Wednesday, June 29, 2011

PIE #29 - WHITE SATIN PIE


"Many a one, for the sake of finery on the back, have gone with a hungry belly and half-starved their families. Silks and satins, scarlet and velvets, put out the kitchen fire.... By these, and other extravagances, the genteel are reduced to poverty, and forced to borrow of those whom they formerly despised, but who, through industry and frugality, have maintained their standing; in which case it appears plainly, that a ploughman on his legs is higher than a gentleman on his knees."

This quote is taken from Poor Richard's Almanac, a best-selling publication by Ben Franklin in the mid 1700's, cherished for its proverbs on hard work and frugality. Coincidentally, my most recent pies, French silk and red velvet, have luxurious sounding names and call for rather expensive ingredients. I'm afraid Ben Franklin would raise an eyebrow over such a frivolous expenditure. My white satin pie, however, belies its extravagant title. Using just a few ingredients, all of which were sitting in my pantry, this pie whips up quickly and can be made a couple of weeks ahead of time and kept frozen.

Being the bargain lover that I am, I appreciate that this pie is easy on the pocketbook but big on the wow factor. Make sure to serve thin slices as the pie is dense and rich, almost like a white chocolate fudge. You can easily get 10-12 servings from this pie, up from the typical 8 servings from a standard pie dish. Mr. Franklin would certainly deem this a frugal choice. And he also once stated, "Who is rich? He that rejoices in his portion."

Make my portion white satin pie!

Crust:
1 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla cream filled cookies (such as Mother's English Tea Cookies)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2-3 teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the cookie crumbs, melted butter and milk in a ziploc bag, mixing until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Transfer the crumb mixture to a 9-inch pie pan, pressing into the bottom and up the side. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, then place on the center rack of oven and bake for 6-8 minutes until slightly golden brown. Cool thoroughly.

Filling:
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
2 large egg yolks
11-12 ounce package white baking chips


Coarsely chopped white baking chips and whipped cream for garnish (optional)

Whisk together milk and egg yolks in saucepan over medium low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is hot and thickens slightly. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Stir in baking chips until completely melted and mixture is smooth. Pour into pie crust and freeze overnight. Garnish top of pie with chopped baking chips and whipped cream, if desired.


Monday, June 13, 2011

PIE #28 - BLACK BOTTOM PIE


Yin and yang. Dark and light. Ebony and ivory. The theory that opposites attract are deliciously exemplified in black bottom pie. The rich chocolate custard with its dense texture contrasts strikingly with the airy chiffon meringue. This pie is a perfect melding of sinful decadence and divine refinement.

Black bottom appears to have originated in the south around the turn of the 20th century. The bottom chocolate layer was thought to signify the dark, swampy lowlands along the Mississippi River. Marjorie Rawlings, in Cross Creek Cookery (a bible of authentic Southern cooking from 1942), declared of black bottom pie, "I hope to be propped up on my dying bed and fed a generous portion. Then I think that I should refuse outright to die, because life would be too good to relinquish."

With one bite of this luscious pie, you may believe you have died and gone to pie heaven. The recipe is a bit involved and the pie must chill overnight to ensure the custard becomes firm and the slices come out cleanly. A piece of black bottom pie on a crystal dessert plate makes for a very elegant presentation. I am tempted to rename it tuxedo pie for its show-stopping presence!

Crust:
1 1/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix all crust ingredients together and press evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool.

Filling:
1 (.25 ounce) package unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup cold water
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup white rum (or 1 1/2 teaspoons rum flavoring)
4 egg whites*

Dissolve gelatin in cold water, and set aside.

In a small saucepan, mix cornstarch, 3/4 cup sugar, milk, and egg yolks. Cook, stirring, until bubbly and thick. Remove from heat, and add vanilla. Divide mixture in half. Add chocolate chips to one half, and stir until melted and smooth. Pour into pastry shell. Chill.

Stir gelatin mixture into the other half of the hot egg yolk mixture. Stir in rum. Chill until slightly thick.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and beat to stiff peaks. Fold into partially set gelatin/rum mixture. Chill until mix will mound, then spoon into pie shell on top of chocolate layer. Chill overnight.

*Raw egg whites are used in this recipe. Powdered egg whites or pasteurized egg whites may be substituted.


Wednesday, June 8, 2011

PIE #27 - RED VELVET PIE


I've just returned from a wonderful week spent cruising with the Coco clan. We had multiple reasons to celebrate: My husband Joe's parents have been married 50 years, my brilliant niece graduated with an associate's degree along with her high school diploma, and my brother-in-law was promoted to Lt. Colonel and ranked as best new judge in the Air Force. My golden birthday, the sole inspiration for this pie blog, was also cause for celebration.

Each evening as our party of 19 congregated for dinner on the cruise ship, we gave toasts to Joe's parents for their long-standing commitment to marriage and for their love and sacrifice in raising their four children to become flourishing adults. We capped each gourmet dinner with cake baked in honor of the occasions. Cake has always taken the cake, if you will, as the chosen celebratory dessert. Pie just can't hold a candle, both literally and figuratively, to a showy cake. After indulging in several delicious slices of layered goodness throughout the week, I polled my relatives and discovered that red velvet cake ranked as one of their favorites.

And so this became my inspiration for pie #27. Why should cakes exclusively flaunt their fancy frou-frou at countless celebrations? I think pies, if given a chance, can strut their stuff just as glamorously as any cake.

In searching for a good red velvet recipe, I discovered that this cake got its name because of the chemical reaction of acidic vinegar and buttermilk against the anthocyanin in the cocoa. Some older recipes incorporated boiled beets, but most recipes nowadays simply use red food coloring which results in a stronger red tinted batter. I opted to use food coloring since beets can sometimes turn the batter purple.

For the crust, I decided upon another Ken Haedrich recipe from his pie cookbook. The cream cheese base nicely complements the red velvet filling and cream cheese icing. This pie looks especially festive baked in a red ceramic pie plate. If you have a birthday to celebrate, the firm filling will support candles, perhaps even fifty!

Crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Combine the butter, cream cheese, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment. Blend for 30-45 seconds on medium-low speed, stopping once or twice to scrape the build-up from the beater. Stopping, the machine before each addition, first add the powdered sugar and 1/2 cup of flour. With the mixer on low, blend until the flour is incorporated. Add another 1/2 cup of flour and blend. Add remaining flour and blend until dough balls up around the beater. Remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Gently knead the dough 2-3 times and form into a ball. Place on plastic wrap and flatten into a 3/4-inch disk. Wrap well and refrigerate at least an hour.

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. Make a decorative border on the pie crust edge if desired. Place crust in refrigerator and prepare filling:

Filling:
1 3/4 cup cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 oz. red food coloring
1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Working quickly, spread batter into pie crust and bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of pie batter comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature before frosting.

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low and blend in powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Spread over cooled pie.