wax paper. Ease gently into a lightly greased 9-inch pie pan. Trim and flute edge. Prick with fork at 1/2 inch intervals. Freeze 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool before filling.
Filling:
2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Irish Cream liqueur
1 (1/4 oz.) package unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
Cocoa powder for garnish (optional)
Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Slowly add milk and liqueur to cheese mixture. Sprinkle gelatin on warm water; set aside 5 minutes to soften. Heat on stove or microwave until gelatin dissolves. Add dissolved gelatin to cream cheese mixture. Fold whipped cream into mixture. Pour filling into prepared crust and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Sift cocoa powder on top of pie, if desired. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
"You like pie? I like pie."
That's a quote from Barack Obama, and although I admit I don't see eye to eye with our current president, we at least see pie to pie.
Coincidentally, President's Day just passed and I cannot tell a lie. I did not make a cherry pie in honor of George Washington and his proverbial cherry tree. But I did plan another pie social to share my most recent pie recipes. My guest list is varied and perhaps a bit politically charged. Our town's House Representative and his wife are invited and a couple of other friends on the opposite side of the political spectrum are included as well. If I "left" them off the guest list, would that be "right"? My debate-loving husband wouldn't want a bunch of ditto-heads in the same room. How boring would that be, and for heaven's sake, the whole house might tip "right" over! But will mixing pie and politics be a recipe for disaster?
I think if we put a conservative lid on our opinions and add a liberal dose of friendship and understanding, we might discover that pies can be the ties that bind. Pie could very well be the mediating force between the right and the left where we all meet in the middle. And let's be as honest as Abe here, too. We'll all probably expand in the middle as well!
Speaking of presidents and politics, I found an interesting tidbit about John Tyler, our 10th president. A pie was named after him. Tyler Pie has its heritage in the south and its few simple ingredients create a smooth caramel pudding encased in a pastry crust. President Tyler loved pudding and this economical recipe was often served to his fourteen children. I am warmed by the thought of his large family gathered around the dinner table, forks clanging, conversation buzzing, and slices of pie nourishing both bodies and souls of a tight-knit family.
One hundred and forty years later, Ronald Reagan hearkened back to the power of family gatherings and said, "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." A major part of my 50 pie resolution is to open my home and share my pies with friends. My nest is empty now and somehow life has gotten too hectic. I always seem too busy to entertain, to share the gift of hospitality. But my pies could open the door to more social times with long neglected friends who perhaps are victims themselves of busy schedules that prevent them from connecting with loved ones.
President George W. Bush waxed not so eloquent when he said, "We ought to make the pie higher." I can't recall what he was referencing, but I will apply it personally by answering to a higher calling to practice hospitality by hosting pie socials. It's high time we return to our humble roots and communicate as our forefathers did, in person over slices of delicious homemade pie.
I'm looking forward to my upcoming pie social and to planning many more. And feel free to call me, a freedom loving conservative, a socialist; a pie socialist, that is. Let's all gather to socialize and eat pie and maybe get as big as President Taft, because I like pie and you like pie and in a pie society, everyone sees eye to eye.
In my search for a pie that satisfies both my chocolate theme for the month as well as my husband's flavor preferences, I happened upon grasshopper pie. I've heard of this pie but never tasted one nor ever made one considering my dismal pie IQ. When I discovered that chocolate and mint are the dominant ingredients, I knew Joe would approve.
Grasshopper pie came into vogue in the 1950's and was most likely inspired by the cocktail of the same name. The light green hue is attributed to the creme de menthe in the recipe. Creme de cacao deepens the minty flavor with a chocolate base. Some believe the cocktail and the pie were inspired by the green grasshopper. Interestingly, there is another type of grasshopper pie dating back to the early 1900's in the Philippines. This version of the pie used actual grasshoppers which were sugared and baked, providing a crunchy texture thought to be quite appetizing.
I may be on an adventurous pie making jag, but I think I'll omit the grasshoppers in my recipe, even though my husband would be game. One August a few years ago when grasshoppers descended on our town like one of my biblical plagues, Joe rounded up some of the neighbor boys to harvest as many grasshoppers as they could. He gathered the boys with their bounty into the kitchen where they proceeded to deep fat fry those hapless insects. The sickening sizzling sound was enough to send me running from the room.
But getting back to grasshopper pie, which at this point I almost want to rename to something that does not evoke a crunchy dead bug....
Grasshopper pie is classified as a chiffon pie, an airy concoction of whipped egg whites and light pudding. My version does not use egg whites but rather marshmallows and whipped cream. It's a quick and easy recipe you can make ahead and freeze a few days before serving. The mint Oreo crust is the perfect anchor to the light filling. If mint Oreos are not available in your area, regular Oreos will suffice. Just add 1/4 teaspoon of mint extract to the crust ingredients.
Grasshopper pie is a pretty pie as well. The appealing green tint makes this pie suitable for the Christmas holiday or Saint Patrick's Day. Being a frozen pie, it's also perfect for serving during the hot summer months when you are certain to have an abundance of grasshoppers you can use for garnish, if you so desire.
GRASSHOPPER PIE
Crust:
30 Mint Oreo cookies, crushed
5 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, mix crushed Oreo cookies and butter. Pat into bottom and up sides of a 9 1/2" deep dish pie pan. Bake in oven for 5-7 minutes; remove from oven and cool completely. Once cooled, place in freezer to chill.
Filling:
1 cup milk (1% or 2%)
36 large marshmallows
1/3 cup creme de menthe liqueur
3 tablespoons white creme de cacao liqueur
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks
Mint Oreos or Andes Mint candy pieces for garnish (optional)
In saucepan, melt marshmallows in milk over medium heat. Remove from heat and chill in refrigerator until mixture holds its shape when dropped from a spoon. Add creme de menthe and creme de cacao and mix well. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into chilled pie shell. Freeze 3 - 4 hours before serving. If desired, garnish with chopped mint Oreos or with Andes mint pieces.
As I had mentioned in a previous blog, my husband loves chocolate. He also loves peanuts. Most of all, he loves chocolate and peanuts together, and what could be a better amalgamation of those two ingredients than the famous Snickers candy bar?
Introduced in 1930 by Frank C. Mars of the now giant Mars candy corporation, Snickers has since become the best-selling candy bar of all time. The Snickers bar alone accounts for nearly two billion dollars of Mars annual sales. So get ready to contribute to the Snickers sales total. This recipe calls for just two cups of chopped Snickers bars. It won't break your budget but it probably will break your diet!
For starters, the crust is made with pure shortening. The filling has all the ingredients for a diet downfall: egg yolks, whole milk, butter and peanut butter. And to add a few more calories to the growing count, the pie's crowning glory is heavy whipped cream piled a mile high and garnished with Snickers pieces and peanuts.
But who cares? This isn't a blog about losing weight. It's all about mastering pies and bringing joy to loved ones when you present them with an enticing slice of pure bliss. And speaking of mastering, this recipe's crust was my second attempt at rolling out pastry. My lemon meringue crust shrunk if you recall from a previous blog. This time my crust didn't shrink. Instead, it cracked. Using shortening alone rather than a butter/shortening mix did yield a flakier crust. However, mine was almost too flaky. When slicing the pie, the edge of the crust crumbled.
Thankfully the filling made up for my less-than-perfect crust. The addition of peanut butter in the custard elevated the pie from decent to decadent. If you really want to amp up the swoon factor, substitute a chocolate cookie crumb crust for the pastry crust. This combination of chocolate and peanut butter will satisfy those with the fiercest sweet tooth.
Do you think if Frank C. Mars were alive to see his famous candy bar as a pie ingredient, he might "snicker"?
SNICKERS BAR PIE
Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/4 cup cold water
2 cups of bite-size Snickers bars, cut in half
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Toss well by hand to mix. Scatter the shortening over the dry ingredients and toss to mix. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut the shortening into the flour until it is a consistency of coarse meal with both large and small clumps. Sprinkle half of the water over the mixture. Toss well with a fork to dampen the mixture. Add the remaining water and continue to toss and mix, pulling the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl on the upstroke and gently pressing down on the downstroke until the dough coheres.
Using your hands, pack the pastry into a ball as you would pack a snowball. Knead the ball once or twice, then flatten the ball into a 3/4-inch-thick disk on a floured work surface. Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the pastry into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge so it is just slightly higher than the rim. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and line pastry shell with foil and place dried beans or pie weights into foil to prevent pastry from puffing up during baking. Pre-bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove foil, beans or pie weights and then prick the pastry all over the bottom with a fork. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake the pie shell for 10-12 minutes. Watch carefully. If the pie shell starts to puff up, prick the problem spot with a fork. Remove from oven and cool. Scatter the Snickers pieces evenly in the pie shell.
Filling:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-size saucepan, whisking to mix. Add the milk and egg yolks, whisking the mixture well. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking virtually nonstop, until the mixture comes to a boil, 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly and continue to cook, whisking nonstop, for about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and peanut butter, stirring until melted. Add the vanilla extract and stir until incorporated. Immediately pour the filling into the cooled pie shell making sure the filling oozes between the Snickers pieces. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the filling, taking care not to leave any gaps or air pockets, to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature then refrigerate for at least five hours to thoroughly chill.
Topping:
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
Snickers bar pieces or chopped peanuts for garnish (optional)
Just before serving, make the topping. Using a chilled mixer bowl and chilled beaters, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the confectioner's sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the pie. Garnish with Snickers pieces or chopped peanuts, if desired.
Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and I've dreamed up a pie for the lover's holiday: Love Potion #31, inspired by my favorite Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavor. I will be shamelessly plugging Baskin-Robbins throughout this piece because of my love affair with their ice cream since 1978. My first job was at a Baskin-Robbins. I was a high school junior working weekends and evenings to save for college. I developed a Popeye worthy right biceps from all the scooping. I gained 10 pounds thanks to the two free scoops on my work breaks. And I fell hopelessly in love with nearly all the flavors. There was no such thing as ice cream monogamy for me back then.
As an aside, I have to mention a recent sermon given by my pastor. He often uses interesting anecdotes and vivid analogies to flesh out his points and when he mentioned Baskin-Robbins, my curiosity was piqued. "When I go to Baskin-Robbins, there's only one flavor of ice cream, not 31, and that flavor is Peanut Butter 'n Chocolate." I won't get pious in my pie blog, so I won't detail the rest of the sermon and how an ice cream shop even tied into it, but I will say that Pastor Cliff has found his true ice cream love to which he remains faithful.
And so it is now for me with Love Potion #31 after my former flings with flavors galore. Who wouldn't fall head over heels into a tub of white chocolate and raspberry ice cream entwined with a raspberry ribbon and studded with raspberry filled chocolate hearts and chocolate chips? Trust me, Cupid's arrow will pierce your heart with one taste of this luscious concoction. My local Baskin-Robbins owner smiles at me every February when he sees me eagerly enter his store. I order one scoop to immediately savor and leave with my arms fully embracing take-home tubs of Love Potion #31. Single scoop cones were 29 cents back in 1978 but I will pay just about any price today for my beloved flavor which, by the way, is a seasonal flavor available mainly in February.
And as another aside, Love Potion #31 has its own Facebook fan page. And I'm sorry to break the news to you, Pastor Cliff, but Peanut Butter 'n Chocolate does not.
I thought it befitting that the ice cream love of my life be spotlighted in my pie blog. The recipe I've created uses a chocolate Oreo crust, two flavors of Baskin-Robbins ice cream and my homemade fudge sauce. The beauty of this recipe is that you can pair any two flavors of ice cream with a cookie crust of your choice. The possibilities for your own love potion pie are endless!* If you don't opt for Baskin-Robbins, make sure to select a premium ice cream brand. Low budget ice cream is usually pumped full of air and will lack that rich flavor only a premium ice cream can deliver.
The fudge sauce in this recipe should remain a constant complement to the ice cream flavors you choose. You can resort to store-bought fudge sauce if you prefer, but my easy recipe is delicious and versatile. Use it for sundaes, drizzle it over pound cake, or add it to milk for a rich chocolate drink. It will keep in the refrigerator up to 4 weeks but I bet it'll be eaten before then. Serious chocoholics at my house eat the sauce straight up by the loving spoonful!
LOVE POTION #31 PIE
Fudge Sauce:
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat the milk, chocolate chips and sugar to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Reserve 1 cup of sauce for the pie and store the remaining sauce in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for another use.
Crust and Filling:
2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs, finely crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons milk
3 cups Baskin-Robbins Winter White Chocolate ice cream, slightly softened
1/2 cup fudge sauce, cooled
3 cups Baskin-Robbins Lotion Potion #31 ice cream, slightly softened
1/2 cup fudge sauce, cooled
Fresh Raspberries for garnish (optional)
Stir together cookie crumbs, butter and milk. Lightly press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan. A 9 1/2" pie pan can be substituted but a springform pan better showcases the layers of this pie. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.
Spread Winter White Chocolate ice cream in an even layer over cooled crust and press lightly; drizzle evenly with 1/2 cup fudge sauce and freeze until firm. Top with layer of Love Potion #31 ice cream. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup fudge sauce. Cover and freeze until firm. When ready to serve, remove springform ring and then slice pie into wedges. Garnish if desired.
*Here are some harmonious flavor combination suggestions using Baskin-Robbins ice cream:
• Jamoca Almond Fudge, Oreo Cookies 'n Cream, coconut macaroon crust (my husband's favorite)
• Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip, Mint Oreo crust
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Quarterback Crunch, Nilla wafer crust
• Rocky Road, Butter Pecan, chocolate graham cracker crust
• German Chocolate Cake, Gold Medal Ribbon, coconut macaroon crust
• Rum Raisin, Pralines 'n Cream, graham cracker crust
• Nutty Coconut, Chocolate Fudge, coconut macaroon crust
And last but not least, for Pastor Cliff:
• Peanut Butter 'n Chocolate, Peanut Butter 'n Chocolate, peanut butter Oreo crust
Fashion icon and designer Coco Chanel once said, "The best color in the whole world is the one that looks good on you." Budding pie maker Linda Coco says, "The best pie in the whole world is one that tastes as good as it looks."
Having once been a professional cake decorator, I know that fashioning a good-looking cake required the proper tools, or accessories, if you will. I invested a tidy sum in all the accoutrements required of my craft. My scads of decorating implements included pans of every shape and size, dozens of jars of icing dyes and pastry bags, rolls of parchment paper, over a hundred piping tips, and stacks of books and magazines containing recipes and photos of cake masterpieces.
Does the humble pie, on the other hand, require all this frou-frou? Not in my humble opinion. But upon further research, it appears there are pie accessories galore. A pie may not command the stage like a 5-tier cake embellished with colorful swirls and fanciful toppers, but a pie does require some behind the scenes touch ups to make it presentable. Below is a list of practical pie making items all of which are designed to help create not only tasty pies, but eye-catching ones as well.
Pie pans: the classic size is 9" in diameter, 1" deep. Deep dish pie pans are 9 1/2" in diameter and about 1 3/4" deep. These two sizes are the most common. An extra deep dish pie pan is 10" but most recipes don't call for this size. Pans are available in glass, metal or ceramic. I prefer Pyrex clear tempered glass but a heavy metal pan works well, too. Ceramic pie pans are available in different colors and designs. Knowing my penchant for collecting dishes, I will need to exercise great restraint in buying every pretty pie plate I see. Stay clear of disposable aluminum pans. They don't disperse heat well and aren't very sturdy. And they are just plain ugly.
Pie weights: these are either individual ceramic beads or a string of metal beads that are placed on the pastry during baking to prevent it from bubbling up or shrinking. Any larger dried beans, such as pinto or kidney, will do the trick. There is nothing more unsightly than a shrunken or ill-shapen crust, trust me on this one. Pie weights will ensure your crust behaves during baking.
Pie shield: this metal ring is placed on the pie crust to prevent overbrowning during baking. No matter how luscious the filling, a burnt crust rim makes a bad first impression, trust me on this one, too.
Pie crust maker: this plastic pouch is round with a zippered edge. It's a shortcut way to roll out pastry. Simply put the dough ball inside the pouch, zip it closed, and flatten to the edges of the pouch. Zip open and voila, you have a perfectly round pie pastry. I bought one but haven't tried it out yet. I hope its claims aren't over hyped like the Amazing Ginsu Knife.
Pie crust form: a flat sheet of plastic with various diameter markings used as a guide for rolling out pastry dough. I have one but haven't succumbed to using it, at least not until I can confidently make crust the old-fashioned way.
Pie bird: this hollow ceramic device is placed in the center of fruit or meat pies to prevent the build up of steam and the resulting boiling over of the filling. It also supports the center of the crust and prevents it from sagging. Pie birds are actually shaped as birds and were used more often in older ovens that did not heat evenly. I wonder if the four and twenty blackbirds nursery rhyme inspired the inventor of the pie bird?
Pastry server: a wedge shaped utensil, sometimes serrated on an edge, used for cutting and removing slices from a pie pan. I cannot for the life of me remove the first slice neatly from a pie, or a cake, for that matter.
Bake-in pie spatula: this nifty gadget prevents the mess that often results from removing the aforementioned first slice of pie. Made of metal, it looks like a spatula but without the long handle. Baked right under the crust and filling, simply cut along the sides of the spatula and grasp the spatula lip which rests against the pie pan rim. I plan to order one and hope it works. See comment above about the Ginsu Knife.
Pastry blender: a metal utensil with close fitting u-shaped wires used to cut in butter or shortening into the flour. It's really an odd-looking tool that I think should go into a time capsule. A thousand years down the line when the time capsule is opened, I wonder if that pastry blender will stump future generations.
Pastry wheel: fluted or straight edged, this small utensil has a sharp cutting wheel attached to a handle and is used to mark and cut rolled-out pastry dough. A pastry wheel is indispensable when cutting strips of dough to make a lattice pie crust top. I am so excited to use this tool when making berry pies. It will be fun to cut lacey strips of dough and accessorize my pies!
Patterned pie toppers: these round plastic forms look like a very large cookie cutter. Placed on the rolled out pastry and firmly pressed down, cut out designs are formed on the dough. Pie toppers are used for pies with a top crust. A wide array of designs such as leaves, stars, or faux lattice make for a beautiful top crust. I hope to find some holiday themed pie toppers such as a heart shaped one. Wouldn't that be perfect for a cherry pie baked around Valentine's Day?
Rolling pin: a cylindrical utensil used to shape and flatten dough. Rolling pins are made of wood, ceramic, plastic, or marble. Some are hollow and are able to be filled with cold or warm water to better roll a desired food. I have a simple wooden one but I'm thinking of splurging on a heavy marble one. If for anything else, it will make a good weapon to clobber intruders.
Pie gate: this plastic hinged tool is placed into a pie pan once a slice has been removed. It opens to any angle and is placed against the edges of remaining pie to keep the filling fresh and intact. I sure could have used a pie gate for my soupy vanilla cream pie!
My pie theme for February will be chocolate in honor of Valentine's Day, the holiday of love, and everyone loves chocolate. Americans certainly do as they spend upwards of $345 million a year in Valentine chocolate candy and consume 10-12 pounds of chocolate annually. Interestingly, 75% of chocolate purchases are made by women throughout the year, but during the days right before Valentine's Day, 75% of chocolate purchases are made by men.
My husband is most definitely part of that percentage as he has made many a Valentine's Day mad dash to buy roses and the requisite chocolate that I so adore. I've been accused of marrying Joe just because of his chocolatey sounding last name. Maybe so, but I do know that chocolate runs thickly through his family veins. His grandfather opened a confectionery business in Louisiana and changed the family name from Coca to Coco, all for the love of chocolate.
So in celebration of my sweet married name and to tickle the taste buds of my chocolate-loving hubby, I have made a chocolate cream pie. This pie also happens to be one of the custard variations in Miss Miranda's 1974 cooking class packet, the mimeographed one I featured in a previous blog. Miss Miranda's recipe calls for 2 ounces of chocolate. Other recipes I've seen call for 3 ounces of chocolate. But any Coco worth their name knows that when it comes to chocolate, more is better. My recipe boasts 3.5 ounces of chocolate. You can use any unsweetened chocolate, but if you really want to go for the gusto, use a 3.5 ounce bar of Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa Supreme Dark Chocolate.
Lindt, by the way, is a famous Swiss chocolate brand. The Swiss consume twice as much chocolate as Americans, and I can attest to that when a few years ago while visiting Lucerne, Switzerland, I was astounded that an entire grocery store aisle was devoted to chocolate alone. I walked up and down that aisle, marveling at the chocolate variety which had a strong Lindt presence. I guess you could call me a Swiss Miss Coco. And is it not a coincidence that my name, Linda Coco, is just one letter off from Lindt Coco?
Things that make you go hmmmm.....
SUPREME CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE
Crust:
3 cups Oreo cookies (about 20 cookies)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2-3 teaspoons milk
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the Oreo cookies and cinnamon in a ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin to make fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl. Add the butter and mix well. Add the milk and mix until crumbs clump together when pressed between your fingers. Transfer the crumbs to a 9 1/2 inch deep dish pie pan, pressing them into the bottom and halfway up the side. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, then place on the center rack of oven and bake for 6 minutes. Cool thoroughly.
Filling:
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3.5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped OR 3.5 ounce Lindt 90% Cocoa Bar
Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
Chocolate sprinkles or Oreo cookie crumbs, optional
Combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Whisk to mix thoroughly. Whisk in milk and egg yolks. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking continuously, until it start to boil and thicken, 5-7 minutes. Cook for 1 minute more, whisking briskly. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and the vanilla. Whisk in the chocolate until smooth and fully melted. Slowly pour the filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth the top with a spoon. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Cool the pie to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, make the topping. Using a chilled mixer bowl and chilled beaters, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the confectioner's sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the pie. Garnish with chocolate sprinkles or Oreo crumbs, if desired.
The time has come for me to tackle the dreaded pastry pie crust. Cracker and cookie crumb crusts have proven to be a piece of cake for me, but it's with trepidation that I contemplate the classic pie pastry. My 1985 hockey puck crust disaster was my last pastry making endeavor. I've since fielded multiple tips from accomplished pie masters: add vinegar, use ice water, don't use butter, use butter, hand knead the dough, mix the dough with a hand held mixer, add a shot of liquor. The overwhelming advice has caused my head to spin faster than my Kitchen Aid beater attachment set on high.
To supplement all the pie advice, I purchased a pible, a word I coined for a pie bible. The author of the pible, Ken Haedrich, is a pie master extraordinaire. His 640 page tome, succinctly titled "Pie", is a pie novice's salvation. Like the wise men of the bible, he too is a Magi, but a Magi of Pie, bearing gifts of foolproof recipes and sage words of pie baking wisdom. He includes several different pastry recipes in his book, most of which I will valiantly attempt throughout my yearlong wanderings in the vast land of pie making. But for starters I settled on his basic flaky pie pastry. I paired this crust recipe with his recipe for classic lemon meringue pie. Basic and classic. Those are reassuring words for a pie disciple like me.
Haedrich states that lemon meringue pie "is the measure of excellence among home bakers across the country." How will I, a pie-challenged northerner, measure up? Following his recipe to a tee, I immediately got sidetracked by spending the first half hour trying to find my never used pastry blender, an odd looking gadget that looks like a backwards second cousin to a whisk. After I unearthed it from the deep bowels of my utensil drawer, I got overwhelmed with the multi-step recipe: combine, toss, mix, scatter, cut in, sprinkle, toss some more, press, pack, chill, knead, flatten, roll, invert, freeze, pre-bake, cool. Whew! All that for one basic pastry crust, and my two hour effort yielded a misshapen crust slumped on one side. This was evolving into a classic disaster.
Fortunately, I had more success with my lemon filling. The recipe was similar to the previous pies I recently made. The meringue, however, proved to be more challenging. For some reason, my meringue lacked volume and didn't quite form that lovely dome shape atop the pie. And word to the wise, when the Magi of Pie says to not walk away while the meringue is browning in a broiling hot oven, DO NOT WALK AWAY! I did for just a couple of minutes and returned to an overbrowned meringue . And after chilling the whole pie, the meringue shrunk a bit and then began to weep as did I as I flashbacked to my 1985 pie fiasco, or pie-asco, if you will, since I like to make up hybrid words. My 2011 lemon meringue wasn't a pretty pie but it did have a nice sweet-tart flavor thanks to the yummy filling. And the pie angels must have spared my pie crust which thankfully wasn't of hockey puck consistency. But it wasn't a heavenly, light flaky crust either.
Not to worry. Armed with my pible, I'll have 45 more opportunities this year to redeem myself.
LEMON MERINGUE PIE
Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/4 cup cold water
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Toss well by hand to mix. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and toss to mix. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut or rub the butter into the flour until it is broken into pieces the size of small peas. Add the shortening and continue to cut until all of the fat is cut into small pieces. Sprinkle half of the water over the mixture. Toss well with a fork to dampen the mixture. Add the remaining water, 1 1/2-2 tablespoons at a time, and continue to toss and mix, pulling the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl on the upstroke and gently pressing down on the downstroke. Dough made my hand often needs a bit more water. If necessary, add water 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the pastry can be packed.
Using your hands, pack the pastry into a ball as you would pack a snowball. Knead the ball once or twice, then flatten the ball into a 3/4-inch-thick disk on a floured work surface. Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the pastry into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge so it is just slightly higher than the rim. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and line pastry shell with foil and place dried beans or pie weights into foil to prevent pastry from puffing up during baking. Pre-bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove foil, beans or pie weights and then prick the pastry all over the bottom with a fork. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake the pie shell for 10-12 minutes. Watch carefully. If the pie shell starts to puff up, prick the problem spot with a fork. Remove from oven and cool. Pie shell can be frozen for later use.
Filling:
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-size saucepan, whisking to mix. Add the water, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add the egg yolks, whisking the mixture well. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking virtually nonstop, until the mixture comes to a boil, 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly and continue to cook, whisking nonstop, for about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, one piece at a time. Immediately pour the filling into the cooled pie shell, jiggling the pan to settle it. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the filling, taking care not to leave any gaps or air pockets, to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for up to 1 day if you're not adding the meringue right away.
Meringue:
4 large egg whites at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Big pinch of salt
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Just before serving, preheat the broiler and make the meringue. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Beat in the cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add the superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until the whites are thick and glossy though not dry. Add the vanilla and beat briefly. Mound the meringue over the filling, spreading it so it is domed in the center and touching the crust all around the edge.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and briefly brown the meringue under the broiler. It will just take a very short time, so don't walk away from the oven. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and serve right away. Or cover with loosely tented aluminum foil, making sure the meringue doesn't come in contact with the foil, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
