All posts tagged crust

French Silk Chocolate Pie

I’m sorry to have been absent this month. I am very excited to have a great, new FT job!! Then I also have my PT teaching job, three children, a husband, a dog….so, as you can imagine, November has been a bit busy. But, in a great way!

I am happy to be the November hostess for What’s Baking. I chose pie for the theme, figuring with Thanksgiving and all, it would be very fitting. This year, we went to my mother-in-law’s for Thanksgiving and of course, I was in charge of dessert. I decided to make a French silk pie because it has been my favorite ever since I was a little girl and my grandpa would bring one from Baker’s Square every time he visited. I hadn’t made it since college, then using a Pillsbury pie crust and a recipe with raw eggs. But, with three kids, I figured this would just not do. So, I thought the cooked version from ATK would be the perfect solution. And, I would scrap the store-bought crust and make my own pastry crust. Oh, I always have grand plans…

So, I set off to make Martha’s pastry crust that I made last Thanksgiving. But, I either forgot or didn’t read the directions carefully that the prepared crust had to be refrigerated for 1 hour before baking. At this point, it was already noon and there was no time for that. So, I just put the crust in the oven as is and hoped for the best. When time was up, to my dismay, the crust totally shrunk down to about 1/2 inch tall. Yeah, no way was this crust going to hold the French silk filling. Oh, geez. Now what? Thank goodness we had some Oreos and so I made a quick cookie crust. Problem solved.

For the filling, you will need a hand mixer to beat the eggs and sugar over a double boiler for ~8 minutes until they reach 160 degrees. Midway through this process, my husband yelled for me to come upstairs. He didn’t sound too happy, so I turned off the stove, put the mixer down, and went upstairs. There I see Justin, holding Alex with blue, purple and green marker all over his face, hands, and the walls of his bedroom. Apparently Alex crawled out of his bed after his nap, found his sister’s markers, and decided that he and his room were in need of a makeover. So, Justin had to put out that fire, while I went back to my pie. Luckily, the rest of it went off without a hitch.

The pie was ready just in time to leave for my mother-in-law’s house. I hadn’t made the whipped cream and chocolate curls yet, but the kitchen was all a bustle in apps, turkey and sides preparation. So, I figured I should have an apple bourbon drink and just wait until after dinner to finish my pie. But, the problem is, I cannot take pictures inside. No matter how I adjust the white balance on my camera or how I edit it, I cannot get the color right on indoor pictures. Of course, after dinner it was dark, so I didn’t get a photo But, this pie was crazy delicious and went fast. So, what the heck, I would just have to make another one. I mean, after all, I was hosting What’s Baking, I chose the theme of pie and then I had no pie? This could not be. I can think of many worse things than having to eat two French silk pies in one week.

French Silk Chocolate Pie

Yield: one 9 inch pie

For the crust:

18 Oreo cookies

3 Tbsp melted butter

Place cookies in the food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. Pour in the butter and process until well combined.

Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up the sides of 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until the crust is fragrant, ~ 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Source: I combined the recipes from Martha Stewart New Pies and Tarts and Kraft.

For the filling:

1 cup heavy cream, chilled
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened

With an electric mixer on med-high, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks, ~2 to 3 minutes. Put the whipped cream in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Prepare a double boiler with a medium-sized saucepan filled with ½ inch of barely simmering water and place a large heat proof bowl on top. Put the eggs, sugar, and water into the bowl. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat until the egg mixture is thick and registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer, ~ 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat. Continue to beat the egg mixture until fluffy and cooled to room temperature, ~ 8 minutes.

Add the cool chocolate and vanilla to the cool egg mixture. Beat until incorporated. Beat in the softened butter pieces, a few at a time, until well combined. Using a spatula, fold in the whipped cream until no streaks of white remain. Scrape the filling into the pie shell. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours.

Garnish with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate curls if desired.

Source: Cook’s Country Feb/March 2009

For the sweetened whipped cream topping:

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Chocolate curls, if desired

With an electric mixer on med-high, whisk cream just until soft peaks form. Add confectioner’s sugar and whisk until stiff peaks. Spread whipped cream over the chocolate filling.

Garnish with chocolate curls just before serving if desired. To do this, heat a thick bar of milk chocolate in the microwave for 15 second increments until it softens a bit, but doesn’t melt. Use a peeler along the long side of the chocolate bar to make the curls. Don’t worry, it’s easier than it looks.

Source: Martha Stewart New Pies and Tarts

9 Comments

by Just Baked on December 2, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Chocolate, Pie

Tagged ATK, chocolate, CI, Cook's Country, cooked, cream. pie, crust, french, heavy cream, Oreo, silk

Posted by Just Baked on December 2, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/french-silk-chocolate-pie/

Chocolate Cream Pie

I always forget about Pi day until it’s too late. And, it’s not like you can just whip up a pie. It takes some time and planning between the filling, topping, and crust. This is especially true when you add children and work to the mix. But, this year I remembered!! When, I was trying to decide what to make for my Wednesday post, I was looking at the calendar and saw the date was 3/14. I just have to make a pie! My husband doesn’t really eat pie, so I decided this must be chocolate for the rest of us. I saw this recipe for chocolate cream pie in Martha Stewart’s Pies & Tarts and it looked delicious. I like that it has a chocolate wafer crust as opposed to a rolled pastry crust for 2 reasons: it takes less time and I think it tastes better with a chocolate filling. The custard was really easy to make too, just a lot of whisking to make sure it doesn’t burn. It is thickened with cornstarch with an optional addition of gelatin if you like a firmer filling. I went without the gelatin, and while it did set, it just didn’t slice as nicely as I hoped. So, next time I think I would add the gelatin, well at least half of it anyways. The whipped cream is the perfect sweetness to complement the filling. The chocolate curls, though optional, are surprising easy to make and they look so impressive. When I finished putting all the parts together, the pie looked just as I hoped it would. That doesn’t always happen. I was excited because I just knew Jack and Sammie would love this pie and they did! I love to watch them eat it and smile with their little faces all messy with pudding and whipped cream, asking for another piece before they’ve even finished their first. That’s always a good sign.

Martha’s Chocolate Cream Pie for Pi Day

Crust:

25 Chocolate wafers (6oz) or 1 1/2 cups wafer cookie crumbs.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the wafers until fine crumbs form. Add butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a food processor until well combined.

Pat mixture into a 9-inch pie dish, pressing firmly into bottom and up sides. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Bake until crust is fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Chocolate Custard:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cup milk

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 61 %), finely chopped

1 tsp unflavored powder gelatin (optional) I omitted

2 Tbsp cold water (only needed if you use the gelatin)

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat milk and chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until chocolate melts.

Whisk 1 cup hot milk mixture into sugar mixture until smooth. Whisk milk-sugar mixture into the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick, 4 to 5 minutes total (about 2 minutes after it comes to a boil).

If using gelatin, sprinkle 1 tsp over 2 Tbsp cold water in a small bowl. Let it sit until softened, about 5 minutes.

Whisk yolks in a medium bowl until combined. Pour in milk mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking until completely incorporated. Return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbles appear in the middle, 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add softened gelatin, if using, and whisk until dissolved. Stir in vanilla. Let custard cool about 10 minutes, whisking 2 or 3 times.

Pour custard into baked and cooled chocolate crust. I poured through a large stainer to get ultimate smoothness. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until custard filling is chilled and firm, at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.

For the sweetened whipped cream topping:

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Chocolate curls if desired.

With an electric mixer on med-high, whisk cream just until soft peaks form. Add confectioner’s sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over custard. Garnish wit chocolate curls just before serving if desired.

Source: Martha Stewart’s New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old Fashioned and Modern Favorites

Helpful Hints:

I put my mixer bowl and beater in the freezer to make them super cold to make the best whipped cream
To make the curls, use a peeler to shave large strips of chocolate off a warm chocolate bar. (Warm the chocolate bar in the microwave at 5 second intervals until just warm to the touch)
Press the warm custard through a large strainer with a spatula right into the crust for maximum smoothness.
Because of the cornstarch, the filling sets up pretty well. But, for nicer slices, I think I would add the gelatin next time…maybe half the amount?

12 Comments

by Just Baked on March 14, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Pie

Tagged chocolate, crust, dessert, pie, whipped cream

Posted by Just Baked on March 14, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/chocolate-cream-pie/

Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving was at my mom’s this year and I was asked to bring the desserts. It is always hard to decide what to make, especially when half of the guests are children. So, I decided to make Baked Brownies, pumpkin pie, and peanut butter cookies in case the first two didn’t turn out. I had never made a homemade pumpkin pie before and I needed a recipe. So, I looked through a bunch of my cookbooks and a bit online. I finally decided to go with Martha Stewart’s recipe. She had never failed me and I was hoping this would not be the time.

Looking at the recipe, it didn’t seem too difficult. What I was most nervous about was the pie crust. I haven’t made pie crust, honestly, since junior high in Home Ec class. I never made it again because it seemed like an awful lot of work for something I could easily buy at the store. But, now I was determined to make this pie from scratch and that included the crust. I liked 2 things about the preparation of the crust: 1. It is made in the food processor and 2. It makes two crusts, so I have one in the freezer to make a pie later. I learned that making pie crust isn’t hard, it is just time consuming between making the dough, chilling it, rolling it, crimping the edges, and blind baking it. But, I have to admit, it was so worth the difference in taste and texture. This pumpkin pie was unlike any we’ve ever had. The crust was so buttery and flaky and the pumpkin custard was really creamy and soft, though it still held its shape. Most of my family agreed it was the best pumpkin pie they had ever had. I am not a huge pumpkin fan, but after the work I put into this pie, I had to taste it. So, not to be immodest, I’m just being honest when I agree with my family. Best. Pumpkin Pie. Ever.

Crust: (makes 2 crusts: 1 for now and freeze 1 for later)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

16 tablespoons cold (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In a food processor, combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, and sugar), pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until it resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.

Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 Tbsp at a time). Do not over process, or your crust will not be flaky.

Transfer half of dough (still crumbly) onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form dough into a disk 3/4 inch thick and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days). Repeat with remaining dough. (Disks can be frozen, tightly wrapped, up to 3 months. Thaw before using.)

Pumpkin Pie:

2 large eggs

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin, (1 3/4 cups)

1 cup half and half

Using kitchen shears or a paring knife, trim dough to a 1-inch overhang. With floured fingers, fold overhang under itself to form a rim; pinch between thumb and forefinger to form a uniform edge around rim of plate. Crimp with fingertips. Refrigerate pie shell until chilled, 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line dough with aluminum foil, folding foil over rim of pie plate. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is firm, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and beans. Cool crust completely before filling.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, pumpkin-pie spice, and pumpkin. Whisk in half-and-half. The filling will be on the thin side. Pour mixture into cooled pie crust. Bake until set, about 1 hour. Cool on rack at room temperature, 1 hour. Then refrigerate to fully cool and serve.

Source: Martha Stewart

Helpful Hints:

For a flaky crust everything must be cold. Use butter immediately from the fridge and prepare water with ice in a glass, that you can then pour into a glass measuring cup. Do not over process!!
If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, no worries. You can make your own! Stir together 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg- use what you need for the recipe and store the rest in an airtight container for later. (Martha Stewart)
I was sad to see that my pie cracked a bit in the middle, but looking at Martha’s picture, hers did too. I tried to smooth it out with a knife, but I made it worse. If the crack bothers you, just put whipped cream on it before serving it and no one will know.
My crust stuck a bit, so though the recipe did not say to coat the pie plate with cooking spray, I think I will try that next time I make this crust.

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