Chocolate Cream Pie

We never used to eat dessert. Until I started baking. Now, every night, T says, "What's for dessert?" And if we don't have something, he suggests that I whip something up. Truthfully, I don't know how other food bloggers -- especially baking ones -- stay thin. Especially when there are decadent recipes like this chocolate cream pie out there. 

I had never had one, but recently rewatching Julie&Julia, I was inspired to make one as I am now constantly looking for recipes to expand my waistline repertoire. 

Chocolate cream pie is like the richest, most decadent pudding you've ever had, in a perfectly flakey pie crust and topped off with real whipped cream. Every, perfectly smooth bite just melts in your mouth. 

Chocolate Cream Pie

Serves 8

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 flakey pie crust, baked
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 3 squares unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Directions

• Combine sugar, flour, milk and chocolate in saucepan, stirring constantly until mixture begins to bubble. Continue stirring for two minutes.
• Temper the eggs by mixing a little of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, beating rapidly to avoid cooking the yolks. Stir the warm yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
• Pour filling into baked pie shell and chill until set. 
• Spread whipped cream over top or serve each piece with a dollop of whipped cream.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Pecan Pie

We were recently invited to a friends' house for dinner and I jumped at the chance to bring a pecan pie for dessert. 

This is one of those classic desserts that my mom has been making for years. It is a super sweet dessert and best served with a dollop of fresh whipped cream to help cut the sweetness. It's pretty easy to make, but if you spend a couple of extra minutes putting your pecans in a simple design on the top (yes, you need to comb through your bag of pecans for whole ones!), then it takes the pie to a whole new level and looks like you put a tonne of effort into it.

Pecan Pie

Serves 8-10

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 flakey pastry pie shell
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup pecan halves
• whipped cream

Directions

• In a medium bowl, beat eggs slightly before adding sugar, salt, corn syrup and vanilla. Stir in flour.
• Roll out pastry and drape into tart pan (I used a quiche pan). Press down to fill out the pan.
• Pour liquid mixture into pastry shell.
• Arrange pecan halves into a pattern on the top. I did multiple circles, starting on the outside.
• Using a paring knife, slowly "dunk" each pecan into the liquid mixture to coat; they will pop back up.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Filling will set as it cools.
• Cool on wire rack and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Peach and Vanilla Bean Pie

(it was hard to take a pic with eight people watching and wondering what I was doing!)

I love vanilla. It's one of my favourite ingredients to cook with and when I saw this recipe over at Ezra Pound Cake, I was excited for the opportunity to bake with a vanilla bean. I found whole vanilla beans at a local/organic type shop (The Big Carrot in Toronto) and the smell was divine. Even the grocery clerk smelled it and I enjoyed the scent wafting from my bag all the way home.

Using the bean was easier than I thought and I simply sliced it open and scraped out the paste. I feel like I've crossed another culinary milestone by using this fresh ingredient!

The vanilla took this basic peach pie over the top and I was excited to bring it up to a friend's cottage as a "thank you." I found it a little nerve-wracking taking up a dessert I myself had never tried (it's rude to cut a slice out before bringing it, right?), but the response was an overwhelming success! Whew!

Ingredients

• 2 basic flakey pie crusts
• 1 vanilla bean
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 5 cups peeled, pitted, and thickly sliced
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Slit the vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape the seeds from the bean and place them in a food processor. Add the sugar and process for about a minute. (I did this with my hand mixer/immersion blender and it worked fine). 
• Take 1/2 cup of the sugar and put in another bowl and mix with cornstarch. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the peaches, sugar-cornstarch mix and lemon juice. 
• Roll the bottom layer of the pastry and place in pie plate. 
• Fill pie shell with peaches and dot the top of the fruit with butter.
• Drape top layer of pastry over filling. Cut off excess pie crust and tuck top layer over bottom layer and fold into pie plate. Flute edges with fingers and then poke steam vents in top of pie with a paring knife.
• Place the pie in the centre oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 40-45 minutes, untill pie is browning and you can hear the juices bubbling. 
• Transfer the pie to a wire rack and immediately sprinkle half the remaining vanilla sugar (about 1/4 cup) over the top.
• Let cool for at least two hours.

** have some extra vanilla sugar? Try it in your coffee!!!

Recipe adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

Flakey Pie Crust

Pie crust is something I have been wanting to make, but I have been really intimidated by it. For a recipe -- and advice -- I called my Aunt Linda who is the pie baker of the family. I have never known anyone else to bring a pie to a family event, it's always Aunt Linda and her pies are delicious. As a wedding shower gift, she bought me a pie making bowl, a pastry blender (I didn't even know what this was) and a box of Tenderflake, so I was all prepared (10 months later) to start baking pie crust. 

Pie crust is surprisingly easy to make and it's possible it's one of the most rewarding things I have ever made. It was delicious and flakey and it made my home smell amazing. I think this year is going to be the Summer of the Pie! 

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pound of lard
• 2 eggs slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 tbsp vinegar
• cold water 

Directions

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt together.

Add lard and use pastry cutter or two knives to blend into mixture. You want it to be the consistency of oatmeal.

In a measuring cup, break two eggs and beat slightly, add vinegar, and add cold water to make volume 1 cup. Stir.

Make a well in the flour mixture and mix in liquid to help ingredients stick together.

Lightly flour a flat surface and turn dough out onto surface. Form into a ball. 

Divide into five equal sized pieces. Each piece is enough for one pie shell. If you want a top on the pie (a double crust pie), you'll need two of these pieces. 

At this point, you can wrap them well in saran wrap and a freezer bag and freeze individually.

To use, take one piece on a lightly floured surface, and flatten slightly with your hand. Lightly flour your rolling pin and, always starting from the middle, roll north, south, east, west, until flat and large enough to cover an 9" pie plate. (If your plate is larger, you may need more dough). 

Drape crust onto rolling pin and roll into pie plate. Pat down so it's in the pan and cut off the excess dough around the ages.

For a top crust, repeat process. Before putting on top of pie, wet edges of bottom layer with water to help top adhere. Use your fore finger and thumb to press edges together.