I KNOW! By the title, wouldn't you think this was going to be super tasty?!? Well, it was just so-so, and a disappointing edition to the Year of Pies.
The background:
I didn't make my May pie until the end of the month. While I was at the grocery store on the 28th, I realized that I hadn't made my monthly pie (lots of things on my mind that month---I usually don't forget my pie!) and I decided that I should take a pie to an event I had going that very night. I called Ann on the cell phone and said, "What should I make?" I don't remember if it was her idea or my idea to look at the backs of packages for pie recipes, but I do know it was specifically her idea to look at the back of ready-made pie crusts. Excellent suggestion!
I looked at pie crust packages and wasn't in love with the offerings, so I still looked at the back of flour bags, chocolate chip bags, baking powder containers, graham cracker crumb boxes, etc. Well, it seems that America is afraid of pies! I found lots of recipes for "bars" that could be converted into a pie recipe, but I just decided to return to the pie crusts anyway.
I memorized the name of the recipe on the back of the Keebler pie crust package, but when I went to find it on the Keebler site (because of course I didn't buy the nasty ready-made crust), it wasn't there! I remembered most of the ingredients, so I found it elsewhere on the internet. (Oh boy, is Matthew going to love the details of this post or what!)
The HEEElarious thing to me about it, is that I found the recipe on a blog called, "Pie is the New Toast." What a fabulous title!! What possibilities for greatness, right? No, instead it is a lame personal blog about someone's back pain, and sleep problems, and stress. Not a single pie recipe was posted except for this one. (She'll probably google her site name and find my comment, so for her sake let me say this: Jennifer, your blog is not lame to you, I'm sure. But it is a personal blog about your own issues, and those are always lame to people who don't know you. Sorry. Now, GIVE UP THAT GREAT TITLE!!)
I made the pie. It was just a standard cheesecake filling, and it didn't taste lemony as I poured it into the crust, despite the name.
Then....... I baked it 45 minutes too long. Or was it 30 minutes too long. I can't remember, but it was CRAZY long. I was talking to Matthew on the phone and I forgot about it. He was telling a story and suddenly I said, "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" and ran down the stairs to rescue my pie from ashes in the oven. Luckily there weren't any actual ashes. No, it was still very edible, but cracked and dry.
I covered it entirely with sliced strawberries that I just happened to have in the fridge (all the cracks looked too ugly to serve it like that!), and then I made a glaze with raspberry jam, lemon juice, and water. It looked pretty but it tasted boring.
Hardly anyone ate it at the event that I took it to. I arrived quite late (another conflicting event, for which the pie would have been inappropriate) so most people had already eaten, PLUS it was a "mom's night out" which is a bad event for pie. Moms aren't into sweets as much as you'd imagine. I think it's too many PBJs for the kids at lunchtime that takes the edge off of the sweet tooth. Besides, young moms are usually skinny and trying to remain so. I didn't imagine it would be gobbled up in that crowd, so I didn't take it personally when it wasn't. People commented on it being pretty, but only 2 people even tried a piece. Bad forum for pie.
I acknowledge that I screwed up this pie by overcooking it. However, the question remains: would this have been an excellent pie had I not cooked it too long? I don't think so. It was just a cheesecake in a pie crust, and a mediocre cheesecake at that. No water bath, no sour cream topping. Just boring. Sure, I'd like to taste it when it's not overcooked, but not enough to make it again. I have other fabulous cheesecake recipes for that.
The Pie
(Don't knock yourself out)
Creamy Lemon Cheesecake Pie
Makes 6 Servings
1 lb cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fresh grated lemon peel
2 eggs
1 9-inch graham cracker crust (homemade, of course!)
Beat cream cheese in bowl (if you have an electric mixer use that) until creamy.
Add sugar; beat until well-blended
Add sour cream, lemon juice and lemon peel, mix well.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.
Pour batter into pie shell, bake at 325F for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Ann's May Pie - One Fruit, Two Pies: Watermelon Chiffon and Watermelon Rind
I've been really excited since the beginning of the year to make some summer fruit pies - it seems like the essence of Midwestern life. In fact, I attribute much of my interest in pies to the almost intrinsic all-American atmosphere that I've discovered and embraced since moving to Indiana. I played around with some ideas, but as usual, the items I had in my fridge determined the end result. I'd bought a massive watermelon at Sam's Club and had to find various ways to use it. I wouldn't have decided on watermelon pie, but the fabulous Pie book by Ken Haedrich (seriously, why have I not bought my own copy yet?) had a couple of intriguing recipes: Watermelon Chiffon and Watermelon Rind. I kept rolling them around in my mind all month, even as I planned on making something else. In the end, though, the recipes proved too intriguing to pass up.
The chiffon pie was a bit of an experience. The recipe said to mash the chunks of watermelon with a potato masher. Unfortunately, I don't own one. It's one of those tools that I always wish that I had, but don't remember that I want one until I actually need it in that very moment - too late, of course, to run to the store to buy one. So I spent some quality time with a fork, crushing the individual cubes of watermelon in batches. Then I passed the resulting pulp through cheesecloth and luckily got exactly the amount of watermelon juice that I needed. I would recommend buying a potato masher instead of this method.
It may seem shameless to put two pictures of myself in my post, but I look skinnier than I have in a long time in these pictures, and I'm willing to run with that.
I made a graham cracker crust for the chiffon pie and then my first double crust for the rind pie, using the recipe from The Dessert Bible. Once again, I had the fun of grating frozen butter and shortening into the dry ingredients. However, I need to stop making pie crusts at 1 am the night before I plan to finish the pie - I'm always rushed, and everything I've read about crusts says that you shouldn't rush them. I'm guessing that it's by luck that I haven't screwed up a crust too much yet - or maybe all the pie books are lying! I don't know...
The chiffon pie was a bit of an experience. The recipe said to mash the chunks of watermelon with a potato masher. Unfortunately, I don't own one. It's one of those tools that I always wish that I had, but don't remember that I want one until I actually need it in that very moment - too late, of course, to run to the store to buy one. So I spent some quality time with a fork, crushing the individual cubes of watermelon in batches. Then I passed the resulting pulp through cheesecloth and luckily got exactly the amount of watermelon juice that I needed. I would recommend buying a potato masher instead of this method.
For some reason I can't remember, I had to go someplace in the middle of making these pies (I think a movie or something?), so I added the gelatin and checked on it shortly before leaving to see if I could finish the pie off with whipped cream and egg whites. It didn't look like it had set up at all, so I left. When I came home, it was in the same state - until I took the bowl out of the fridge the next day and realized that it just looked like it hadn't set up - it was a completely solid chunk of watermelon juice. I called my mom to see how I could fix this, and she said that I should melt it down a little bit to see if I could get it into a kind of loose consistency. However, it melted completely, so I added two more packages of gelatin, and it seemed to get to where it needed to be. I folded in the whipped cream and beaten egg whites, and crossed my fingers. In the end, it set up nicely, but I still wasn't completely sold on this pie. There wasn't anything wrong with it at all - in fact, most of the people that tried it liked quite a bit, but the flavor of watermelon without the crunch and texture of it seemed kind of wrong to me. I'd rather have just eaten the watermelon and saved the rind for the next pie. But it was still worth making since it tasted so summery; I just don't know that I'd do it again.
I didn't do a perfect job of folding in the egg whites...
The filling for the rind pie was fairly simple: after removing the flesh to be used in the chiffon pie, I peeled all the green skin from the left-over rinds, diced them, and then cooked them in sugar water until soft. I think I overcooked them a bit - the recipe said to drain them when soft, but all the water had cooked out of my batch and the rind pieces were quite caramelized. I don't think this was a bad thing, however; it could only add a nice smokiness to the flavor as long as they weren't burnt. To the cooled rind, I added walnuts, raisins, brown sugar, and vinegar, creating a filling similar to mincemeat (according to the heading of the recipe - I've never actually had mincemeat) or maybe a mock-apple pie. The filling didn't seem to be enough for the pie shell, so when I added the top crust, it kind of slumped down into it, but I crimped the edges with a fork and hoped for the best. In the end, it baked beautifully - the crust evened out with the perfect amount of browning on both the top and bottom, and flaked enticingly with each touch of my fork as I cut into it. It was buttery, tender...all the words you're supposed to think of when you eat really good pie crust...and I made it! I really enjoyed the rind filling - the browned rind pieces had a bit of a sour, tart flavor that was nicely accentuated by the vinegar, but the brown sugar and nuts made it feel like a comforting walk-through-leaves kind of pie, unlike the chiffon pie which tasted like summer. The friends that tried it said that they liked it (some liking it better than the chiffon pie), but that it was better suited for fall. Since watermelon is most definitely a summer fruit, I wonder if I can freeze some left-over rinds during the summer months to be used later in the year - I'm not very knowledgeable of the do's and don'ts of freezing, so I'll have to ask around. But this pie would be perfect at Thanksgiving, and it's even more fun when you can make people guess what's in it! I liked it much more than the chiffon pie - the vinegar flavor completely set it apart from other pies (like apple) with similar flavor components, making it really distinctive and special. And wow, that was a good crust.
It may seem shameless to put two pictures of myself in my post, but I look skinnier than I have in a long time in these pictures, and I'm willing to run with that.
Watermelon Chiffon Pie
from Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie by Ken Haedrich
Filling:
6 cups watermelon flesh (seeds are fine)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup cold heavy or whipping cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1. Prepare the graham cracker crust.
2. Combine the watermelon and granulated sugar in a very large bowl. (I actually can't remember doing this...hmmm....) Using a potato masher, mash until the mixture is quite liquid. Set aside for 15 minutes. Drain the mixture through a strainer, reserving almost 2 3/4 cups of the watermelon juice. Discard the pulp and seeds.
3. Put 1/4 of the juice in a medium-size bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside for 3 to 4 minutes to dissolve. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup of the juice in a small saucepan over medium heat to a near boil. Whisk the hot juice into the dissolved gelatin. Pour the remaining 2 cups of watermelon juice into a large bowl and stir in the gelatin-watermelon juice mixture. Stir in the lime juice. Place in the refrigerator.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites in a medium-size bowl until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Clean and dry the beaters. Using a chilled medium-size bowl and chilled beaters, beat the heavy cream with the mixer until it holds soft peaks. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth and stiff but not grainy. Refrigerate.
5. When the watermelon juice mixture starts to firm up, add about one-quarter of the whipped cream and beat with the electric mixer until smooth. Add the beaten egg whites and remaining whipped cream and gently fold them in with a large rubber spatula. If necessary, use a whisk - very briefly - to smooth the mixture and break up any large globs of whites or whipped cream. Pour the filling into the cooled pie shell, shaking the pan gently to settle the filling. Cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. To serve, garnish with confectioners' sugar and whipped cream, if desired.
Watermelon Rind Pie
from Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie by Ken Haedrich
Filling:
3 cups peeled and diced watermelon rind
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Glaze:
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Granulated sugar
1. Prepare the pastry and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
2. Combine the watermelon rind and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar in a large saucepan. Add water just to cover. Bring to a boil, partially cover, and continue to boil until the rind is tender and translucent, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain well, then transfer the rind to a large bowl and let cool.
3. On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the larger portion of the pastry into a 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch standard pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Gently tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and let the overhang drape over the edge. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar into the cooled rind. Stir in the raisins, nuts, vinegar, and brown sugar, then stir in the flour, spices, and salt.
5. On another sheet of floured waxed paper, roll the other half of dough into a 10-inch circle. Turn the filling into the chilled pie shell, smoothing the top with your hands or a spoon. Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell. Invert the top pastry over the filling, center, and peel off the paper. Press the top and bottom pastries together along the dampened edge. Trim the pastry with scissors or a paring knife, leaving an even 1/2-inch overhang all around, then sculpt the overhang into an upstanding ridge (I crimped the edge with a fork). Poke several steam vents in the top of the pie with a fork or paring knife; put a couple of the vents near the edge of the crust so you can check the juices there later. To glaze the pie, lightly brush the pastry with the beaten egg white and sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar.
6. Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and rotate the pie 180 degrees, so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. Just in case, slide a large aluminum foil-lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any spills. Continue to bake until the top is dark golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. This is not a particularly juicy pie, so you may or may not see juices bubbling up through the steam vents.
7. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Master Recipe for Foolproof Handmade Pie Dough, double crust variation
from The Dessert Bible by Christopher Kimball
9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
9 tablespoons cold all-vegetable shortening
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
About 1/2 cups ice water
Follow this method for pie dough. Separate into two balls, one slightly larger than the other. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Elizabeth's April Pie - Blackberry Raspberry Pie (NOT blueberry FOR SURE!)
If you read my March pie submission, you will know why I made this pie. In short, my friend Carol said that she wanted a pie with "frozen blackberries and raspberries, but definitely not blueberries."
I used the classic America's Test Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated) recipe for pie crust (not the prebaked version that Ann refers to in her March pie post). I did something wrong, though. This is normally a fool-proof recipe that I've used often, but I was too much of a fool this time. I accidentally forgot to add the shortening while the ingredients were in the food processor, so I tried to blend in the shortening while the dough was on the table about ready to be rolled. I should have thrown it all back into the food processor, because the finished product wasn't smooth and flaky as it should have been. It was kind of bumpy like a cobbler. Not the prettiest crust I've seen, but it tasted fine.
I served this pie with vanilla ice cream, and there's no way I could eat more than a bite of the pie without it. I don't love cooked berry pies like this, so without the ice cream the flavor is just way too much for me. It was good for one slice, but I left the remaining 3-4 slices with my friends and their kids.
(Not my photo. Too many blueberries.)
The recipe comes from Jenn Hall at Allrecipes.com. I used frozen berries, as some of the recipe reviewers did, and I changed the wording here to account for the type of berries I used.
Cook's Illustrated Best Pie Dough - Double Crust 8-9 inch
1. Mix flour, salt and sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with some flour. cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas, about four more 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water if dough will not come together. Shape dough into two balls with your hands, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten into 4-inch-wide disks. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.
I used the classic America's Test Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated) recipe for pie crust (not the prebaked version that Ann refers to in her March pie post). I did something wrong, though. This is normally a fool-proof recipe that I've used often, but I was too much of a fool this time. I accidentally forgot to add the shortening while the ingredients were in the food processor, so I tried to blend in the shortening while the dough was on the table about ready to be rolled. I should have thrown it all back into the food processor, because the finished product wasn't smooth and flaky as it should have been. It was kind of bumpy like a cobbler. Not the prettiest crust I've seen, but it tasted fine.
I served this pie with vanilla ice cream, and there's no way I could eat more than a bite of the pie without it. I don't love cooked berry pies like this, so without the ice cream the flavor is just way too much for me. It was good for one slice, but I left the remaining 3-4 slices with my friends and their kids.
(Not my photo. Too many blueberries.)The recipe comes from Jenn Hall at Allrecipes.com. I used frozen berries, as some of the recipe reviewers did, and I changed the wording here to account for the type of berries I used.
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups frozen raspberries
- 2 cups frozen blackberries
- 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar and cornstarch. Add blackberries and raspberries; gently toss until berries are coated. Allow fruit mixture to stand for 15 to 30 minutes, or until fruit is partially thawed.
- Line a 9 inch pie plate with half of the pastry. Stir berry mixture, and transfer to the crust lined pie plate. Top with second crust, and seal and crimp the edge. To prevent overbrowning, cover the edge of the pie with foil.
- Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 50 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden. Cool on a wire rack.
Cook's Illustrated Best Pie Dough - Double Crust 8-9 inch
The following pie dough is one in a series for different size pies. When rolling out the dough, roll to a thickness of about 1/8-inch thick (about the thickness of two quarters).
| 2 1/4 | cups unbleached all-purpose flour |
| 1 | teaspoon table salt |
| 2 | tablespoons granulated sugar |
| 11 | tablespoons unsalted butter , cold, cut into 1/4-inch pieces |
| 7 | tablespoons vegetable shortening , chilled |
| 4 - 5 | tablespoons ice water |
1. Mix flour, salt and sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with some flour. cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas, about four more 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water if dough will not come together. Shape dough into two balls with your hands, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten into 4-inch-wide disks. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Ann's April Pie - Hippie Pie
I went home to Arizona for a triumphant reunion of all of my siblings during the last week of April. I knew before I left that I wanted to make an Arizona-themed pie to share with the family while I was there, and spent days looking for something appropriate. I considered a southwestern-flavored savory pie or quiche, or something with a name that sounded like it came from my home state: sun, or diamondback, or snake, or desert...you get the idea. I was sure that I'd find something online, but I searched and searched and found nothing. I turned to the archives of Sue Anne's Pie of the Month site, and found a couple of possiblities, the best being Dry Pie. However, you will notice in the recipe that a key ingredient is pumpkin puree. Now I must make a confession: the ONLY food in the world that I hate is pumpkin pie. I loathe it. I try every year to eat some at Thanksgiving and it is just as bad as I remember. Moreover, only my parents like pumpkin pie in my family; my mom has asked every year at Thanksgiving how I can be my father's daughter when I hate pumpkin pie so much. Knowing that I'd be serving my pie to my pumpkin-hating siblings, it didn't seem quite fair to force us all to eat it - and to leave my mom with the entire thing. Therefore, I went with an Arizona theme I could get behind: ice cream pie.
Specifically, I made a family favorite: hippie pie. Hippie pie is not to be confused with hippie pie, which is like the Pizzookie at Oregano's and is perfect and delicious. Hippie pie is an ice cream pie that my family eats after watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. I decided that the best thing I could do for my month's pie would be something that my family would all love and we could enjoy together. There's actually another version of hippie pie that has cherries and chocolate flakes, but this is the one we eat every year.
This is such an easy dessert to make because it's just layering the different ingredients. You start with an Oreo crust and layer vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet, chopped walnuts, blueberry jam, and fruit. Voila! Hippe pie.
Here I am with the finished pie, and two random kids that wanted to hang out with me. Okay, I'm related to them. They're Listle's kids, Badam and Bella.
16 Oreo cookies (with filling), broken into rough pieces, about 2 1/2 cups
Specifically, I made a family favorite: hippie pie. Hippie pie is not to be confused with hippie pie, which is like the Pizzookie at Oregano's and is perfect and delicious. Hippie pie is an ice cream pie that my family eats after watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. I decided that the best thing I could do for my month's pie would be something that my family would all love and we could enjoy together. There's actually another version of hippie pie that has cherries and chocolate flakes, but this is the one we eat every year.
This is such an easy dessert to make because it's just layering the different ingredients. You start with an Oreo crust and layer vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet, chopped walnuts, blueberry jam, and fruit. Voila! Hippe pie.
Here I am with the finished pie, and two random kids that wanted to hang out with me. Okay, I'm related to them. They're Listle's kids, Badam and Bella.
Can you see why it's called hippie pie? Psychadelic!!!
It tasted just like summer to me. Since I'm not going home for the Fourth of July this year, I was glad to get to share it with my family - we probably won't be in the same place together for a long time (Lee is moving to China with her family, and Pat is moving to Philly), so it was great to be home and remember happy memories. Despite the fact that we all got food poisoning over the next few days from the Mexican take-out we'd had for dinner, it was hot, summery, Arizona perfection.
Enjoy.
Ann's Hippie Pie (not to be confused with Hippie Pie)
1 chocolate cookie crumb crust
Vanilla ice cream
Raspberry sorbet
Walnuts, chopped fine
1 jar blueberry jam
Fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
Fresh blueberries
Spoon vanilla ice cream into the crust until it is halfway full. Smooth to create a solid layer. Spoon a layer of raspberry sorbet over this, then top with more vanilla ice cream, mounding up in a rounded dome. Smooth out. Spoon blueberry jam over the top - be careful, it may spill down the sides, so put a plate underneath the pie shell to catch any drips. It may be a good idea to create a ring of foil around the edge of the shell to keep the jam from spilling over (I didn't do this - I just let it get all over my brother's freezer). Sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the top, and then layer the strawberries and blueberries in whatever pattern you'd like. In fact you could use whatever fruit you want - different ice cream flavors, etc., but since this is Fourth of July themed, my family uses this combination. Place in the freezer and allow ice cream to re-harden for several hours before serving- or just eat it when you feel like it. What's the worst that can happen?
Chocolate Cookie Crumb Crust
16 Oreo cookies (with filling), broken into rough pieces, about 2 1/2 cups
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled
1. For the Crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade, process cookies with 15 one-second pulses, then let machine run until crumbs are uniformly fine, about 15 seconds. (Alternatively, place cookies in large zipper-lock plastic bag and crush with rolling pin.) Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle with butter, and use fingers to combine until butter is evenly distributed.
2. Pour crumbs into 9-inch Pyrex pie plate. Following illustration below, press crumbs evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie plate. Refrigerate lined pie plate 20 minutes to firm crumbs, then bake until crumbs are fragrant and set, about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack while preparing filling.
1. For the Crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade, process cookies with 15 one-second pulses, then let machine run until crumbs are uniformly fine, about 15 seconds. (Alternatively, place cookies in large zipper-lock plastic bag and crush with rolling pin.) Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle with butter, and use fingers to combine until butter is evenly distributed.
2. Pour crumbs into 9-inch Pyrex pie plate. Following illustration below, press crumbs evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie plate. Refrigerate lined pie plate 20 minutes to firm crumbs, then bake until crumbs are fragrant and set, about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack while preparing filling.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Elizabeth's March Pie - Classic Apple Pie
My March pie was chosen for an odd reason. The end of March was drawing near, and we had been invited to dinner at the home of some friends. While I was talking to the wife, I asked her what I should bring. She thought about a few options, but kept realizing that she already had the ingredients. Then she said, "Is there anything you want to bring?" I said, "Yes, a couple of pies!" (They have 8 in their family and we have 5 in ours, so one pie didn't seem sufficient.) She said, "Okay, bring an apple pie, because that's what my oldest likes, and bring a berry pie --- raspberries and blackberries, no blueberries --- because that's what the rest of us like. Just go to the freezer section of the store and get the bag of mixed raspberries and blackberries. No blueberries. Okay?"
Who does that???! Who tells someone what pie they're going to make!? I'll tell you who---my friend Carol! The thing that's so funny about it is that she didn't say it because they're picky about their pies----they actually like lots of pies and would have eaten anything I brought. It's just what she had in her head right when I said "pie" and Carol says whatever is in her head. If I had said, "Whatever, lady! I'm bringing something else," she would have said, "Great!" and not thought another thing of it. She's actually not crazy controlling, despite what this story sounds like. She just says what she's thinking, and lots of times it's hilarious.
I actually don't mind people who say ultra-bold in-your-face kinds of things (I know I didn't give any examples of this, but Carol is one of those people who says things that shock people). In fact, I even like it. BUT so often the same person who is ultra-bold is also easily offended, and I can't STAND that (luckily Carol is not like that at all). It seems that some people are ultra-bold only because they can get away with it and scare everyone into submission. I hate that. Some of the boldest people I know are also the touchiest. That's such a bad combination.
Anyway, back to the pie:
So since I didn't have anything in mind, I laughed about her boldness with her, but then said, "I don't have anything else in mind, so I'll just make the pies you mentioned anyway!" I knew I could only count one of the pies I made for Our Year of Pies.
.....Or so I thought......
I finished making the apple pie at 10 pm the night before our get-together. (I will get into its fabulousness later.) Jeff called as it was cooling and said, "I misread my schedule. We can't go to dinner with Fred and Carol tomorrow." I was SO deflated!! I was now stuck with a whole pie that Jeff and I hate! I couldn't believe it. Still, I was able to give lots of slices to my visiting teachees the next day, AND I was able to count it for Our Year of Pies, so it worked out okay. And the very next week, in April, we got together with the Fred and Carol family, and I made ANOTHER apple pie AND also the blackberry and raspberry ("no blueberry") pie that I had promised. KaCHING! My April pie, in the bag!
Now, for the amazing info about the APPLE PIE!!!!!!!!!
I love this pie!! I love it so much!!! This pie converted me to apple pie! This is the only apple pie I have ever liked in my life (though I must admit that many, many times I have turned down apple pie, so it's not like I've tasted a lot of them). This is the Pie of the YEAR!!!!!
Two reasons:
Reason #1 that this is Pie of the Year: There is nothing so visually satisfying --- NOTHING! ---- about opening the oven and seeing a movie pie... a CARTOON pie.... a mounded double-crusted ALL-AMERICAN PIE staring back at you. It was the craziest thing. I could not stop staring at it after it came out of the oven. I kept coming back into the kitchen to stare at it. I kept saying, "I made that! I made that! I made that! I made that!"I cannot describe to you the craziness of that. You just have to make one and see. It looks just like this:
No lie!!
Reason #2 that this is Pie of the Year: This pie made me love pie crust! I didn't really like it all that much before, and I was kinda making it just because I had to. I always thought it took away from the pie filling, and with a cream pie I still think it does. However, the interplay between the not-too-sweet apples and the flaky pie crust is phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. With a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream..... OUT OF THIS WORLD!
I still don't think I'll ever crave an apple pie, and I probably won't start picking up Hostess Apple Pies when I go to the store (ack... that makes me gag), but I loved this pie. It definitely was my favorite of the year so far.
The recipe, from America's Test Kitchen:
Classic Apple Pie
If you are making this pie during the fall apple season, when many local varieties may be available, follow the recipe below using Macoun, Royal Gala, Empire, Winesap, Rhode Island Greening or Cortland apples. These are well-balanced apples, unlike Granny Smith, and work well on their own without thickeners or the addition of McIntosh. Placing the pie on a baking sheet in the oven inhibits cooking, so cover the bottom of the oven with a sheet of aluminum foil to catch a dripping juices. The pie is best eaten when cooled almost to room temperature, or even the next day. See the last procedural step for do-ahead instructions.
| Pie Dough | |
| 2 1/2 | cups unbleached all-purpose flour , plus extra for dusting |
| 1 | teaspoon table salt |
| 2 | tablespoons granulated sugar |
| 12 | tablespoons unsalted butter , chilled, cut into 1/4-inch pieces |
| 8 | tablespoons vegetable shortening (chilled) |
| 6 - 8 | tablespoons ice water |
Apple Filling | |
| 2 | pounds Granny Smith apples (4 medium) |
| 2 | pounds McIntosh apples (4 medium) |
| 3/4 | cup granulated sugar |
| 1 1/2 | tablespoons lemon juice |
| 1 | teaspoon lemon zest from 1 medium lemon |
| 1/4 | teaspoon table salt |
| 1/4 | teaspoon ground cinnamon |
| 1/8 | teaspoon ground allspice |
| 1 | egg white , beaten lightly |
| 1 | tablespoon granulated sugar , for topping |
2. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 2 tablespoons more ice water if dough will not hold together. Squeeze dough gently until cohesive and divide into two equal balls. Flatten each into a 4-inch-wide disk. Dust lightly with flour, wrap separately in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days, before rolling.
3. Remove dough from refrigerator. If stiff and very cold, let stand until dough is cool but malleable. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
4. Roll one dough disk on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Fold dough in quarters, then place dough point in center of 9-inch Pyrex regular or deep dish pie pan. Unfold dough.
5. Gently press dough into sides of pan leaving portion that overhangs lip of pie plate in place. Refrigerate while preparing fruit.
6. Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/2-to-3/4-inch slices and toss with 3/4 cup sugar and lemon juice and zest through allspice. Turn fruit mixture, including juices, into chilled pie shell and mound slightly in center. Roll out other dough round and place over filling. Trim top and bottom edges to 1/2 inch beyond pan lip. Tuck this rim of dough underneath itself so that folded edge is flush with pan lip. Flute edging or press with fork tines to seal. Cut four slits at right angles on dough top. Brush egg white onto top of crust and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, (omit if freezing unbaked pie, see below).
7. Bake until top crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees; continue baking until juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack; cool to almost room temperature, at least 4 hours.
8. Do-Ahead: Freeze the unbaked pie for two to three hours, then cover it with a double layer of plastic wrap, and return it to the freezer for no more than two weeks. To bake, remove the pie from the freezer, brush it with the egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and place directly into a preheated 425 degree oven. After baking it for the usual fifty-five minutes, reduce the oven to 325 degrees, cover the pie with foil so as not to overcook the crust, and bake for an additional twenty to twenty-five minutes.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Ann's March Pie - Strawberry Glace
As I've mentioned before, I like to think of some reason to make a certain pie each month, generally out of necessity to use something up. But this month, I went with subtle hints directed towards me. My roommate Scholarastastic has regaled me with stories of her mother's magical strawberry pie that she makes for Valentine's Day each year, and since she had a birthday in March, this pie seemed as good as any to make. I didn't make it for her, per se, but maybe in honor of her.
To start, I'm not sure about the name. The recipe is written as "strawberry glace", Scholarastastic pronounces it "strawberry glass", but glace means "freeze" in French, and glacé, which is what I thought it was called, means "frozen". Neither of these apply to the method or result of the pie. I know that it's supposed to be refering to the glaze, but I don't know what the name is actually supposed to be. Maybe if I spoke French, I'd get it. Stupid Romantic languages.
Anyhoo, I love the idea of this recipe because I knew it'd be gorgeous and that I could try out some new skills, but most appealing is the fact that it is a family favorite and that's what pie making really should be all about. However, the recipe didn't come with a specific crust, so I decided on a butter-and-shortening crust since I hadn't made one yet. I did some research, and decided on a recipe from The Dessert Bible by Christopher Kimball (of America's Test Kitchen fame, and Elizabeth's secret boyfriend). I liked that he had a handmade method instead of requiring a food processor, and I especially liked that the recipe said to freeze the fats and then grate them into the dry ingredients. How fun! This allows the fats to be in small enough pieces without a food processor and cuts them down quickly so they can remain as cold as possible as the dough is incorporated together. And it just looks cool:
Is it mozzerella... or butter and Crisco???
And then it was basically done! Here is the finished product:
Come, little children, don't fear the pie...
Poor Greta gets no pie:
And then it went into the fridge for several hours - we didn't eat it until the next day in the end.
The strawberries we bought were amazing - they completely made the pie. I don't think it would be worth making without gorgeous, ripe berries, and there's something so satisfying about seeing a mound of perfect glistening red presented to you. However, there are things I would change about the recipe. The glaze was good, but it didn't taste great after the first day - it was more gelatinous than a glaze, so you either ought to eat the pie all at once or make a different kind of glaze. Also, once the pie had chilled, the cream cheese just set up in a very solid layer which I didn't particularly enjoy. Scholarastastic checked with her mom and found out that she usually does a mixture of sour cream and cream cheese, which would make a world of difference. I would whip them together with some lemon juice and zest for extra tang - similar to the top layer of the blueberry sour cream pie in January. Num num nummy!
Of course, Scholarastastic was quite pleased with the result. Happy Birthday!
Strawberry Glace Pie
courtesy Betty Crocker via Barbara S.
9-inch prebaked pie crust
approx. 8 cups strawberries (4 pints)
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water)
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened (per Scholarastastic's method - 3 oz. cream cheese, 3 tbs. sour cream, 1 tbs. sugar)
Mash enough strawberries to make 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2 quart saucepan. Stir in water and mashed berries gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute; cool. Beat cream cheese until smooth, spread on bottom of pie shell. Fill with rest of strawberries; pour cooked mixture over top. Refrigerate until set, approximately 3 hours.
Master Recipe for Prebaked Pie Shell, hand variation
from The Dessert Bible by Christopher Kimball
(Note: this the recipe I should have used)
5 tablespoons cold all-vegetable shortening (e.g. Crisco)
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
1. Freeze the vegetable shortening (Crisco) and butter for 30 minutes. Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl with a whisk for 30 seconds. Grate the butter and shortening into the bowl containing the flour mixture. Use your fingers to gently toss the grated butter and shortening with the flour. The flour mixture should turn slightly yellow and take on a course, cornmeal-like tecture. Do not overmix at this point or the butter will melt and the dough will become sticky and hard to handle.
2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon ice water onto the mixture and gently toss with your fingers to mix. Add an additional tablespoon and toss and then a third. Check the mixture by taking a handfull and squeezing. If the dough holds together, it is done. (It is better to use too much water than not enough.) If not, add another tablespoon of water, toss, and then squeeze a handful to check. Gather the dough into a ball, turn onto a lightly floured surface, and flatten into a 4-inch disk. Dust very lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
3. If dough has spent more than 1 hour in the refrigerator, let warm up a few minutes on the counter before proceeding. Roll out dough and place into a 8- or 9-inch pie pan. Push dough gently down the sides of the pan. Trim dough around edge of pan, leaving 1/2-inch border. Fold excess dough underneath the edge of the dough and shape edge using fingers, or press with the tines of a fork. Place in refrigerator for at least 40 minutes. Place in freeze for 20 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
4. Remove pie shell from freezer and fit a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil (the extra-wide rolls are best; if the foil is too narrow, use two sheets) over shell, fitting foil carefully into the bottom of pie shell and pressing against the sides. Add pie weights or dried beans, enough to generously cover bottom of pie plate. Pile up the weights around the sides of the shell to help hold them in place.
5. Bake on lower rack for about 21 minutes, or until sides of pie shell are set. (They should not be moist and should be firm.) Remove foil and weights and bake another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. (Note: this cooking time was too long for my pie - after removing weights, watch carefully to make sure the crust doesn't brown too much.)
To start, I'm not sure about the name. The recipe is written as "strawberry glace", Scholarastastic pronounces it "strawberry glass", but glace means "freeze" in French, and glacé, which is what I thought it was called, means "frozen". Neither of these apply to the method or result of the pie. I know that it's supposed to be refering to the glaze, but I don't know what the name is actually supposed to be. Maybe if I spoke French, I'd get it. Stupid Romantic languages.
Anyhoo, I love the idea of this recipe because I knew it'd be gorgeous and that I could try out some new skills, but most appealing is the fact that it is a family favorite and that's what pie making really should be all about. However, the recipe didn't come with a specific crust, so I decided on a butter-and-shortening crust since I hadn't made one yet. I did some research, and decided on a recipe from The Dessert Bible by Christopher Kimball (of America's Test Kitchen fame, and Elizabeth's secret boyfriend). I liked that he had a handmade method instead of requiring a food processor, and I especially liked that the recipe said to freeze the fats and then grate them into the dry ingredients. How fun! This allows the fats to be in small enough pieces without a food processor and cuts them down quickly so they can remain as cold as possible as the dough is incorporated together. And it just looks cool:
Is it mozzerella... or butter and Crisco???The dough came together fairly easily - I think I ended up adding an extra tablespoon or two of water to make it form a ball, but it wasn't bad at all. After I put it in the fridge, I looked at the recipe again to see what I'd need to do for the rolling out and prebaking processes..and then I saw the separate recipe for crusts that require prebaking, which is what I wanted. Gah!!! I really felt like I had read the recipe through and understood it, but how can I compete with a cookbook that doesn't tell me that the recipe I want isn't actually the recipe I want? How would I know that there would be a different recipe if you want to prebake the crust? I thought that was just part of what you did with pie crusts of this nature!! I guess there must be pies that you don't prebake first - clearly, this is something I need to look into. So you'll get different results from the slightly different amounts of fat, which must be true because Chris Kimball says so. He also says "The single most difficult culinary task for the home cook is prebaking a pie shell." Yikes! What was I up against???
Actually, the crust rolled out BEAUTIFULLY - absolutely no dry edges, pliable, perfect. Chris Kimball recommends refrigerating the dough first and then freezing it briefly before baking it to help prevent the crust from shrinking. At this point, I transfered over to Miss Hass's house to finish the pie since we were going to a Scholarastastic's birthday party a little later and it was closer to her apartment. Plus, she promised to take pictures with her amazing camera in exchange for pie. Hooray!!!
The crust didn't bake as nicely as I'd have liked, I think because the oven got REALLY hot fast - ovens can be so tricky, as I've learned since living in various apartments. Anyway, so now for the filling. We took a trip to Sam's Club for strawberries, and so I could gawk at everything (as La Dolcezza recorded in her blog recently) - I also bought bulk cheese and a skirt! We hulled them and mashed some with sugar and water for the glaze. To start, I spread softened cream cheese on the bottom of the crust. Next, I arranged the berries in a lovely pattern.
Then, the glaze:
And then it was basically done! Here is the finished product:
Come, little children, don't fear the pie...Poor Greta gets no pie:
And then it went into the fridge for several hours - we didn't eat it until the next day in the end.
The strawberries we bought were amazing - they completely made the pie. I don't think it would be worth making without gorgeous, ripe berries, and there's something so satisfying about seeing a mound of perfect glistening red presented to you. However, there are things I would change about the recipe. The glaze was good, but it didn't taste great after the first day - it was more gelatinous than a glaze, so you either ought to eat the pie all at once or make a different kind of glaze. Also, once the pie had chilled, the cream cheese just set up in a very solid layer which I didn't particularly enjoy. Scholarastastic checked with her mom and found out that she usually does a mixture of sour cream and cream cheese, which would make a world of difference. I would whip them together with some lemon juice and zest for extra tang - similar to the top layer of the blueberry sour cream pie in January. Num num nummy!
Of course, Scholarastastic was quite pleased with the result. Happy Birthday!
Strawberry Glace Pie
courtesy Betty Crocker via Barbara S.
9-inch prebaked pie crust
approx. 8 cups strawberries (4 pints)
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water)
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened (per Scholarastastic's method - 3 oz. cream cheese, 3 tbs. sour cream, 1 tbs. sugar)
Mash enough strawberries to make 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2 quart saucepan. Stir in water and mashed berries gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute; cool. Beat cream cheese until smooth, spread on bottom of pie shell. Fill with rest of strawberries; pour cooked mixture over top. Refrigerate until set, approximately 3 hours.
Master Recipe for Prebaked Pie Shell, hand variation
from The Dessert Bible by Christopher Kimball
(Note: this the recipe I should have used)
5 tablespoons cold all-vegetable shortening (e.g. Crisco)
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
1. Freeze the vegetable shortening (Crisco) and butter for 30 minutes. Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl with a whisk for 30 seconds. Grate the butter and shortening into the bowl containing the flour mixture. Use your fingers to gently toss the grated butter and shortening with the flour. The flour mixture should turn slightly yellow and take on a course, cornmeal-like tecture. Do not overmix at this point or the butter will melt and the dough will become sticky and hard to handle.
2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon ice water onto the mixture and gently toss with your fingers to mix. Add an additional tablespoon and toss and then a third. Check the mixture by taking a handfull and squeezing. If the dough holds together, it is done. (It is better to use too much water than not enough.) If not, add another tablespoon of water, toss, and then squeeze a handful to check. Gather the dough into a ball, turn onto a lightly floured surface, and flatten into a 4-inch disk. Dust very lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
3. If dough has spent more than 1 hour in the refrigerator, let warm up a few minutes on the counter before proceeding. Roll out dough and place into a 8- or 9-inch pie pan. Push dough gently down the sides of the pan. Trim dough around edge of pan, leaving 1/2-inch border. Fold excess dough underneath the edge of the dough and shape edge using fingers, or press with the tines of a fork. Place in refrigerator for at least 40 minutes. Place in freeze for 20 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
4. Remove pie shell from freezer and fit a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil (the extra-wide rolls are best; if the foil is too narrow, use two sheets) over shell, fitting foil carefully into the bottom of pie shell and pressing against the sides. Add pie weights or dried beans, enough to generously cover bottom of pie plate. Pile up the weights around the sides of the shell to help hold them in place.
5. Bake on lower rack for about 21 minutes, or until sides of pie shell are set. (They should not be moist and should be firm.) Remove foil and weights and bake another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. (Note: this cooking time was too long for my pie - after removing weights, watch carefully to make sure the crust doesn't brown too much.)
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Elizabeth's February Pie: Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie
For February I decided to throw my husband a bone, since he only got a half slice of the Chocolate Cream Pie in December and I made a Coconut Cream Pie in January. Jeff hates coconut, but he LOVES peanut butter, so I decided to make him a Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie. I know most people call it a "Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie," but I want the focus to be on the peanut butter, so I'm listing it first in the title.
(Side note: when Jeff is eating something he likes, he very often comments that it would be better with more chocolate and more peanut butter---even if the item has none of either ingredient. He doesn't seem to say it to be funny; he legitimately thinks every food in the world would be better with more chocolate and more peanut butter. I usually think it's funny, but sometimes I want to shout, "ACK! Not everything in the world has to taste like a Reeses!")
(Other side note: around here in Ohio, lots of people say "ReesEEs" with a long e at the end, instead of Reeses, with a short e. I'd never heard it before and I think they're wrong. The commercials never said ReesEEs! What do you say?)
I've made peanut butter chocolate pies before, but they were never just right. Jeff and I have been searching for the "perfect" peanut butter chocolate pie, and America's Test Kitchen is no help! Stupid ATK!! (Just kidding.... Chris, Julia, Bridgette, Adam, Jack.....How could I be mad at you???)
The recipe I came up with is actually a combination and tweaking of 5 separate recipes. It comes as close to the perfect peanut butter chocolate pie that Jeff and I have yet encountered, but there is still some tweaking to go. I will explain that later.
I went with a Nutter Butter crust, a fudge layer, a peanut butter/cream cheese layer, and a ganache top. Fabulous! I'm the perfect combiner of recipes! And using hot fudge topping for the fudge layer was all my idea. I'm brilliant!!
Here is the combo RECIPE that I used:
Crust:
14 nutter butters
3 Tbl butter melted
Fudge layer:
Mrs. Richardson's Chocolate Fudge Topping (NOT Hershey's)
Filling:
5 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups chilled heavy cream
Ganache Topping:
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the crust by combining cookies and butter. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9" pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.
2. Spread fudge topping on the bottom of the crust to the thickness you prefer. Go slowly, be patient, and use an offset spatula so that the act of spreading the fudge doesn't pull up the crust. Chill the crust after the fudge goes in.
3. Filling: In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer set on high, whip cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add milk, peanut butter and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.
4. In a separate bowl, whip remaining chilled cream until stiff and fold into peanut butter mixture. Spoon gently into chilled crust, using a spatula to smooth the surface of the pie, and refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
5. Make the ganache: In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate with the heavy cream and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is melted and the cream is hot. Stir the ganache until blended, then let cool to barely warm, stirring occasionally.
6. Spread the ganache over the peanut butter filling and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Note: It is vital that you chill the pie for the required time. Otherwise it just weeps all over. When it is properly chilled it slices like a dream and tastes a million times better than a weepy pie.
NOW --- WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
1. I would add more fat to the crust. A total of 4-6 Tablespoons. The crust didn't hold together as firmly as I would have liked.
2. I would make a thicker fudge layer. More topping. That is Jeff's suggestion, not mine. It is true, though, that that layer wasn't really "present."
3. I would use less sugar and more peanut butter in the filling. I don't like my pies to taste like a candy bar, and even though everyone who ate it gushed at how much they loved it, it was too sweet for me, and I'm the cook, so I get to fiddle with it!
4. I would garnish it with chopped peanuts around the edge of the pie.
5. I would have remembered that it was my friend's birthday that night and actually have said "Happy Birthday" and maybe even have had everyone sing the song, instead of forgetting all about her birthday because of my stupid dinner and pie. I didn't know it was her birthday when I invited her family to dinner, but when she told me that it would be her birthday that night, I certainly planned on doing something for it!! What's my problem? I LOVE birthdays! Who would have thought I would have missed a birthday???!!!
(Side note: when Jeff is eating something he likes, he very often comments that it would be better with more chocolate and more peanut butter---even if the item has none of either ingredient. He doesn't seem to say it to be funny; he legitimately thinks every food in the world would be better with more chocolate and more peanut butter. I usually think it's funny, but sometimes I want to shout, "ACK! Not everything in the world has to taste like a Reeses!")
(Other side note: around here in Ohio, lots of people say "ReesEEs" with a long e at the end, instead of Reeses, with a short e. I'd never heard it before and I think they're wrong. The commercials never said ReesEEs! What do you say?)
I've made peanut butter chocolate pies before, but they were never just right. Jeff and I have been searching for the "perfect" peanut butter chocolate pie, and America's Test Kitchen is no help! Stupid ATK!! (Just kidding.... Chris, Julia, Bridgette, Adam, Jack.....How could I be mad at you???)
The recipe I came up with is actually a combination and tweaking of 5 separate recipes. It comes as close to the perfect peanut butter chocolate pie that Jeff and I have yet encountered, but there is still some tweaking to go. I will explain that later.
I went with a Nutter Butter crust, a fudge layer, a peanut butter/cream cheese layer, and a ganache top. Fabulous! I'm the perfect combiner of recipes! And using hot fudge topping for the fudge layer was all my idea. I'm brilliant!!
Here is the combo RECIPE that I used:
Crust:
14 nutter butters
3 Tbl butter melted
Fudge layer:
Mrs. Richardson's Chocolate Fudge Topping (NOT Hershey's)
Filling:
5 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups chilled heavy cream
Ganache Topping:
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the crust by combining cookies and butter. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9" pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.
2. Spread fudge topping on the bottom of the crust to the thickness you prefer. Go slowly, be patient, and use an offset spatula so that the act of spreading the fudge doesn't pull up the crust. Chill the crust after the fudge goes in.
3. Filling: In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer set on high, whip cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add milk, peanut butter and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.
4. In a separate bowl, whip remaining chilled cream until stiff and fold into peanut butter mixture. Spoon gently into chilled crust, using a spatula to smooth the surface of the pie, and refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
5. Make the ganache: In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate with the heavy cream and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is melted and the cream is hot. Stir the ganache until blended, then let cool to barely warm, stirring occasionally.
6. Spread the ganache over the peanut butter filling and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Note: It is vital that you chill the pie for the required time. Otherwise it just weeps all over. When it is properly chilled it slices like a dream and tastes a million times better than a weepy pie.
NOW --- WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
1. I would add more fat to the crust. A total of 4-6 Tablespoons. The crust didn't hold together as firmly as I would have liked.
2. I would make a thicker fudge layer. More topping. That is Jeff's suggestion, not mine. It is true, though, that that layer wasn't really "present."
3. I would use less sugar and more peanut butter in the filling. I don't like my pies to taste like a candy bar, and even though everyone who ate it gushed at how much they loved it, it was too sweet for me, and I'm the cook, so I get to fiddle with it!
4. I would garnish it with chopped peanuts around the edge of the pie.
5. I would have remembered that it was my friend's birthday that night and actually have said "Happy Birthday" and maybe even have had everyone sing the song, instead of forgetting all about her birthday because of my stupid dinner and pie. I didn't know it was her birthday when I invited her family to dinner, but when she told me that it would be her birthday that night, I certainly planned on doing something for it!! What's my problem? I LOVE birthdays! Who would have thought I would have missed a birthday???!!!
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