PIE #7 - PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO

Never judge a book by its cover. That old adage proved true for this week's pie. For the first time this year, I attempted a rolled dough crust which at first looked very promising. The dough rolled out with ease and with extra dough to spare. I formed some of the remaining dough into tiny balls and tucked them neatly into the crimped edges to create a fancy border.

But as I par-baked the crust, those dough balls decided to abandon the mothership and meet their perilous death on the floor of my oven where they burned to a hellish crisp. When my nose alerted me to that telltale acrid odor, I ran to open the oven door and was met by billows of smoke. I rescued the crust which thankfully hadn’t burned but had shriveled and sunk halfway down the pie plate.

I AM THE MASTER OF PIE DISASTER! I AM THE MISTRESS OF DISTRESS!

Rather than toss the crust and start over (because truth be known, I’m becoming exasperated with this 50-pie endeavor!), I decided to proceed with the recipe. The filling recipe promised voluminous fluffiness which could cover up my crust abomination.

And as it turned out, the filling did indeed camouflage the disaster. The filling recipe boasts the winning combination of chocolate and peanut butter so favored by my husband.

After chilling the pie for a few hours, I sampled it and wasn’t impressed. Because the crust had collapsed into itself like an imploding black star, I found the texture was way too dense and of cardboard consistency. My hubby, however, deemed it worthy. He in fact stated it was my best tasting pie so far.

To each his own!

The recipe was featured in the Hoffman Publishing Company’s 2023 Best Pie Recipes. I don’t trust the crust recipe and I certainly don’t trust my crust-making abilities, so proceed with caution.

The day after this crust debacle, I thankfully received a baking tutorial from my lovely friend Marian. I will share my wonderful experience with that in my next blog entry. Stay tuned!

THE PIE SOCIALIST

Tomorrow is President’s Day and 2024 is a pivotal presidential election year. Warning: I’m about to get PIE-litical.

A baker’s dozen years ago, I posted a blog entry on President’s Day featuring a quote from our then president Barack Obama.

"You like pie? I like pie."

Though I didn’t see eye to eye with the man, at least we saw pie to pie.

If you do an internet search for “Obama Pie”, you’ll find links galore touting Obama’s love of pie. One website in particular tickled my fancy. “Cookin’ With Congress” has a guffaw inducing headline and snark-filled phrases peppered throughout the site. The recipes featured are actual recipes from politicians past and present and the accompanying commentary is laced with a hefty dose of sarcasm.

That entertaining website inspired me to once again presidentially address the topic of pies. But I cannot tell a lie. I did not bake a cherry pie in honor of George Washington’s proverbial cherry tree myth which would have been apropos. I searched for the perfect presidential pie recipe that would TRUMP them all but alas, none of them earned my vote. So for now I’ll just be BIDEN my time until a likely candidate appears. Once that nominee has been determined, you may cast your ballot, but only in person!

This being a contentious election year, I recall a particular pie social I hosted which boasted a varied and politically charged guest list. Our town's House Representative and his wife were invited along with a couple of friends whose political views fell on the opposite side of the spectrum. If I had "left" them off the guest list, would that have been "right"? My debate-loving husband appreciated the fact that I didn’t invite only ditto-heads. How boring would that be? And for heaven's sake, the whole house would have tipped "right" over! Nonetheless, I worried that mixing pie and politics would prove a sure recipe for disaster.

As the afternoon progressed, we all graciously put a conservative lid on our opinions and added a liberal dose of gracious understanding. We made an effort to find common ground and discovered that pies can be the ties that bind. Pie could very well be the mediating force between the right and the left where we all meet in the middle. And let's be as honest as Abe here. We'll all probably expand in the middle as well!

Speaking of presidents, politics and pie, I found an interesting tidbit about John Tyler, our 10th president who had a pie named after him. President Tyler loved pudding. His economical recipe, dubbed Tyler Pie, consisted of minimal ingredients for a caramel pudding encased in a simple pastry crust. It was often served to his hungry, bustling brood of fourteen children. I am warmed by the thought of his large family gathered around the dinner table, forks clanging, conversation buzzing, and slices of pie nourishing both bodies and souls of a tight-knit family.

One hundred and forty years later, Ronald Reagan hearkened back to the power of regularly gathering around the table. "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." I plan to open my home and host pie socials as part of my 50-pie resolution. I love to plan big theme parties but through the years I’ve come to reevaluate the Herculean effort involved. And though I thoroughly enjoy those parties from start to finish, I've become discouraged that my invitations aren't reciprocated. Perhaps an unpretentious pie social will help shift my focus on what really matters – gathering people together for genuine connection which just might encourage reciprocation.

President George W. Bush once (not so eloquently!) declared, “We ought to make the pie higher.” Whatever he meant, I’ll personally apply his directive and answering to a higher calling by practicing hospitality via pie socials. It's high time we return to our humble roots and communicate as our forefathers did, in person over slices of delicious homemade pie.

I look forward to planning pie socials. And as a freedom-loving conservative, feel free to call me a socialist - a PIE SOCIAL-IST, that is. Let's all socialize and eat pie and maybe get as big as President Taft, because I like pie and you like pie and in a pie society, everyone sees eye to eye.

 

PIE #6 - PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP

I married a peanut butter aficionado. I learned early on in our marriage that Joe loves chunky peanut butter the best, so I always keep an economy size jar of it in the pantry. He slathers it on wheat crackers, banana bread and chocolate bars. If I bake something that doesn't quite pass muster, a smear of peanut butter will redeem it as far as Joe's palate is concerned.

Another newlywed revelation that streamlined my baking endeavors happened when I tried a new cookie recipe. At first bite, Joe declared Cowboy Cookies his absolute favorite.  He even stated he would be eternally satisfied if that were the only cookie I ever baked again. And now 39 years later, I continue to bake those cookies for the hubs!

So for a Valentine's Day gift, I baked a pie that bears a tasty resemblance to Joe's favorite cookie. This pie features an easy pastry crust, "easy" being the inoperative word! My fear and disdain of rolling out pastry crusts is alive and well! I can't seem to nail the right consistency or roll the pastry into a circular form. My dough ended up resembling an amoeba and transferring the misshapen blog to the pie plate was a precarious endeavor.

I ended up cutting the excess dough around the edges and fusing the pieces onto the thin patches in the center of the plate, a dough band-aid of sorts. I think this homely crust could be posted on the "Pinterest Fails" site!

Thankfully, the finished product wasn’t a complete abomination and Joe gave his peanut butter stamp of approval on the taste test. He did say, however, this pie is VERY sweet. I have to agree that it’s borderline tooth curling, so I recommend omitting the peanut butter morsels and substituting semi-sweet chocolate chips for the milk chocolate chips. Doubling the amount of chocolate chips should temper the sweetness level.

By the way, the crust was flaky and worth a revisit after I get a crust-making tutorial from an accomplished baker this weekend! I am determined to master making a decent pie crust!

Without further adieu, I present CHUNKY PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE CHIP PIE. The recipe is from the magazine cookbook Best Pie Recipes 2023 published by Hoffman media.

EASY PIE CRUST:

3 tablespoons cold all-vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 cup +1 tablespoon pastry flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½-4 tablespoons water

In a medium bowl, combine shortening, butter, flour and salt with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water by tablespoonsful until dough comes together. Wrap dough in plastic wrap until needed. Dough may be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let thaw in refrigerator before using. Remove dough from refrigerator 30 minutes before using.

FILLING:

1 cup sugar
¾ cup pastry flour
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
½ cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup peanut butter morsels
½ cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll piecrust to ¼-inch thickness. Press into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp edge, if desired. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, peanut butter and butter, mixing well. Add eggs, vanilla, peanuts, peanut butter morsels and chocolate chips. Transfer filling to prepared piecrust. Bake until firm in the middle, about 45 minutes.

PIE #5 - LOVE POTION #31

I SCREAM! YOU SCREAM! WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!

Can you guess what this week’s pie is??

Warning: Lactose intolerant folks will continue to hate me because I’m on a dairy streak. But life is short and there’s Lactaid!

This week’s pie was inspired by the famous Baskin-Robbins ice cream chain which debuted a new flavor I flipped over decades ago. Love Potion #31 was introduced in 1995 to provide sweet relief to broken hearts on Valentine’s Day. So says Google. But heartbroken or not, Cupid’s arrow will pierce your heart when your lips meet this divine concoction. A bright raspberry ribbon is woven through rich white chocolate and raspberry ice cream, and studded throughout this delectable melding are tiny chocolate hearts that when bitten into, ooze a gooey raspberry syrup.

I am enthusiastically plugging Baskin-Robbins this week because of my ongoing love affair with their ice cream. It all began in 1978 while working my first job as a teenager at Baskin-Robbins. I developed a Popeye-worthy right biceps from all the scooping. I fell hopelessly in love with nearly all the flavors with a weight gain of 10-pounds as proof of my undying love. Pralines 'N Cream was my go-to flavor for years. But when Love Potion #31 came on the scene, it set in motion a new devotion to the potion.

I'm a poet and I know it!

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, how befitting to spotlight the ice cream love of my life. The recipe I've created uses a chocolate Oreo crust, two flavors of Baskin-Robbins ice cream and my homemade fudge sauce. The beauty of this formula is that you can pair any two flavors of ice cream with a cookie crust of your choice. The possibilities for your own love potion pie are endless! I chose Oreo Cookies 'N Cream as a flavor mate for Love Potion #31. What a yummy marriage!

If you’re lucky enough to live near a Baskin-Robbins store, run to it and nab yourself some Love Potion #31 during its short February run. And I do mean run, literally, because this pie is fattening and you’ll need to burn mega calories! Our local Baskin-Robbins owner smiles at me every February when I enter his store with my predictable purchase. I order one scoop to immediately savor on the spot and leave with my arms embracing take-home tubs of Love Potion #31. Single scoop cones were 29 cents back in 1978 but I will pay just about any price today for my beloved flavor.

The fudge sauce in this recipe is a Betty Crocker classic and outshines any store bought sauce. Use it for sundaes, drizzle it over pound cake or add it to milk for a rich chocolate drink. It will keep in the refrigerator up to 4 weeks but I bet it'll magically disappear in no time. Serious chocoholics at my house eat the sauce straight up by the loving spoonful!

LOVE POTION #31 PIE

Fudge Sauce:
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the milk, chocolate chips and sugar to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Reserve 1 1/2 cup of sauce for the pie and store the remaining sauce in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for another use.

Crust and Filling:
2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs, finely crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons milk
3 cups Baskin-Robbins Oreo Cookies 'N Cream, slightly softened
1/2 cup fudge sauce, cooled
3 cups Baskin-Robbins Lotion Potion #31, slightly softened
1/2 cup fudge sauce, cooled
Fresh Raspberries for garnish (optional)

Stir together cookie crumbs, butter and milk. Lightly press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan. A 9 1/2" pie pan can be substituted but a springform pan better showcases the layers of this pie. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

Spread Oreo Cookies 'N Cream ice cream in an even layer over cooled crust and press lightly; drizzle evenly with 3/4 cup fudge sauce and freeze until firm. Top with layer of Love Potion #31 ice cream. Drizzle with remaining 3/4 cup fudge sauce. Cover and freeze until firm. When ready to serve, remove springform ring and then slice pie into wedges. Garnish if desired.

Here are some harmonious flavor combination suggestions using Baskin-Robbins ice cream:

• Jamoca Almond Fudge, Oreo Cookies 'n Cream, coconut macaroon crust (hubby’s choice)
• Peanut Butter 'n Chocolate, Peanut Butter 'n Chocolate, peanut butter Oreo crust
• Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip, Mint Oreo crust
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Quarterback Crunch, Nilla wafer crust
• Rocky Road, Butter Pecan, chocolate graham cracker crust
• German Chocolate Cake, Gold Medal Ribbon, coconut macaroon crust
• Rum Raisin, Pralines 'n Cream, graham cracker crust
• Nutty Coconut, Chocolate Fudge, coconut macaroon crust
• Very Berry Strawberry, Strawberry Cheesecake, shortbread crust

PIE #4 - SUPREME CHOCOLATE CREAM

It’s February already! Time flies when you’re eating pie! Because February is National Chocolate Month, the pies I tackle the next four weeks will feature chocolate. I’ll have plenty of inspiration – Valentine’s Day is approaching and grocery store shelves are loaded with chocolate goodies galore!

CHOCOLATE FUN FACTS:

• Chocolate was the top Valentine gift in 2023 claiming 57% of sales. It beat out flowers by 20% and dinner out by 25%!
• The global chocolate industry is worth 127.9 billion dollars!
• The average American eats chocolate three times a week. I aim to boost that statistic!

CHOCOLATE FUNNY FACT:
My husband's surname COCO has a sweet backstory. The family name is actually COCA, but Joe’s grandfather decided to change it when he opened a confectionery in Louisiana. It’s not a far-fetched assumption I married Joe because of his chocolatey-sounding last name. I will admit that I was relieved to ditch my oft-misspelled maiden name. But hilariously, COCO is often misspelled as COCOA. I can’t win but I won’t complain!

So in celebration of my sweet married name and to tickle the taste buds of my chocolate-loving hubby, I debut the classic, crowd-pleasing chocolate cream pie. This pie also happens to be one of the custard variations in Miss Miranda's 1974 cooking class packet, the mimeographed one I featured in a previous blog entry. Miss Miranda's recipe calls for 2 ounces of chocolate. Other recipes I've seen call for 3 ounces of chocolate. But any Coco worth their name knows that when it comes to chocolate, more is better. My recipe boasts 3.5 ounces of chocolate. You can use any unsweetened chocolate, but if you really want to go for the gusto, use a 3.5 ounce bar of Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa Dark Chocolate.

Lindt, by the way, is a famous Swiss chocolate brand. The Swiss lead the world in chocolate consumption, a whopping 25.5 pounds per person annually. Twenty years ago I visited Switzerland and can attest to that devour rate! I spotted chocolatiers around every corner. Grocery stores had designated chocolate departments devoted to every chocolate product imaginable. I strolled those aisles, marveling at the chocolate variety which had a strong Lindt presence. I guess you could call me a Swiss Miss Coco! And is it not a sweet coincidence that my name, Linda Coco, is just one letter off from Lindt Coco? 

Things that make you go hmmm...

SUPREME CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

CRUST:
3 cups Oreo cookies (about 20 cookies)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2-3 teaspoons milk
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the Oreo cookies and cinnamon in a ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin to make fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl. Add the butter and mix well. Add the milk and mix until crumbs clump together when pressed between your fingers. Transfer the crumbs to a 9 1/2 inch deep dish pie pan, pressing them into the bottom and halfway up the side. Refrigerate for 10 minutes then place on the center rack of oven and bake for 6 minutes. Cool thoroughly.

FILLING:
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3.5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped OR 3.5 ounce Lindt 90% Cocoa Bar

TOPPING:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Chocolate shavings or Oreo cookie crumbs, optional

Combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Whisk to mix thoroughly. Whisk in milk and egg yolks. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking continuously, until it start to boil and thicken, 5-7 minutes. Cook for 1 minute more, whisking briskly. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and the vanilla. Whisk in the chocolate until smooth and fully melted. Slowly pour the filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth the top with a spoon. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Cool the pie to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, make the topping. Using a chilled mixer bowl and chilled beaters, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the confectioner's sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the pie. Garnish with chocolate shavings or Oreo crumbs, if desired.