Coconut Cream Pie

There's a looong story that goes with this post, but since I have a TON of work to do on the computer today, I'm gonna make it short and sweet. I asked my dad what dessert he wanted for Father's Day, and his first reply was pie crust. His favorite thing is when I bake my leftover pie crust scraps with cinnamon and sugar. I wouldn't feel satisfied if all I baked him on Father's Day was scraps, so his second choice was coconut custard pie... and pie scraps, of course! :D I found a great recipe for coconut cream pie in The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. I liked it because it used coconut milk in the custard.

I started by making and baking the pie crust. I made a double batch of pie pastry. I rolled out half and put it in a pie pan. Then I rolled out the other half, cut it into strips, sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar, and baked them as "scraps." While the crust was in the oven, I made the coconut custard. It was insanely delicious, and I knew it was gonna make a GREAT pie. Next is when the baking gods decided take a giant, steaming deuce on my day!

When I went to retrieve my beautiful pre-baked pie crust from the oven, it slid back on the oven mitt, and the 375 degree dark metal pie pan made contact with my arm flesh! Naturally, my reflex was to get it off me, ASAP! I jerked my arm forward and watched in slow motion as my perfect pie crust hit the floor and flattened into a fugly hot mess. My mom, trying to remedy the situation, grabbed the pie crust and tried to put it back together jigsaw style. "Cassie, you can't even tell!" No way! No way was I gonna serve my dad a pie that had once been in pieces on the floor! By this time, dinner was almost ready. I had no time to re-do anything. I accepted my defeat, and with my head down, I put the coconut custard in the fridge to wait until the next day when I could gather my wits and try again.But remember how I said the baking gods took not only a deuce, but a GIANT, STEAMING deuce on my day?? Yeah, I also baked a birthday cake for a family friend. Can you guess how that turned out? I'll put it this way, I took one bite and spit it out... SPIT IT OUT! How embarassing is that? I am trying to open my own bakery, and I just produced a cake for someone's birthday that might've tasted better if I'd made it in my Easy-Bake Oven! Gahh!! Needless to say, I had a well-deserved cry while Josh reassured me that I simply made a mistake somewhere in the recipe, and that I was still a baking goddess. :D I love that boy! <3 Ok, so it didn't end up being a short story after all. Oh well, that just means less time playing FarmVille later.... Here's the Coconut Cream Pie recipe. BTW, the pictures look redonkulous because I was using the camera I gave to my dad for Father's Day. I haven't figured out any of the settings yet.

Coconut Cream Pie (adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book)

1 pre-baked 9” pie crust (half of the recipe after the link)

Filling
1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk (look for this on the Asian food aisle in the grocery store)
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon table salt
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping (my own recipe)
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted coconut, optional

Bring coconut milk, whole milk, 1/3 cup of sugar, and salt to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that sugar dissolves.

Whisk yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar in medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle about 1 cup hot milk mixture over yolk mixture; whisk well to combine. Whisking constantly, gradually add remaining milk mixture to yolk mixture in 3 or 4 additions; whisk well to combine. Return mixture to saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, whisking vigorously, until the mixture is thickened and a few bubbles burst on the surface, about 30 seconds.

Off heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Let the mixture cool until just warm, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Pour warm filling into cooled pie crust. Press plastic wrap directly against surface of filling and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.

For the topping, whip the cream, sugar, and flavorings with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat or the cream will curdle. Pipe or spread the whipped cream on top of the pie and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Chocolate Cream Pie v2.0

"Cassie, you wanna make the dessert?" Of course I do! What would you like? "Oh, just make whatever you feel like making." They say that to me thinking they're doing me a favor. No, no, no... I love it when you tell me exactly what you want! I wish people would do it more often! So last week when my dad asked me for a chocolate cream pie, not too dark, kind milk chocolate-y, I jumped at the opportunity! Plus, it was an excuse for me to finally use the Dove solid milk chocolate bunny I've had since Easter.

The last time my dad requested a chocolate cream pie, I used a recipe from AllRecipes.com. It was alright, but you know me and my inability to settle on a recipe. This time I went for a surefire, failproof recipe from the ONLY source for perfect pie recipes, The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. The recipe was unbelievably easy and quick. I made my favorite pie crust recipe to accompany the creamy chocolate filling and the cool whipped cream. (I know it's my dad's favorite pie crust too because his initial request wasn't for chocolate cream pie. It was for just plain pie crust that he could break into shards and dip into his Kozy Shack chocolate pudding!)

Rose didn't let me down. The pie was a hit, and my dad was completely satisfied. He's so funny! Everytime I make something we could potentially sell at our future bakery, he always calls out a prospective price. This one will be $34.95! ;DSome advice: When you cook the filling, make sure you let it thicken until it's almost as thick as you want it to be in your finished pie. It thickens as it cools, but it's not like Jell-O! It needs all the help it can get on the stove. And let it chill overnight. We cut into hours when it had been in the fridge for about 3 hours, and the filling was still a bit too soft. :)

PS: I didn't even notice until I started typing out the recipe, but there's a variation in the book for a milk chocolate version!! Lol! I included it here.

Chocolate Cream Pie (from The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum)

1 9-inch pie crust, prebaked (half the recipe after the link)

Filling
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (24 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
3 tablespoons (28 g) cornstarch
3 cups milk, divided
2/3 cup (132 g) sugar
Pinch of salt
6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet chocolate, grated or finely chopped (I used milk chocolate)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping (I made a double recipe of this)
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoo n confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate curls or shavings for garnish, optional

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, cocoa, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup of the milk until smooth.
In a medium nonreactive saucepan, stir together the remaining 2 3/4 cups of milk, the sugar, and salt. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a full boil. Whisk 1/4 cup of this hot mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk the egg mixture into the milk mixture. Cook, continuing to whisk rapidly, being sure to go into the edges of the pan, until the mixture thickens and pools a little when dropped on the surface. (It thickens quickly, but let it cook until it's almost as thick as you want it to be in your finished pie.)
Remove it from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and butter. Continue whisking until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Using a rubber spatula, immediately press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Allow it to cool to room temperature, or refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Pour the chocolate filling into the baked pie shell. It will fill the shell up to the top. Place a piece of greased plastic wrap on the surface and refrigerate the pie for at least 3 hours.
In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, combine the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. (Do not over beat; it will turn to butter!) Remove the plastic wrap from the pie and mound the topping over the chocolate filling.

VARIATION: For a less bittersweet, more milk chocolate filling, replace the milk with half-and-half, decrease the sugar to 1/2 cup (100 g), omit the cocoa, and increase the chocolate to 10 ounces (284 g).

Sour Cherry Lattice Pie

Happy belated Memorial Day! What better way to celebrate an American holiday than with a homemade cherry pie? Well truthfully, it started out as a mulberry pie. But when I went to retrieve my mulberries from the refrigerator, I discovered mold had taken over. Gross! I plundered my kitchen cabinets and found two cans of sour cherries. That'll do, pig! I scanned through my cookbook collection until I finally found a cherry pie recipe that called for canned cherries. This one comes from The Taste of Home Baking Book. I used my go-to crust recipe, and it was perfect. The use of cake flour and my adapted way of making the pastry are really forgiving. I baked the scraps while the pie was in the oven, and even after being rolled and re-rolled, they were still soooo yummy sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

My cherry pie!Dad is the grill master!

I also took this opportunity to test out a pie pan I just got. It's made by Chicago Metallic, and it allegedly makes slicing and serving pies a breeze. It comes with a contraption that slices the pie into 8 even slices. The pan itself has a removable bottom, and it came with a little stand that pushes the pie up from the bottom of the pan so that the slices can be removed from the sides without damaging them.After baking and slicing the pie in the Slice Solutions pan, I'm a BIG fan! It browned the crust nicely, and it kept the slices beautiful and clean. The package said it works best on single crust pies, but with some finesse, I managed to press the cutter into my lattice-topped pie with minimal damage. I'll absolutely be using this pie pan again and again! ;D If you're interested, I got it from UWantSavings.com for $17 and FREE shipping!PS: Let's keep this a secret from the new bathing suit I got from Target on Saturday... I'm having a slice of this pie for breakfast right now!

Sour Cherry Lattice Pie (from The Taste of Home Baking Book)
Makes 1 9-inch pie

2 cans (14.5-16 oz each) tart pitted cherries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons instant tapioca
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Red food coloring, optional (the canned cherries are somewhat grayish; I added 3 drops red gel color)
1 tablespoon butter
1 double-crust pastry

Divide pastry dough in half. Roll half into a 12-inch circle, fit into pie pan, and let it rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator or freezer.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Drain cherries, reserving 1/4 cup juice. In a large bowl, combine the cherries, juice, sugar, tapioca, extract, salt, and food coloring if desired; let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, roll other half of pastry into a 12-inch circle, and allow it to rest in the refrigerator until needed.

Pour filling into pie shell and dot with butter. With a knife or pastry wheel cut the other rolled out pastry into 3/4” strips. Place pastry strips in a lattice pattern on top of pie. (Click here for illustrated help.) Bake for 55-60 minutes. If crust begins to brown too quickly, cover edges with aluminum foil or a pie crust shield. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

1 Pie, 2 Pies, 3 Pies, 4 Pies!!

It's that time of year again. The space between Thanksgiving and Christmas, dubbed by my family as "Thanksmas." And you know what that means... it's time for PIES!!! I started a tradition last year when I brought pies for my aunts and Great aunt to our Thanksmas get-together. This year was slightly more difficult because I now have a busy work schedule to get around. Over a span of 3 days I managed to crank out 4 awesome looking pies! I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I wish I could say I tasted 4 awesome pies, but sadly the aunts don't like to share! :( Oh well, I guess that's what I get when I say "Here's YOUR pie." I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to share my pie with a house full of 23 hungry people either! Thankfully, they all texted back honest reviews. With one exception, the pies were very delicious. The exception being the Bourbon Chocolate Pecan pie, which broke my aunt's hear to tell me it tasted too much of alcohol. Although I didn't taste any of the pies, I did notice that particular pie smelling greatly of alcohol. I don't think I would've liked it either. If you're not a fan of bourbon, it might be a good idea to reduce it from 3 tablespoons to 1 tablespoon. Other than that, she loved the pie and all aunts said the crust was fantastic, flaky, and delicious! *pat on the back* I might start calling myself "Lord of the Pies" ...too much?? ;)

UPDATE: The receiver of the Tollhouse Pie let me know that her children really did not enjoy the whiskey flavor in the pie. I didn't think only 1 tablespoon would make a difference, but if you don't like whiskey feel free to leave it out. It won't make a big difference on the finished pie.

Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie (from "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito)
YIELD: 1 (9-INCH) PIE
1 ball of pie dough (my favorite recipe)
2 cups pecan halves, toasted
3 large eggs
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chip

Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Unwrap the ball of chilled dough and put it directly on the work surface. Roll out into a 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to a pie dish and carefully work it into the pie dish, fold­ing any overhang under and crimping the edge as you go. Wrap and freeze the crust until firm, about 2 hours, or up to 3 months.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coarsely chop 3/4 cup of the pecans. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until combined. Add the corn syrup, sugars, butter, salt, vanilla, and bourbon. Whisk again until combined. Stir in the chopped pecans and set the filling aside.
Spread the chocolate chips evenly along the bottom of the frozen pie shell. Slowly pour the filling on top of the chocolate chips. Arrange the remaining 1 1/4 cups pecan halves on top of the filling.
Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, then cover the edges of the crust loosely with aluminum foil and bake for another 30 minutes. (My pie was ready after only 40 minutes of baking.) Test the pie by sticking a knife in the center of the filling. If the knife comes out clean, the pie is done. If the knife comes out with clumps of filling sticking to it, bake for another 5 minutes and test again. (I’ve never fully baked a pecan pie like this. I always take it out when the edges are set and the center is slightly wobbly.)
Cool the pie on a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature. The pie can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 2 days.


*One thing I noticed about the two pie recipes from "Baked" that called for the crust to be frozen before baked, the crust browned more evenly and kept it's crimp. As you can see by the Cinnamon Apple Pie and my Gooey Pecan Pie at the end of the blog post (the crusts were not frozen before baked), they did not keep their pretty crimp, and the gooey pecan pie crust browned unevenly.

Tuscaloosa Tollhouse Pie (from "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito)
YIELD: 1 (9-INCH) PIE
1 ball of pie dough (my favorite recipe)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon whiskey
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 1/4 cups (about 8 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Unwrap the ball of chilled dough and put it directly on the work surface. Roll out into a 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to a pie dish and carefully work it into the pie dish, fold­ing any overhang under and crimping the edge as you go. Wrap and freeze the crust until firm, about 2 hours, or up to 3 months.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and sugars together until combined. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on high speed until foamy, about 3 minutes. Remove the whisk attach­ment and add the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Turn the mixer to high and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the butter. Beat on high speed until the mixture is combined. Scrape down the bowl, add the whiskey, and beat the mixture on high speed for 1 minute.
Fold the walnuts and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips into the filling.
Pour the filling into the frozen pie shell and spread it out evenly. Top the fill­ing with the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes, then cover the edges of the crust loosely with aluminum foil and bake for another 25 minutes (this will prevent the crust from browning too quickly). Test the pie by sticking a knife in the center of the filling. If the knife comes out clean, the pie is done. If the knife comes out with clumps of filling sticking to it, bake for another 5 minutes and test again. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool before slicing. The pie can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 2 days.

Cinnamon Apple Pie Gooey Pecan Pie

Favorite Deep-Dish Apple Pie

I've done it! I've finally mastered the apple pie! You may remember my apple pie post from two months ago. I loved that pie, but I overcooked the filling on the stove, so the apples were a little mushy. I wanted to try making apple pie again, but for some reason I moved on to a totally different recipe. My second try was with a Martha Stewart recipe. It's from her Baking Handbook, but I can't remember the exact name of the recipe. Anyway, it turned out horrible! I used my own crust recipe, but the problem was in the filling. It wasn't sweet at all, and the apples turned into complete mush! You would've thought I had made the pie with unsweetened applesauce! It was just horrible! So two days later I went back to the recipe I liked from "The All-American Dessert Book" by Nancy Baggett. This time I used the easy no-refrigeration oil-based crust from the grape pie because I just wasn't in the mood to wait around for my go-to crust to chill and rest in the fridge (FYI, my go-to crust recipe is here in my first apple pie post, as well as a link to the printable recipe). The oil-based crust is seriously a life-saver because you can use it as soon as you make it! It's a dream to roll out, but the only drawback is the lack of flavor. I guess you could add butter flavoring if you wanted to, but I'd rather just taste the slightly sweetened pastry. In my first apple pie I used 6 apples. In this pie I used a total of 9 apples: a combination of Braeburns, Granny Smiths, Honeycrisps, and Fujis. I spiced it up with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. And this time I didn't overcook the filling on the stove! It baked up perfectly in the oven, and the apples still had a nice bite to them.

If you use the oil-based crust, it gets pretty soggy after a day or two, so make this pie when you plan on eating the whole thing quickly! Otherwise, go with the butter/shortening crust in the following recipe.

Favorite Deep-Dish Apple Pie (from "The All-American Dessert Book" by Nancy Baggett)

Double crust All-Purpose Pie Pastry Dough (recipe follows)
All-purpose flour for dusting dough

FILLING
10 1/2 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples (8-11 medium baking apples; choose at least three kinds, such as Stayman, Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Smokehouse, Sunrise, Granny Smith, Grimes Golden, York, and Gala) (I used 3 Braeburn, 3 Fuji, 2 Honeycrisp, and 1 Granny Smith)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
Scant 2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 1/2-4 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (use larger amount if apples are very juicy)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I increased to 1 teaspoon and added 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice and 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg)
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 tablespoon milk for brushing on dough top (mix with 1 egg yolk if using the oil-based crust as it does not brown well in the oven)
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar for sprinkling on dough top (I used turbinado sugar)

Lightly grease a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate or coat with nonstick spray (I do not spray my pie plate). If the dough is cold and stiff, let it warm up until slightly pliable but still cool to the touch. Generously dust it on both sides with flour. Roll out one dough portion between large sheets of baking parchment into a 13 1/2-inch round. Occasionally check the underside of the dough during rolling and smooth out any wrinkles. (If the dough seems sticky or limp, place in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up.) Gently peel off the top sheet of paper, then pat back into place. Flip the dough; peel off the bottom sheet. Center the round, dough side down, in the pie plate. Gently peel off the remaining paper. Smooth the dough into the plate and patch any tears, if necessary. Using kitchen shears or a paring knife, trim the overhang to 1/4 inch. Prick the pastry all over with a fork (I don't prick it at all). Loosely cover the pastry and place in the freezer while you roll out the top pastry and prepare the filling.

Roll out the second portion of dough into a 13 1/2-inch round as described above. Transfer the round (paper still attached) to a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F (I preheat a pizza stone as well). In a very large, heavy non-reactive saucepan, toss the apples with the lemon juice. In a medium bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt until well blended. Add the sugar mixture and butter to the apples, tossing until well blended. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-­high heat. Simmer, stirring and scraping the pan bottom, for about 3 minutes, or until the apples cook down slightly; be careful not to burn (I cook them until the juice begins to thicken, about 5 minutes). Remove from the burner. Taste and add more lemon juice, if desired.

Turn out the apple mixture into the bot­tom crust, mounding it in the center. Gently peel off the top sheet of paper from the second pastry round. Center the round, dough side down, over the filling. Peel off and discard the remaining paper. Trim the over­hang to 3/4 inch. Fold the overhang under the bottom pastry to form an edge that rests on the lip of the plate. Press the layers together firmly, then flute with your fingers or press the tines of a fork all the way around. Brush the dough top (not the edges) with the milk, then sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Cut generous slashes in the top for steam vents, using a sharp, lightly greased paring knife.

Set the pie on a rimmed baking sheet (or directly on the hot pizza stone in the oven). Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned. Spray the under­side of an extra-wide sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick spray (or use nonstick foil). Make a foil tent over the pie top so the entire crust is cov­ered. Continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and the filling is bubbly. Transfer the pie to a wire rack. Let cool for at least 1 1/2 hours and preferably 4 hours or longer (for neater slices) before serving.

The pie will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days or re­frigerated for up to 2 days longer. Let come to room temperature before serving.

All-Purpose Pie Pastry Dough (Double Crust)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
7 tablespoons solid white shortening, cut or spooned into 14 pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (I increased to 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6-9 tablespoons ice water

Freeze the butter cubes and shortening pieces for 20 minutes. (I used refrigerated shortening and butter, not frozen.)

In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the all-­purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Sprinkle the chilled butter and shortening over the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender, forks, or your fingertips, cut in the fat until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with a few bits the size of small peas remaining. Be sure to scrape up the flour mixture on the bottom of the bowl.

Combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in the processor. Pulse for 10 seconds to mix. (I re-wrote the next part of the recipe to show how I made it.) Sprinkle half the chilled butter over the flour mixture. Process with about five 1-second pulses. Stir, lift­ing up the contents on the bottom. Add the remaining butter, and pulse about 5 more times. Add shortening, and pulse 10 more times, just until the bits of fat are cut in and the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with a few bits the size of small peas remaining; stop halfway through and stir to redistribute the contents on the bottom. Turn out the mixture into a large bowl.

In a small bowl, measure out 6 tablespoons ice water. Using a fork, lightly combine the water mixture with the flour mixture, tossing until the water is evenly incorporated and the mixture just be­gins to form clumps, 15 to 20 strokes. Be sure to reach down to the bot­tom to be sure the flour underneath is dampened. Check the consistency by pinching a small amount of dough between your fingertips; it should hold together smoothly and be moist but not soggy. If it is crumbly or dry, sprinkle over more ice water, 2 teaspoons at a time, tossing briefly with a fork. When the water is evenly incorporated and the dough is suf­ficiently moistened to hold together when pinched, gather it up and firmly press it together with your fingertips into a smooth, dense mass. Divide the dough in half, and flatten the portions into 6-inch disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes and preferably 1 hour. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for up to a month; thaw in the refrigerator before using. Roll and bake as directed in the individual recipes.

Video: Making a Pumpkin Pie with a Fresh Pumpkin

Yay! Another video! I love making videos, and it sucks that I barely ever have time to make them. But here's a good one! As you know, I love pies. Me and pies are pretty much BFFs now. And you may also know that I have an infinity-long list of things I want to bake in my lifetime. One of those things is a pumpkin pie with a fresh pumpkin. I figured it would be a pretty fun video topic since I'd never done it before. We can learn together!

Whew! Well after all that work, was it worth it? Sadly, no. Don't get me wrong. It was extremely delicious. But it's a totally different flavor than what your mind goes to when you think of pumpkin pie. And personally, I prefer the pie made with canned puree. Not only because it's rediculously easier, but because it's what I grew up on and it's what I'm used to. But hey, if you've got plenty of time and you're curious... go ahead and try it. You won't be disappointed! ;) We ate ours with homemade caramel sauce, which I felt was the best part!! If anything, you'll definitely wanna try that!
Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Sauce (from Bubby's Homemade Pies)
Makes 1 9-inch single-crust pie

Par-baked 9-inch crust (or a fully baked 9-inch graham cracker crust)
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh pumpkin puree or canned, unsweetened pumpkin
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
3 large eggs
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)

To prepare fresh pumpkin, halve the pumpkin lengthwise—stem to bottom—and remove and save the seeds, but leave the pulpy inner lining of brighter flesh they nest in—it's the sweetest part of the pumpkin. Chop the pumpkin in chunks and boil in unsalted water until tender. Drain very well. Remove the skin with a knife, discard the skin, and mash the flesh.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend the pumpkin, cream, eggs, sugars, and vanilla until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and blend just until combined. Pour the filling into the par-baked pie shell.

Bake the pie on a lipped baking sheet for 50-55 minutes, or until just barely set in the center. Wiggle the pie gently to test its doneness—look for a center that jiggles but doesn't slosh. The retained heat in the custard will continue cooking the middle as the pie cools off. Don't overcook it or the texture won't be as silky. Cracks in the custard are signs of overcooking. A cracked custard is still quite edible, but not optimal.

Cool the pie completely on a cooling rack before cutting, at least a few hours, then refrigerate. Serve it cold with Caramel Sauce. Store the pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Caramel Sauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy pot over medium heat (check the heat setting or too much water will evaporate before the sugar has had a chance to melt.) Don't stir it. Clip a candy thermometer to the side so that the tip is immersed in the water but not touching the bottom of the pan.

Whisk together the heavy cream and sour cream. Set aside at room temperature.

Cook the syrup until it is a rich caramel color (340 to 380 degrees F on the thermometer) and remove it from the heat. You can choose how dark and intense you want your caramel flavor—the lower temperatures yield a light, sweet caramel, while the higher temperatures create a darker, less sweet caramel. If the syrup gets hotter than 380 degrees F, the caramel will be burnt and bitter, so start over.

Use caution during the next stage: The butter releases a lof ot steam when it hits the caramel, so be careful no to get burned by the steam. With the caramel pot off the heat, add the butter a little at a time, stirring quickly. Add the cream and sour cream and stir well.

Cool and store the caramel sauce in an airtight container. It will keep for 30 days at room temperature or up to 3 months refrigerated. To reheat, warm the sauce over a double boiler, stirring occasionally. (I reheated mine in the microwave, stirring between 15-second intervals.)

It's the Grape Pie, Charlie Brown!

Wow! Halloween seemed to go by like a blur! My mom and I spent days upon days decorating our house and preparing food for our annual "Super Awesome Halloween Party Deluxe." This was our third year throwing a big "h-ween" party, and I'm positive that it's been the best so far. We had a great turn out, and everyone had a great time! They loved the food and said our decorations were awesome. Thank you, thank you very much! After all our hard work and anticipation, I was asleep by 10:30! Haha, yeah that's how I roll. I'm a pretty fierce party animal! Anyway, here are a few pictures from the party, followed by an INSANELY good recipe for grape pie... yeah I said it, GRAPE PIE! ;D

Our kitchen... before all the food hit the table!
(Let's play a game called "I spy Josh somewhere in this picture!")The graveyard in the backyard by the fire pit!Me, my dad, and my mom! Desserts from left to right: Honey-Orange Marshmallows, pumpkin-shaped Spritz Cookies, Red Velvet Truffles

For the marshmallows, I added 1 teaspoon orange extract and some orange gel color to the recipe after the link. Our Halloween parties get better and better every year. And I'm pretty sure this year our collection of Halloween decor outgrew our Christmas stuff!!! :D :D

Now on to the grape pie! I made this pie a few weeks ago, and I meant to post it before Halloween, but time got away from me. Anywho, if you've never had grape pie before, you are SO going to be blown away! It got thumbs up from all the girls at work, and mom and dad said it was awesome. It was a bit of work skinning all the grapes for the filling, but the crust recipe was so freakin easy that it made everything worth while. Not only was the crust the easiest one I've ever made, it was pretty darn good. I think next time I'll add a bit of sugar for some sweetness, but other that it's a dream! The filling was a bit soupy, but it thickened a little in the fridge. I even cooked the pie for 10 extra minutes hoping to thicken the filling, but it didn't work. Maybe some cornstarch in the mix will help next time. We'll see, because I'm definitely gonna be making this again! If you like the taste and tartness of Welch's grape juice, you will LOVE this pie!

Cooking the grape pulp and mashing the grape skins...

"Easy-as-pie" crust (yeah I had to go there!)Ain't she purdy???It definitely could've used some refrigeration before the first slice, but it was still delicious as grape soup!!After being in the refrigerator, the slices were a little neater, but still pretty wet. Oh well!

Prizewinning Concord Grape Pie (from "The All-American Dessert Book" by Nancy Baggett)
Makes 1 9-inch pie (books says 8 servings, but we easily got 10 or 12)

Filling
1 cup sugar, plus a little more if grapes are very tart
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups stemmed Concord grapes (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into bits

Pastry
3 cups pastry flour, or 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 cup cake flour, plus extra all-purpose flour for dusting pastry
Scant 1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup corn oil or other flavorless vegetable oil
1/4 cup cold water, plus more if needed

About 2 teaspoons half-and-half or light cream for brushing on dough top
1 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling on dough top

In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the sugar and flour. Holding each grape over a heavy, nonreactive 2­-quart saucepan (to catch the juice), squeeze until the pulp portion pops out into the pan; reserve the grape skins separately. Gently squeeze the excess juice from the skins and add it to the saucepan. If a fine texture is desired, coarsely chop the grape skins; otherwise, leave as is. Thor­oughly stir the grape skins into the flour-sugar mixture and set aside. Bring the grape pulp and seeds and butter to a boil over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat so the pulp simmers gently. Cook, stirring occa­sionally, for 6 to 9 minutes, or until the pulp is soft and mushy and has boiled down slightly. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Care­fully turn out the pulp into a food mill or fine sieve set over a bowl. Press through as much liquid and pulp as possible; discard the seeds. Stir the strained pulp into the grape skin mixture until blended; you should have about 3 cups. Set aside. The filling can be refrigerated in an airtight con­tainer for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature before using.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, thoroughly stir to­gether the flour and salt. Stir in the oil with a fork just until incorpo­rated. Add the water, gently stirring with the fork until the mixture is moistened and holds together. It may look streaked, but don't overmix. The pastry should not be at all dry; if necessary, add a bit more water until the mixture is evenly moistened but not wet. Lightly knead and shape the dough into a rough ball with your hands. Divide the dough in half, then shape each half into a smooth disk. Wrap one disk in plastic wrap.

Generously dust the unwrapped pastry disk on both sides with flour. Roll it out between large sheets of baking parchment into a 13 1/2-inch round. Occasionally check the under­side of the dough during rolling and smooth out any wrinkles. Gently peel off the top sheet of paper. Center the round, dough side down, in the pie plate. Gently peel off the remaining paper. Smooth the pastry into the plate and patch any tears, if necessary. Using kitchen shears or a paring knife, trim the overhang to 1/4 inch. Turn out the filling into the pastry.

Generously dust the second pastry disk with flour, then roll it out into a 13 1/2-inch round as described above. Gently peel off the top sheet of paper, then pat back into place. Flip the dough; peel off the bottom sheet. Center the round, dough side down, over the filling. Gently peel off the remaining paper and patch any tears, if necessary. Trim the overhang to 1/4 inch. Fold the overhang under the bottom pastry to form an edge that rests on the lip of the plate. Press the layers together, then flute with your fingers or press with the tines of a fork all the way around. Brush the dough top (not the edges) with the half-and-half, then sprinkle with the sugar. Cut steam vents in the top, using a sharp, lightly greased par­ing knife.

Set the pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until nicely browned all over. If the edges begin to brown too rapidly, cover with foil (or a pie shield) during the last few minutes of baking. Transfer the pie to a wire rack. Let cool for at least 2 hours and preferably 4 hours (for neater slices) before serving.

The pie will keep, lightly covered, at room temperature for up to 24 hours or refrigerated for 3 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.

Vintage Recipe: Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Good morning, class! Let's begin the day by saying a random fact about yourself. I'll go first. I collect vintage cookbooks. And you know how much I love to start little categories for my blog posts, so here's a new one: Vintage Recipes! The first one comes from The Culinary Arts Institute Cookbook from 1985. I can't remember exactly where this book came from, but I know my dad gave it to me a few months ago. It's HUGE! It's full of strange old recipes, and the vintage food photography is so fun! ;D Apparently, gelatin molds and mousses were a huge hit in the 80's. Sadly, I think I'll pass on those recipes, but today's recipe actually does use gelatin... go figure!

Josh and I went to Howl-o-Scream at Busch Gardens on Sunday, and it really got me in the pumpkin mood. On my day off this week, I decided to make a pumpkin pie. I didn't want to make a regular old pumpkin pie, so I browsed my cookbooks. I found this recipe for pumpkin chiffon pie. The original recipe is called Pumpkin-Crunch Chiffon Pie, but it calls for spreading crunchy peanut butter on the pie crust before adding the pumpkin filling. Excuse me while I go vomit. Ok, I'm back. Yeah, so I guess you can tell I wasn't too thrilled with that flavor combo. I ix-nayed the PB idea and just went the chiffon route. The result was heaven in the form of fluffy, pillowy, light orange, spicy pumpkin pie filling! I dunno if I'll ever make a plain pumpkin pie again. This is just too light and soft and delicious and fluffy and creamy and... omg! I died and went to pumpkin heaven!
Pumpkin Chiffon Pie (from The Culinary Arts Institute Cookbook; 1985)
1 baked 9-inch pie shell
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 teaspoon each ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg whites
1 cup chilled heavy cream, stiffly beaten (I used only 3/4 cup of cream and added 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla)

Soften gelatin in the cold water and set aside.
Combine pumpkin, sugar, milk, egg yolks, spices, and salt in the top of a double boiler. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Stir in softened gelatin and cook 5 minutes more. Cool.
Beat the egg whites (I added 3 tablespoons of sugar to the egg whites) until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into thoroughly cooled pumpkin filling. Pour mixture into pie shell. Chill until set. Top with whipped cream.

My Best Banana Cream Pie

I'm extremely confident that Marilyn M. Moore truly did disclose the recipe for her best banana cream pie! And that's exactly what she named the recipe in "The Wooden Spoon Dessert Book." This is the first banana cream pie I've ever made, and I couldn't be more pleased with the way it turned out. The vanilla wafer crust is so yummy (even with reduced fat cookies). The custard is so creamy and delicious. Once it sits in the fridge layered with the bananas, the banana flavor infuses into everything and becomes so fragrant and wonderful! It seems like it would be such a heavy, rich dessert but somehow it feels light. I'm so pleased to finally have a recipe other than banana bread to use up ripe bananas!
My Best Banana Cream Pie (from The Wooden Spoon Dessert Book by Marilyn M. Moore)

Crust
1 3/4 cups vanilla-wafer crumbs (about 55 cookies)
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter (I used salted because I like a little salt in my crust)

Custard
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold milk
3 large egg yolks, beaten
2 cups scalded milk
2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove 1/4 cup vanilla-wafer crumbs. Mix together remaining cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden-brown. Cool on a wire rack.
For the custard, in a heavy saucepan stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt, pressing out any lumps with the back of a spoon. Stir in the cold milk and beaten egg yolks. When the mixture is smooth, stir in the scalded milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. As soon as the mixture begins to thicken, turn the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly, about 1 minute longer. If the mixture threatens to become lumpy, remove it from the heat at once and stir vigorously until smooth. When thick, remove from the heat and gently stir in the softened butter and vanilla. Let cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent a film from forming on top.
Spoon 1/3 of the filling into the cooled crust. Peel and slice the bananas into 1/4-inch slices over the filling. Spoon the remaining filling over the bananas. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
Top with sweetened whipped cream and reserved vanilla-wafer crumbs. Refrigerate leftovers.

Fried Peach Pies

There are so many points I want to hit in this post that I literally had to open a Windows Notepad document to start typing them all out as soon as I turned the computer on. I want to touch on the history of fried pies A.K.A. "pasties" or "hand pies." I also want to talk a little about the German music I listened to while making them and the wonders of the "Sounds of the Season" Music Choice channel (and how I'm really sad that the German songs will end Oct. 5th). I want to talk about the memories these fried pies bring of when my dad used to work at the shipyard. I want to mention how awesome the cookbook is that this recipe came from, "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea" by Martha Hall Foose. And I can't forget to thank Stephanie Velez for sending me a copy of this book when her mother bought it for her not knowing she already owned it! Lastly, I want to say something about the banana cream pie I made last week that was supposed to be my next blog post, but these pies are just so awesome they skipped to the front of the line! Oh wait, that wasn't the last thing... I wanna thank my camera for being back in business and hooking me up with some GREAT photos, if I may say so myself! Ok, shall we begin?

I've seen the episode of Good Eats about fried pies/pasties, so if I tried really hard I could tell you some stuff about the history of them. But I made like 50 fondant bras at work today, and my brain is all mushy, so I'm gonna let Google and The NY Sun take over:

Fried pies are little hot-pocket semicircles of dough that are filled with fruit and, as the name implies, deep-fried. They're particularly popular in the South... Tradition claims that the "pasty" was originally made as lunch for Cornish tin miners who were unable to return to the surface to eat. The story goes that, covered in dirt from head to foot, they could hold the pasty by the folded crust and eat the rest without touching it, discarding the dirty pastry. The pastry they threw away was supposed to appease the knockers, capricious spirits in the mines who might otherwise lead miners into danger... The pasty's dense, folded pastry could stay warm for 8 to 10 hours and, when carried close to the body, could help the miners stay warm.

How's that for a history lesson? Well, I thought it was interesting. Anyway, on to my next point. The "Sounds of the Season" channel is playing the most awesome German music from now through Oct. 4. Usually, I have no interest in German music, but for some reason as the outside air becomes brisk and the season for pumpkins and apples falls upon us, German music just seems right! Lol, I'm sure you don't trust me, so if you get the Music Choice channels I encourage you to try it out this week. Don't be surprised when you find yourself wishing you had a German playlist on your iPod next time you leave the house.On to point numero tres. When I think of fried pies, I can't help but remember those Hostess pies my dad used to bring home from the Newport News Shipyard when I was a kid. He always picked my brother and I up from daycare on his way home, and a few times a week his pockets would be full of Hostess pies. His favorite was lemon, so all other flavors were scarce. But when I saw that red wrapper peaking out, I knew he'd brought a cherry pie for me! When I see those pies now at the grocery store I pass them up, but I enjoy the memory. :D Never fear, fried pies aren't out of my life forever. Thanks to Stephanie Velez, who was kind enough to send me her duplicate copy of "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea," I can make my own fried fruit pies (without the nasty Crisco film on the roof of my mouth, sorry Hostess, but you know it's true!). This book is really lovely for anyone who enjoys the history of food in the South. The stories, recipes, and pictures are full of nostalgia. For these pies, I used the filling recipe and instruction from "Screen Doors," but I used my go-to pie crust recipe for the crust. They are so delicious! The allspice makes them perfect to eat during the winter months. The only thing I'd change next time is to reduce the vinegar from 2 tablespoons to 1. The taste of vinegar didn't cook out like I expected it to and it was pretty noticeable. Other than that, these are perfect!I could just *hug* my camera for snapping this mouth-watering shot! ;)

Peach Fried Pies (from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose)
MAKES TEN 3-INCH PIES

PASTRY
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening or lard
3/4 cups whole milk

FILLING
2 cups chopped fresh or frozen peaches (I used 3 large peaches)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar (I'd reduce to 1 tablespoon next time)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
Canola oil, for frying

MAKE THE PASTRY. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking pow­der, and salt. Cut in the shortening until no pieces are larger than a pea. Add the milk and combine, using a fork. Gather the dough and knead lightly for 1 minute. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate while preparing the filling.

MAKE THE FILLING. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the peaches, brown sugar, and allspice. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved and the peaches are juicy. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and cornstarch. Add to the peaches and cook and stir for 10 min­utes, or until the mixture is thick and glossy. Stir in the lemon juice. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish to cool.

In a small shallow dish, combine the granulated sugar and cin­namon. Set aside.

MAKE THE PIES. Roll the dough 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. With a sharp knife or cutter, cut ten 6-inch circles (I used an inverted cereal bowl). Place 2 tablespoons of peach filling in the center of each circle. Beat the egg with I teaspoon water. Brush a thin line of egg wash around the edges of the circles. Fold to form a half-moon shape. Lightly press out any air pockets. Press the edges with the tines of a fork to seal. Pierce one time on top of each pie with a fork to let steam escape while frying. Heat 1 inch of canola oil in a large skillet to 375°F. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with newspaper or paper towels. Gently place the pies, two at a time, pierced side up, in the skillet. Fry to golden brown, turning once, 2 minutes per side. Remove from the oil and let drain briefly on the wire rack. Toss in the cinnamon sugar and allow to cool for 5 minutes.