Roasted Cherry Chocolate Pie

The other day, I was browsing around Confections of a Foodie Bride (she has some AMAZING margarita and burger recipes...yum!), and I came across this recipe for a roasted cherry brownie sundae.  I love cherries, and they go brilliantly with chocolate, so this recipe got filed away in my mental recipe box.  Fast forward a few days.  It was a friend's birthday, and she loves chocolate.  I wanted to make her something decadent and chocolatey, but I also wanted it to be easy and quick to make, because we were celebrating her birthday on a Wednesday, so it would have to be made after work on Tuesday.  I decided on a chocolate pie, because pies are easy and delicious.  But chocolate pie seemed too plain.  And then I remembered the roasted cherry brownie sundaes.  And decided to stir the roasted cherries into my chocolate pie filling.  This, my friends, was a very good idea.  So good of an idea, in fact, that the pie was devoured in its entirety, before I had a chance to take a picture.

But really, the pie didn't look all that pretty anyways, because I dropped it as I was getting into my car.  Go me.  Thankfully, the lid stayed on, so all the contents stayed inside the pan.  It was just a little...shaken up.  Anyway, you should make this pie.  And try not to drop it.  And try not to eat it all in one sitting.  I dare you.

Roasted Cherry Chocolate Pie (adapted from Epicurious and Confections of a Foodie Bride)

• 1 lb. sweet cherries
• 1/2 c. port
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 2 Tbl. cocoa powder
• 2 1/4 c. milk
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 egg yolks
• 6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 chocolate graham cracker pie crust (store bought or homemade)
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 2 Tbl. powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract

Remove the pits from the cherries, and cut them in half.  Combine them with the port in an oven-proof baking dish.  Roast at 425*F for 30-40 minutes, or until the cherries are soft and the port has reduced to about 1/4 c.  Remove from oven and drain the cherries, reserving the liquid.

Whisk together the sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan.  Add the port and milk, whisking to combine.  Heat over medium heat until just steaming.

Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks until thoroughly combined.  Slowly whisk in about 1 c. of the steaming milk mixture, to temper the eggs.  Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens significantly.  Be careful not to boil it to avoid scrambled eggs.  Remove the pudding from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, cherries, and chocolate chips until chocolate chips are melted.  Pour into the chocolate graham cracker pie crust.  Note: if you use one of the store-bought ones, you will have some filling left over, since they're closer to 8" than 9".  If you make a 9" one at home, you will not have filling left over.  Let cool for about 5 minutes, and then press plastic wrap down onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, until set.

Combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and almond extract, and whip until stiff peaks form.  Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie.  Enjoy!

The Cherpumple...errr...Chersweetby?

Brownie here!  It's been a very busy few months for me so most of my baking went unphotographed, but next week is the boyfriend's 26th birthday and after I had told him of the existence of the

His favorite color is green

Cherpumple, he told me he would request one every year until I made him one.  Now, I live by myself, and consuming the remainder of 3 pies and 3 cakes sounded like an insane feat, so I sought to make a mini version of the cherpumple, something a few people could manageably eat.

For those of you who don't know, the cherpumple is a monstrous creation, 3 layers of pie (cherry, pumpkin, and apple, respectively)-stuffed-in-cake.  These things are ginormous.  I decided to use a birthday gift from the boyfriend's sister, this cute tiered cake pan, and make a smaller version.  Normally I do from-scratch baking, but a paper deadline and the enormity of this task required a few compromises...

To make my version, you'll need:

1 4-inch cherry pie (I bought mine from the freezer section because I only had so many tiny pie tins)

Clockwise from left--sweet potato, Kentucky Derby, and cherry

Ingredients for Joe Pastry's Pumpkin Pie, subbing sweet potato for the pumpkin puree, subbing evaporate milk for both the milk and the cream, and scaling it up by 25% if you want to make a spare pumpkin pie, or making only 1/4 of the recipe if you just want the mini ones.

Ingredients for Joe Pastry's Kentucky Derby Pie (I ended up using 1.5 pie crusts for this because using smaller containers contains less volume per crust amount)

1 box yellow/vanilla cake mix, plus the eggs/oil/water it calls for
Spices of your choice (I used 1 Tbl cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp cloves)
Chocolate pudding mix/cocoa-sugar blend (to turn vanilla cake into chocolate; pure cocoa just gets too bitter).

1.5 cups butter, softened
~3 cups powdered sugar
1.5 tsp salt
2/3 cup dark spiced rum

Two days ahead, make the pumpkin pies.  I used something like these mini ramekins that I bought at an estate sale ages ago.  They're a bit deep-dish but that works out well for the cake pan.  Obviously in the small pans they bake a lot faster--mine were done in 10-15 minutes.  Put cooled pies in the freezer.  Eat the big one if you made it--it's a great recipe.

One day ahead, make the Kentucky Derby pies.  I baked these in tartlet pans (I bought mine on Amazon from Fox Run; you want to use ones without a false bottom unless you're really confident in your pie crust since syrup pies can leak) and again shortened the baking time.  Freeze the cooled pies.

Leave some space for them to rise!

The day of, make the cake mix according to the package directions, and divide it into 3 bowls, but not evenly--one bowl should have about 1/5 of the batter (this will be chocolate), and the remaining two will split what's left, with a little extra going to the plain flavor (the medium amount is for the spice cake).

Add the spices of your choice to the spice one, and the chocolate putting mix or cocoa-sugar blend to the chocolate (to taste), and prep your pan by cutting out solid circles for the bottom tier and rings for the upper 2 tiers. You could also spray and flour the pan thoroughly.

Cut the frozen cherry pie into 4 wedges (no more than 1 inch in diameter). Drop a wedge inside each cavity, and top with the chocolate batter. Repeat with the pumpkin and the spice batter, and then finally top with the Kentucky Derby pie and yellow batter (careful not to overfill).  Conveniently, the chocolate batter will be the thickest, so you shouldn't have much trouble with things blending together--my layers were quite distinct.

The glory shot

Bake according to the package directions, and test by springiness rather than a toothpick so you don't misinterpret pie goo as raw batter.  Let cool thoroughly and then invert for 1 hour or so, hoping that the cakes fall out. They might break into the 3 layers but that just gives you more opportunity for frosting.  Refrigerate (or if you want to do a crumb coat, freeze) until ready to frost.

To make the frosting, reduce 1/2 cup of rum in a pan by half, while blending the softened butter with 1/2 cup of the sugar. Alternate the reduced rum and remaining sugar, and then whip in the un-reduced rum (replacing the milk in a normal buttercream). Try to get the buttercream as airy as possible (using whisk attachment) since the cake is so rich.

Frost the cakes (I did a crumb coat and then froze again), then slice carefully and wow all your friends!

What's Baking: Healthier Raspberry Crisp

Catherine from Pursuing Domestic Godess-ness, our hostess for What's Baking? this month, chose the theme of baking healthier.  How timely!  By this time of the month, the novelty of New Year's resolutions is starting to wear off, so this is a great way to indulge yourself but still stay on track!  Plus, you can get some great ideas for a lighter Valentine's Day dessert, as that's coming up soon--romantic dinners need not leave you in a food coma!  Better to have something a little lighter to leave you feeling better for after-dinner cuddling and smooching!  ;)

Fruit crisps are one of my favorite desserts, especially when I'm trying to make something a little healthier.  First off, they are insanely simple to whip up, especially if you use frozen berries, like I do here.  Also, fruit is healthy!  And if you use a nice sweet fruit, you don't need to use much in the way of sugar, although I add some honey here, since raspberries are pretty tart.  I always add oats to the crisp topping, so you get some protein and fiber from the whole grain.  In this recipe, since I cut down the amount of butter in the crisp topping, it won't end up being quite as crunchy, but you add some nuts instead to make up for it--these add more protein, too!  All in all, this is a pretty healthy dessert...so you don't have to feel guilty about putting a scoop of ice cream on top.  Or eating it for breakfast.  Or both.  ;)

Raspberry Crisp (a Blondie original)

• 4 c. raspberries (or any other fruit)
• 1 Tbl. lemon juice
• 1 Tbl. flour (only if your fruit is frozen or SUPER juicy!)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 Tbl. honey (use less if you're using a sweeter fruit, like blueberries)
• 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. oats
• 1/3 c. raw sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 c. cold butter, diced
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans (almonds or walnuts would also work)

Toss the first 5 ingredients (fruit through honey) together until everything is well-distributed.  Pour the mixture into a greased 9x9" baking dish.

In a food processor, pulse the remaining ingredients (flours through butter) until the butter is in pea-sized pieces and is well distributed.  Mix the nuts into the topping mixture.  Sprinkle the topping over the fruit, distributing it evenly.  Bake at 375* F for 35-50 minutes (the longer time is if your fruit is frozen), or until the top is lightly brown, and the filling is hot and bubbling.

What's Baking?: White Chocolate Coconut Cranberry Pie

Yay for What's Baking? posts!  This month's theme was pie, hosted by Kim of Just Baked.  I actually had trouble coming up with an idea for this theme!  I've done a fair number of pies already, since it's probably my favorite kind of dessert!  The Fiancé (more on that in another post!!!) and I had been talking about his mom's coconut cream pie recently, and I realized that although I've blogged a few different cream pies, that one was not one of them!  I wanted to make it a little bit more seasonal, though, because coconut seems very summery to me, so I decided to add cranberries.  And since cranberry white chocolate cookies are so good, I decided to add white chocolate.  And that, dear readers, was how the white chocolate coconut cranberry pie was born.

Now, please forgive the picture.  I think the fat content of the white chocolate threw off the chemistry of the pie a bit, because it didn't set up quite as well as usual, and it separated a bit after sitting a few days.  So, in the recipe below, I adjusted the cornstarch amount to account for that.

You'll also notice that there is no added sugar in this pie.  It's not a typo, I swear!  It is plenty sweet with the white chocolate and sweetened coconut!  If you use unsweetened coconut and have a real sweet tooth, you may want to add maybe 1/4 c. sugar.  If you're like me, and prefer desserts that are slightly less sweet, use unsweetened coconut without any added sugar.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!  If you use a store-bought graham cracker crust, you'll have a bit of filling left over--just pour it in a bowl, and enjoy like pudding!  ;)  I think homemade ones are a bit bigger, so it should fill those ones fine.  Pecans would also make a lovely addition to this pie, either in the filling, as a garnish, or as part of the crust!

White Chocolate Coconut Cranberry Pie (adapted from Andrew's mom's coconut cream pie recipe)

• 1 9" graham cracker crust
• 3 c. milk
• 6 Tbl. cornstarch
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 oz (roughly 1/2 c.) white chocolate chips
• 1-2 Tbl butter
• 1 to 1 1/2 c. dried shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
• 1/2 to 1 c. dried cranberries

Heat the milk in a medium saucepan until it just comes to a boil.  Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch, egg yolks, and vanilla.  When the milk has been scalded, temper the eggs by slowly adding about 1 c. of the milk to the egg mixture, whisking the eggs constantly.  Once they have been tempered, add the egg mixture to the saucepan of milk, and whisk to combine.  Continue to cook the mixture, stirring frequently, until it thickens considerably.  When it does, remove it from the heat and add the white chocolate chips and butter.  Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the white chocolate has melted.  Stir in the coconut and cranberries, and pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust.  Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pie to cover it and prevent a skin from forming.  Let the pie chill for 6 hours or overnight, and then dig in!

What's Baking: Fresh Blueberry Pie

Woo hoo!  It's time for another What's Baking? post!  This month's challenge was to bake with summer fruits.  I am really excited to share this recipe with you because it showcases one of my absolutely favorite desserts: blueberries!  And even better, what makes this blueberry pie recipe unique is that most of the blueberries are left uncooked, so it really showcases their fresh flavor.  So while frozen blueberries might be fine for traditional blueberry pie where the whole thing is baked, don't you dare use them in this pie.  I mean it!  And be sure to check out the full lineup of seasonal fruity goodness over at Sweet Beginnings!

Fresh Blueberry Pie (from Andrew)

• One pre-baked pie crust (see this post for a recipe)
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbl. cornstarch
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. water
• 4 c. blueberries, divided
• 1 Tbl. butter
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 3 Tbl. powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whisk together salt, cornstarch, sugar, and water in a small saucepan.  Add in 1 c. of blueberries, and bring mixture to a boil.  Boil until mixture thickens considerably.  Remove the mixture from heat, and stir in the remaining 3 c. blueberries, butter, and cinnamon.  Pour into the pre-baked pie crust, and refrigerate overnight or until set.

Meanwhile, whip together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.  Spread the whipped cream over the pie, and enjoy this fresh taste of summer!

What's Baking?: Berry Rhubarb Pie

I'm back!  I hope you enjoyed Brownie's contribution to last month's What's Baking? challenge!  This month, the challenge was to bake something using seasonal ingredients, chosen by Adventures in My Kitchen.  This was actually pretty simple for me, because I recently signed up for a CSA through Horse and Buggy Produce!  Every Wednesday, I get a box of fresh, local, seasonal produce delivered straight to my doorstep!  And because of it, I have tried kale, Swiss chard, bok choy, and a whole host of other yummy vegetables for the first time!  When last week's box arrived, I received rhubarb and some frozen blackberries from a previous year's harvest.  That was all the inspiration I needed!  I've never made a rhubarb pie before, and the boyfriend said that he had a great recipe, so he and I tackled this one together!  There wasn't a whole lot of rhubarb in the box, so we adapted his recipe to use some berries in it, too.  It turned out deliciously!

Berry Rhubarb Pie (from Andrew, original source unknown)

• Your favorite double pie crust recipe (or two store-bought refrigerated pie crusts if you're starting this project at 9 pm on a weeknight)
• 4 Tbl. butter, divided
• 6 Tbl. flour, divided
• 1 c. sugar, divided
• 2 c. chopped rhubarb
• 2 c. assorted mixed berries (we used blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries), drained of excess liquid if they were previously frozen
• 2 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 450* F.  Put one of the pie crusts into the bottom of a 9" pie plate.  Melt 2 Tbl. of the butter, and lightly brush the crust with it.  You may not need the full 2 Tbl.  Chill the crust.

Combine 2 Tbl. of flour with 2 Tbl. of sugar.  Sprinkle over the chilled pastry.  Mix the rhubarb and berries together, and then mound them in the crust.  Mix the remaining flour and sugar with the eggs, and pour this mixture over the rhubarb and berries.  Dot with the remaining 2 Tbl. of butter.  Fit the top crust over the bottom one, trimming and sealing the edges.  Make sure to cut steam vents!

Bake the pie in the preheated oven at 450*F for 15 minutes.  Shield the edges of the pie with foil or a metal pie shield.  Drop the temperature to 350*F, and continue cooking for another 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  Enjoy a new way to get your vegetables!

What's Baking: Baileys Cream Pie

It's that time again--another What's Baking? post! The challenge this month was to bake something St. Patrick's Day-inspired. After thinking about car bomb cupcakes or some sort of car bomb cheesecake, I realized I was short on time and needed something that would come together a little more quickly. The boyfriend wanted to make butterscotch pie (his specialty), but that's obviously not very Irish! However, it did get me thinking about cream pies. Now, I love cream pies. I've made Spiked Eggnog Cream Pie and Butterscotch Pie in the past, and I've enjoyed eating many other kinds. But how could I make it Irish? Then it hit me--Baileys Cream Pie! I've never had it before, but I love Baileys Irish Cream (who doesn't, really?!), and I love cream pies, so why not combine them?

I've adapted Martha Stewart's Rum-Vanilla Cream Pie recipe for other purposes before, and it has always worked well, so that was my starting point here, as well, but I adapted it very heavily. Interestingly enough, it didn't occur to me to simply Google "Irish cream pie recipe" until after I had finished making the pie. I was curious, so I did, and most of the ones that I saw involved Cool Whip or boxed pudding mix or things like that, so I think this is a fairly unique recipe. I am both happy and sad to report that it was gobbled up so quickly that I did not get a chance to take a picture. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Baileys Cream Pie (a Brownies and Blondies original)

• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. Baileys Irish Cream (or other Irish Cream liqueur)
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 4 Tbl. butter, softened
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Pre-baked graham cracker crust (I used regular, but chocolate would be fantastic!)

Combine sugar, salt, Irish Cream, and milk in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture just starts to bubble (unless you want to cook the alcohol off, in which case, boil it for a good two minutes, stirring frequently). Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks and cornstarch in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth and thick.

Once the milk mixture starts to bubble, remove from heat. Temper the egg yolk mixture by slowly drizzling and stirring in about 1 c. of the hot milk mixture. Once tempered, add the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan of milk, and return it to the heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens significantly.

Remove pan from heat and stir in the softened butter, 1 Tbl. at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Pour the custard into the graham cracker crust, and press plastic wrap over the surface of the custard, working out any air bubbles. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Feel free to top it with whipped cream for serving, if you like. Enjoy!

What's Baking: My Mom's Apple Pie

It's time for another What's Baking challenge! I was particularly excited about this one--we were asked to make a recipe that has been in our family for a while and that our family is known for. Now, when I think of the family classics, three things come to mind: carrot cake, oatmeal scotchies, and apple pie. They're the three best things that my mom bakes (and she's a darn good baker!), and I believe all three recipes came from my grandmother, too, so they definitely fit the challenge! After polling friends, I decided on the apple pie. And, in the spirit of the challenge, I followed my mom's recipe exactly, which is pretty rare for me! This pie turned out wonderfully! I can't say it's as good as my mom's, but it was pretty tasty! I did bake it on a lower rack than usual, because I always have trouble with the bottom crust undercooking, and that seemed to help! So, on to the recipe!


My Mom's Apple Pie

• 1 unbaked double pie crust
• 6 c. peeled, thinly sliced apples (Cortland is my preference, but I had to use McIntosh)
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 Tbl. flour
  
• 1 heaping tsp. cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg

Mix together apples, sugar, flour, and spices (I usually shake them around in a ziplock bag). Put bottom crust in your pie plate, then pour in the apple mixture. Give it a good shake to settle the apples, then put the top crust on. Seal the top crust to the bottom one, then cut air vents in the top. I wrote "Hi Mom," since this pie is in her honor, after all. Bake for 50 minutes at 400 degrees F, shielding the edges after the first 15 minutes.

Other options if you're not dedicated to following the recipe exactly: add a pinch of salt and/or a dash of lemon juice to the filling; brush the crust with and egg wash, adding a sprinkling of sugar overtop, if desired.

Butterscotch Pie

Anyone who doesn't like pies quite as much as me is probably getting sick of pie posts. But I don't cater to crazy people who don't like pie. And this pie is right up there on my list of favorite pies. I'm combining my friend Paula's grandmother's filling recipe (you know it's got to be good if it's a grandmother's recipe!) with my friend Andrew's crust recipe...with a little bit of tweaking to both recipes. His crust is just a touch on the salty side, which is the PERFECT counterpoint to the sweet, rich butterscotch custard filling.


Butterscotch Pie (from Paula's grandmother and Andrew)

Crust

• 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• Rounded 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 c. shortening
• 1 Tbl. cold vodka
• 2-4 Tbl. cold water

Pulse together flour and salt in a food processor. Add shortening, and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add vodka and 2 Tbl. of water. Pulse until mixture begins to come together. Add more water--a little at a time--if necessary, just until dough comes together.

Form dough into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll out dough, and transfer to a 9-in. pie plate, trimming the excess dough from the edges. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork. Bake at 450 degrees F until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 1/4 c. dark brown sugar
• 3/4 c. light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
  
• 2 c. milk
• 1 stick of butter, cut into small pieces and softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbl. butterscotch Schnapps

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and egg together until well-beaten. Mix in the cornstarch until thoroughly incorporated.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugars, salt, and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until bubbles appear. Temper the egg mixture by slowly stirring in 1 c. of the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly. Once the eggs have been tempered, add them back into the saucepan of milk, again stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens considerably.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the butter, one piece at a time. Once all the butter has been incorporated, mix in the vanilla and butterscotch Schnapps. Strain the custard through a fine-meshed sieve into the cooled pie crust, and spread evenly. Lay a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the pie to keep out air, and refrigerate overnight. To serve, top with whipped cream, if desired (or if your pie has big, gaping cracks in it that need disguising!).

Spiked Eggnog Cream Pie

Eggnog is one of my most absolute favorite things about Christmas. I.love.eggnog. I also love pie. And cream pies happen to be my favorite kind of pie. Naturally, I felt the need to make an eggnog cream pie for Christmas dinner. And of course, being me, I had to spike it. Yummmmm. I can't recommend this recipe highly enough if you're an eggnog fan, like me! I used Martha Stewart's Rum-Vanilla Cream Pie as a starting point/inspiration, but adapted both the method and the ingredients very heavily, so I'm comfortable calling it an original recipe.


Spiked Eggnog Cream Pie (a Brownies and Blondies original)

• 1 9-in. pie crust, baked and cooled
  
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 c. eggnog
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Several dashes of nutmeg
  
• 1/4 c. butter, cut into small pieces and softened
• 1/4 c. white rum

Mix together egg yolks and cornstarch in a small bowl. It will be a pretty paste-like consistency.

Combine the sugar, eggnog, salt, and about 3 dashes of nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until bubbles appear, stirring constantly.

Temper the egg yolks by slowly mixing in about 1 c. of the hot eggnog. Make sure to add it only a little bit at a time, so as not to scramble the eggs. Once you've added 1 c. of the eggnog to the yolks, pour them slowly back into the remaining eggnog in the pan, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens considerably. Remove from heat and mix in the butter, one piece at a time. Once the butter has all been incorporated, mix in the rum.

Strain the custard through a fine-meshed sieve into the cooled pie crust, and spread it evenly. Put a piece of cling wrap on the surface of the pie to keep out air, and refrigerate overnight. To serve, sprinkle with additional nutmeg, and top with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

Candied Brandied Apple Tartlets

I have a minor obsession with making bite-sized desserts. I think it stems from the fact that I always want to try one of everything, and with bite-sized desserts, I can actually do that, and keep my sugar intake to a (somewhat) reasonable level. I was looking for a fun spin on apple pie, and for some reason, I decided that brandy would go great in an apple pie. Not really sure why that struck me, other than the fact that brandy rhymes with candy, and candied apples are good, but sure enough, Martha Stewart had a recipe. But like I said, I wanted bite-sized. So, I made it into tartlets. And then, when I was done, I decided they didn't look pretty enough. They needed something more. And the name Candied Brandied Apple Tartlets sounded really fun. So I added a candy apple drizzle. Yum! These were a big hit with my friends!


Candied Brandied Apple Tartlets (adapted from Martha Stewart and Allrecipes.com)

Crust

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. whole-wheat flour
• 2 Tbl. granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• Pinch of mace
• 14 Tbl. cold butter, cut into small pieces
  
• 2 Tbl. brandy, chilled
• 1/2 Tbl. vanilla extract
• 1 egg white
  

In a food processor, pulse together flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and mace. Add butter and pulse until only pea-sized clumps form. Mix together the brandy, vanilla, and egg white, and add it to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture begins to come together. Turn out the dough onto a sheet of cling wrap. Flatten into a disk, and wrap tightly with cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Filling

• 1/4 c. white sugar
• 3 Tbl. packed brown sugar
• 3 Tbl. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 Tbl. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/4 tsp. allspice
• Pinch of mace
• 8 medium-sized red apples (such as Rome), peeled and shredded
• 1/4 c. brandy
• 1 Tbl. vanilla extract

Sift together sugars, flour, cornstarch, and spices. In a gallon-sized ziplock bag, combine apples, brandy, and vanilla extract. Toss until well-mixed. Add the flour mixture to the apples, and again, massage until combined.

Roll out the crust dough until it is about 1/8 in. thick, and cut it into small rounds (approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter) that will fit into a mini muffin cup. Put one round into each well of a greased mini muffin tin. Cut the corner off the ziplock bag, and pipe some apple filling into each crust (you want to fill it pretty full).

Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees F, or until apples are cooked and crusts are golden brown. Let cool.

Topping

• 3/4 c. cinnamon red hot candies
• 2 Tbl. brandy

Combine brandy and red hots in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, swirling occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees F. Note: be careful! It takes forever for the candies to get to about 280 degrees, but once you get even the slightest bit over 300 degrees, the temperature shoots up really quickly, and the candies will taste burnt before you realize it! Not that I know from experience....

Cool the molten candy slightly, then use a spoon to drizzle it over the cooled tartlets.

Sour Cream Pear Pie

Yes, I know that sounds weird. I got lots of skeptical looks when I told people there was sour cream in the pie. But once they tried it, they were converted into believers! This pie was deliciously creamy. It was similar in flavor to apple pie, but ever-so-slightly (and delightfully!) different. So go ahead, take a risk, and try it! I promise you'll be pleasantly surprised!


Sour Cream Pear Pie (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

• 1 unbaked 9" pie crust (I used Martha's Perfect Pie Crust, as posted by Apple A Day)
• 8 small to medium pears, thinly sliced (it would be nice to peel them if you are less lazy than me)
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 Tbl. cinnamon, divided
  
• 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbl. butter, melted

Put your pears in a gallon-sized zip-top plastic bag. Add granulated sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts, 1/2 Tbl. cinnamon, and 2-4 Tbl. all-purpose flour, depending on how juicy they are. Zip the top (double-check to make sure it's closed, because you don't want to accidentally dump out half your pears! Not that this happened to me, or anything....), and shake and massage around until everything is thoroughly mixed. See how we cleverly avoided dirtying a bowl to mix that up???

Line a 9" pie plate with the crust, trimming the excess from the edges. Dump the pear mixture into the pie plate, along with as much of the juices as you can get out of the bag. Don't worry about making it pretty, because we're going to cover it up with a crumb topping.

Mix together 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, the brown sugar, 1/2 Tbl. cinnamon, and the melted butter until you have pea-sized crumbs. Sprinkle this generously over the top of the pie. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350 degrees F, and bake another 45 minutes. Cover the crust with foil for the last 10 minutes or so, if needed, to prevent over-browning.

Peach Bourbon Walnut Pie

So this pie was an experiment...and ended up being a delicious hybrid of a fruit pie and a pecan pie. I had two peaches that were starting to get overripe, so I didn't really want to eat them, but they weren't quite enough to make a peach pie. I had made a bourbon pecan pie last year, and it was delicious, and I love the combination of peach and bourbon...so I decided to make a peach bourbon pecan pie. So I mixed up the batter and realized that I was out of pecans...but I had sufficient walnuts. So it morphed into a peach bourbon walnut pie.

The end result was pretty runny due to the added peaches, so I'd suggest tossing them with some cornstarch or flour (the recipe has been changed to reflect this). Also, the pie is very bourbon-y, which is great if, like me, you love bourbon. If you don't, cut it down to 1-2 Tbl (but don't leave it out altogether...it really does enhance the peach and nutty flavors perfectly!). I really enjoyed this pie, though!

Peach Bourbon Walnut Pie

• 2 peaches, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 Tbl. cornstarch
  
• 2/3 c. light corn syrup
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 4 tsp. butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 c. chopped walnuts
• 3 Tbl. bourbon
• 1 unbaked 9" pie crust

Lay the crust out in a pie pan. Toss the sliced peaches with the cornstarch, then arrange in a single layer over the pie crust.

Meanwhile, stir together corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter, bourbon, and vanilla extract. Fold in walnuts. Pour into pie crust overtop the peaches.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 min. Cool for 2 hours.

Patriotic Tart

So Memorial Day is tomorrow, and with family coming over for a barbecue, I wanted a summery dessert that would fit with the holiday somehow. Then I thought of doing a tart--strawberries and blueberries are both in season, though this works with a variety of fruits--kiwi is pretty traditional.

Crust--really whatever you like--Pate Brisee is traditional, which is an enriched (read--has an egg in it) pastry dough, but if you're in a pinch you can use store bought dough and just make it a little thicker. Press (don't stretch!!!) into a fluted tart pan, tartlet pans, or a pie pan if you don't have a tart pan. Just be sure to keep the dough height low--more like a half-inch--to keep true to tart shape. Dock the bottom (prick all over with a fork) to prevent blistering, and baked until lightly browned.

Here's mine:

Next, filling. You have a few options here--tarts should have a light layer of something moist, rich, but basic enough to go with fruit. Frangipane is one possibility, pastry cream is another, and from-a-box pudding mix (made with either half the milk or heavy cream) also suffices. I opted for pastry cream--here's my recipe, adapted from the Cordon Bleu's book on Baking (makes enough for one 9 or 10 inch tart):

2 cups of milk
6 tbl white sugar
Combine in a saucepot and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/3 cup flour, 1 egg, 2 yolks, and another 6 tbl sugar. I like to do this in a 6 cup pyrex...you'll see why when you try it. In a steady thin stream, pour the milk into the egg mixture SLOWLY, whisking constantly to keep things smooth. Generally useful to have an extra set of hands to keep your bowl/pyrex still, or just throw a silicone mat underneath. Pour this tempered mixture back onto the stove, and cook over medium low heat until it boils and begins to thicken. It should look like barely set pudding. Remove from the stove, and add 4 tbl. butter or margarine, and 1 tbl. vanilla extract (use the real stuff, please!). Whisk together. You should be leaving lines in the mixtures as you stir it; otherwise it's not thick enough (you can resurrect it by adding more flour and reboiling it).

Pour through a fine sieve into a shallow baking pan, and cover with clear plastic wrap. Let cool, then transfer to whatever container you choose (or use it right away; just be sure it's room temp or colder).

Spread a thin layer (no deeper than 1 cm) onto your tart shell, and then top with your fruit.

If you like (and especially if you're using bananas), you can "seal" the fruit tart and give it a nice gloss by melting apricot or peach jelly (no fruit bits) with a bit of water and brushing it onto your fruit. Makes it shiny and pretty, and prevents fruit from changing color. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Silk Pie

I've been on a mousse kick lately, and I was looking for ways to serve them beyond in chocolate boxes and tulips (more on that later). With a large jar of peanut butter to use up, this seemed a perfect solution. I've had this dessert, or things like it, in a lot of chain restaurants, and wanted to address a few of my contentions with it. The chocolate ganache should NOT be hard...what's the point of pie if you can't cut into it? The mousse needs to be light and peanut buttery, without being overly rich.

Unfortunately I'm not much of one for measuring, so I can only give you ingredients and technique...but that's half the fun!



Crust:
Graham crackers/nilla wafers/other crushable sweet thing (although I've used panko + sugar in a pinch; shockingly, it makes a great crumb crust!)
Butter/margarine, extremely soft (but not melted)

Using a wine bottle, rolling pin, or physics textbook, annihilate the crumbs. The finer, the better. Mush together with the butter and press into your pie pan. Be sure to get up the sides. Wrapping another pie pan in cling wrap and pressing it onto the crust pile works well. Bake just until browned; let cool.

Ganache:
Chocolate chips/shavings from a leftover chocolate bunny (definitely what I used)...I like dark or semi-sweet for this, but go by your own preference.
Butter/margarine (just a sliver to help it melt)
Half and half or cream

Melt chocolate in a double boiler with a dab of butter. Whisking constantly, add enough cream to make it pourable (shouldn't be more than 1/4 cup). Pour over cooled crust, reserving a few tablespoons. Refrigerate while you do the next step.

Mousse:
Melt some peanut butter in the microwave or on the stove, roughly a half cup for every pint of cream. Plunge pan into a bowl of water to cool rapidly. Stir to prevent clumping.



Start whipping your VERY COLD HEAVY/DOUBLE CREAM in an electric mixer just unto the point of stiff peaks. With a large spatula, fold a small amount of cream into the peanut butter to lighten it, then fold this into the cream. Layer the mousse on top of the ganache, spreading lightly to avoid mixing.

Decorate with whipped cream, melted peanut butter, reserved ganache, peanut butter cups, chocolate shavings, or whatever else you desire!

Spiced Blueberry Tarts with Almond Mascarpone Cream

A friend of mine recently turned 21, and I wanted to make something for his birthday. Since he doesn't like desserts that are "too rich" (and "too rich" is kind of my specialty), I decided to do something fruit-based. I had some essentially mulled wine that I had used as poaching liquid and saved, so I turned it into a fruit tart. I just made up the recipe as I went along, but this should be pretty close:

• 2 cups blueberry wine (I used "Blue Heeler" from Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 10 whole cloves
• 1 vanilla bean, slit partially down the middle
• Frozen Blueberries
• 2-3 Tbl cornstarch
• 2 frozen pie crusts
• 4 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 c. powdered sugar
• 1 c. heavy whipping cream

Set the pie crusts out at room temp to defrost while the filling cooks.

Combine wine, sugar, lemon juice, zest, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan. Boil for 5 min, then simmer ~60 min or until reduced roughly by half. Strain out the solids by passing through a fine-mesh sieve, then return to pan. Stir in some frozen blueberries (maybe 2-3 c? whatever looks right). Dissolve the cornstarch in ~1/4 c. cold water and stir into the blueberry filling. Bring to a gentle boil and stir until thickened to the consistency of pie filling. Cool completely.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll the pie crusts a little thinner, then use a 2" biscuit cutter to cut out rounds. Press the rounds into the holes of a mini muffin tin that has been misted with cooking spray. Prick the bottoms with a fork a couple times. Bake at 350 for 11-15 min, or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Whip the whipping cream until medium-stiff peaks form. Put mascarpone in a separate bowl, and add the almond extract and powdered sugar. Stir a couple times to combine. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream.

To assemble, pipe blueberry filling into the baked crusts. Pipe a swirl of mascarpone cream on top of each tart.


I doubled the recipe, and put some in the pie crust shells, some in pre-baked puff pastry shells, and some in a pre-made graham cracker crust. Yes, I cheat sometimes.

Also, you will soon notice that my sister is much better at photography than me, and has a much nicer camera. Sorry in advance.