Boston (creme de menthe) Cream Pie

I can't do anything, so I'm doing this.

For obvious reasons, my mind was on Boston this past week. From the initial shock and confusion, to sorrow, then fear and disbelief, and finally to relief, I joined the rest of the country in watching the almost surreal events unfold before me on television and the internet. But that's about all I could do. I could think feel pray worry wonder speculate and surmise, but I couldn't do anything. Actions didn't yield results, gestures felt empty. Yet life continued, as it is wont to do - I went to work, I went out with friends, I took silly pictures of my feet.

I can't do anything, so I'm doing this.

So I made a pie - a Boston cream pie (with non-alcoholic creme de menthe custard), to be exact. Did it change history? Did it to anything to benefit the greater good? Did it put an end to evil and hatred in the world? Of course not. But did it occupy my hands and provide me a tangible way to offer up my thoughts to the policemen, residents, and victims of Boston? Absolutely.

Ingredients
For the custard:
2 oz. Creme de Menthe loose leaf tea - I get mine from the wonderful DAVIDsTEA
1 quart (4 cups) whole milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg
7 egg yolks
1/2 cup corn starch

For the ganache:
1 cup dark chocolate morsels
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp light corn syrup

While Boston Cream Pie is traditionally made with custard or cream sandwiched between two or more layers of yellow cake, I chose to go a different route, turning it into more of an actual pie. Instead of cake batter, use:
1 pre-made graham cracker pie crust

How To
In a large saucepan over low heat, combine the milk and vanilla and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and steep the tea for 10-15 minutes. Use a filter or tea infuser to ensure that no leaves escape into the milk. While the tea is steeping, whisk together the sugar, salt, starch, egg, and egg yolks.

When the tea is done (the longer you steep it, the stronger the taste will be), temper the egg mixture with the milk by slowly pouring and mixing small portions of the milk into the eggs. When all the milk has been combined with the egg mixture, pour everything back into the saucepan and heat over low heat, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then continue at this temperature for about another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. I found that continuing to whisk the custard even as it's cooling helps to create a smooth consistency as it begins to congeal.

Pour the cooled mixture into the graham cracker crust. Gently twisting the pie pan back and forth will help the custard settle nicely and evenly. Cover with saran warp and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When ready, prepare the chocolate topping by heating the milk and corn syrup over low heat. Bring to a simmer and stir in the chocolate pieces. Working quickly, stir completely to ensure that all the chocolate has melted and then pour over the chilled custard to create a thin layer. Refrigerate again for at least an hour. Serve cold.

Thanks to Serious Eats and Chasing Delicious for the inspiration!

Walnut Tartlets

Over the Christmas holiday, I was lucky enough to a.) go back to Chicago for some quality family dinner time and b.) attend a mini 10-year reunion with some of the girls I was close with in high school.  Being one of the few of us who still live in the area, my friend Liz graciously invited everyone over to her apartment for a tea party (we're a bunch of classy ladies), and I decided that no proper tea was complete without mini walnut tartlets. I found the recipe in my mother's enviable stash of random recipes, so I don't know who originally created it - but I do know that the crunchy walnut filling provided exactly the wintery spice I had been craving and that the dough turned out so sweet and flakey that I will definitely be incorporating it into my usual repertoire of pies. Happy New Year!

For the dough
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/3 cup flour
pinch of salt

*In a large bowl, combine butter, cream cheese and sugar; stir until combined. Add flour and salt, stir until well mixed. Roll dough into small (about 1") balls and press into the bottom and sides of mini tartlet pans. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

For the filling
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light or dark corn syrup (I used dark because that was what was in my mother's cupboard)
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
spices to taste - I a combination of vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon and ground cloves

*Beat eggs slightly in a medium bowl, then stir in sugar, corn syrup, butter, walnuts and spices. Spoon about a tablespoon of mixture into each tartlet pan. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in tins for 5 minutes, then gently remove tartlets and cool completely on a wire rack. I found that running a very thin skewer along the edges of the pan helped to ease them out without breaking (they're pretty fragile). Dust with powdered sugar and serve with a steaming cup of tea ;)

Rock the Vote Whoopie Pies

What matters on November 6 is not who wins, but that every eligible person takes to the polls and exercises his or her right to vote.

Ok, that's a blatant lie, because it absolutely matters who wins. But this is a pie blog, not a political blog, and while I do have my personal views and beliefs, I will let the pundits and blowhards of the world inhabit that side of the blogosphere. (Spoiler Alert: I'm a single white female in my late 20's living in New York City and working as a freelance artist. It's shouldn't be too hard to figure out with whom my loyalties lie.) Go vote now!!!

I wrote about these pies-that-are-actually-more-like-frosted-cake-sandwiches a while back when I road tripped to Maine in search of their state treat, the whoopie pie, but never had the opportunity to make my own until now. Adding red and blue food dye to the cake batter puts a patriotic spin on the treat, and if your preferred candidate doesn't win, you can throw the "wrong" colored pies at the TV.

Alright, don't actually do that. Just make the pies for your Election Night party and know that whatever the outcome, there will always be pie (or at least I really really hope).

Ingredients
For the pies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
*1/3 cup egg whites
*1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Red and blue food coloring

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp dark liquor, such as spiced rum, bourbon or honey whiskey - if desired

*Note: cooking with blue food coloring is very difficult. I was worried about the yellow color of egg yolks reacting badly with the blue food coloring (blue + yellow = green), so I substituted 2 whole eggs for 1/3 cup Egg Beaters egg whites and added a tablespoon of vegetable oil for good measure.

How to
Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, shortening, brown and white sugar. If you have an electric mixer, use it now. If you're like me and can't fit one in your tiny New York apartment, tell yourself that you don't have to go to yoga today because you're getting an arm workout by doing all the mixing by hand. Add the egg whites, vegetable oil and vanilla, and beat until smooth and fluffy.

Slowly add the flour mixture and buttermilk and mix until everything is completely combined. Half the batter and place each portion in separate bowls. In the first, add the red food dye, about 50 drops depending on your desired color. Add the blue dye to the batter in the second bowl. This is where it gets a little dicy, so slowly add the dye until you reach a desired color. My batter started to get a bit too pale, so I added two drops of red to the almost 60 of blue dye.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, then use a spoon or ice cream scoop to drop small portions of the batter onto the sheet, leaving space between each pie as they will spread. Bake on your oven's center rack at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes cleanly out of the center of one of the pies.

While the pies are cooling, make the filling by beating together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and liquor. Again, if you have an electric mixer, use it here. If not, that's just one less push up you'll have to do later. Mix ingredients until frosting is smooth and creamy.

Finally, assemble the pies by spreading a generous amount of filling onto the flat side of one of the pies with a spatula, then sandwich together a matching pie. Store pies in a closed container for up to three days.

This recipe was inspired by and adapted from this one!

Oh Sandy...

As I write this, it is Hour #19* of Hurricane Sandy - The Frankenstorm. Luckily, I am safe and sound in Astoria, living a few blocks away from the edge of the flood zone and therefore not having to evacuate. Instead, my friends and I stocked up on wine, canned goods, more wine, toilet paper, cheese, and a few extra bottles of wine just for good measure, ensuring a three-day bacchanalia of day-drinking, bad movies and weather channel porn. And pie.

*Mary's Hurricane Clock started at 7pm yesterday, the hour at which the subways shut down, sequestering everyone in their apartments and in hurricane lockdown. This is not an official measure of time and is not endorsed by the National Weather Service.

Because it's not a true hurricane party without some pie (and because the bordom set in right around 8pm last night), I give to you the Official Hurricane Sandy Frankenpie (Disclaimer: it's pumpkin pie. I merely gave it an ironic and topical name).

Ingredients - makes 1 deep dish pumpkin pie
1 can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
Spices to taste:
   Cinnamon
   Ginger
   Nutmeg
1 sheet pre-made refrigerated pie crust, because let's be honest: you're just too distracted by insanely scary ariel photos of Sandy to bother with homemade pie crust.

How to
Stir together puree, sugar, eggs and evaporated milk. Mix in spices.

Neatly place pie crust in pan, sealing the dough around the edges. Pierce bottom and inside of crust with fork, then pour pumpkin mixture into pie pan. If you're using a shallow pan, you will have extra mix.

Bake on your oven's middle rack for 15 minutes at 325. Then increase temperature to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes, or until you can cleanly pull a knife out from the center of the pie.

Let cool for 20 minutes. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream alongside mulled wine and an intense game of Sheepshead.

Special shout-outs go to this guy for having the foresight to purchase all the pie ingredients and actually make the pie, and this girl for leading our pie-filled butts in core-strengthening yoga exercises so that we're able to fight off the zombies when they finally emerge from the eye of the hurricane. 
 

Slice of the Week - Four & Twenty Blackbirds

Hi, I'd like to order four slices of pie.

Ok no problem, is that to go?

... No.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************

When I first started this blog, I made a list of all the best places in the city to get pie. Pulled mainly from a "best pie NYC" Goggle search, results like this and this made a few things clear. First, that there aren't actually too many bakeries in this city devoted solely to pie. Second, that Brooklyn seems to be a hub for not just shaggy hipsters with ironic clothing choices, but for all things pie. And finally, I learned that there is a place, a mecca if you will, deep in the heart of Gowanas that is the epitome of pie. Enthusiasts from near and far whisper it's name with awe, tomes have been written about it, soccer moms name their firstborn after it.

     (Ok, that last one might be an exaggeration. But then again, it might not.)

Anyway, Four & Twenty Blackbirds immediately moved to the top of my Pie to Try list. The problem, however, was that it's located off of the 9th Street stop on the R train in Brooklyn - about an hour away from my apartment, and in an area I never have a reason to frequent. My roommate and I started to refer to the trek to Four & Twenty as our Pie Pilgrimage, and decided to make the trip a reality as soon as possible.

10 months later, she and I finally found a four-hour block of time in which we were both in the city but without work or rehearsal. Sometimes I marvel at how artists ever get ANYTHING scheduled or accomplished.

So, on a rainy Tuesday in October, Amanda and I took the subway to Brooklyn and ordered slices of four of the five available sweet pies. Was this a healthy idea? No. Did we almost go into anaphylactic shock halfway through the meal? Possibly, but I don't really know what anaphylactic shock is. Was this the most delicious pie tasting ever? Absolutely.

Salted Carmel Apple

Soft, sweet apples nestled under a buttery salted crust. At first, this pie isn't anything special, just a really good apple pie. Then comes a burst of salty goodness. It's a crazy, surprising juxtaposition of flavor.

Brown Butter Pumpkin
Everything about this pie is so light and airy that you assume it's made with angel kisses (or at the very least, that it must be fat-free). Consisting of the fluffiest pumpkin puree known to man and a flaky crust that actually melts in your mouth, this slice was Amanda's favorite.

Black Bottom Oat

This pie is the lovechild of Mr. Shaker Oat and Ms. Nestlee Tollhouse. Both decadent and comforting, it's dessert at its' best. Shortbread crust, crunchy oat topping, a thick layer of chocolate on the bottom - there is nothing this pie can't do. We named it the "break-up pie" and told our server that this pie will be replacing the requisite tub of ice cream for all our future heartbreaks. 

Bourbon Pear Crumble

With tart pear slices and brown sugared oats, I was surprised to call this pie my favorite (I'm not a huge fan of pears). It wasn't overly sweet and I appreciated the crunch of both the crust and pears.

It's safe to say that I will go back to Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Not only do they change up their pie menu on a daily basis, they also feature a selection of savory pies that we didn't even attempt to try. The slices also weren't even that expensive - about $5 each, and they were served on actual plates with real silverware (low standards? Maybe, but realize that the last pie I tried was in a cardboard box in a train station).

food coma.

Magnolia Bakery - Peanut Butter Icebox Pie

Last weekend, I had a day off and was able to participate in Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day Live!, a national event in which museums across the country provide free admission to various sites and museums. It's a celebration of the no-cost nature of Smithsonian museums, and being a frugal and frequent museum-nerd, I immediately signed up for my free ticket to The Morgan Library.

Featuring a collection of rare books, manuscripts, letters and correspondance, the Morgan Library was once the personal library of J. Pierpont Morgan, New York's industrious banker of the early 20th century. The architecture and design of the library is beautiful, and more than a few times I had to stop myself from breaking out into half the songs from Beauty and the Beast.

But enough about the library.

I had some time to kill after the museum and needed a snack. I found myself near Grand Central Station and wandered in. There's something about the hustle and bustle of train stations that excites me to no end, and Grand Central's stunning beaux arts architecture seemed to be the perfect compliment to my artsy Saturday. With thoughts and hopes of a slice of pie, I walked down to the food court - and to my delight, discovered that Magnolia Bakery has a counter selling their sweets to weary travelers.

I know what you're thinking. Magnolia Bakery? The cupcake place? But Mary, this is a PIE blog - you don't even like cupcakes!!

And you're right. This is a pie blog, and I don't like cupcakes (sorry). BUT Magnolia serves goodies other than their famous cupcakes, and I had been itching to try their pie for some time now but had always been turned off by the long lines of pastelled women who believe that one cupcake will turn them into Carrie Bradshaw. Luckily, there wasn't a line at all at the Magnolia at the train station and I was able to order a slice of Peanut Butter Icebox Pie.

It was a HUGE slice of pie. And it was good. Not great, but good. The whipped cream/cream cheese filling was indeed smooth and creamy, but too much. After a few bites, I wanted more taste variation, and the filling-to-topping ratio left me needing less creamy and more crunchy nuts and Reese's. Same with the crust - it was decent, but way too thick to be your average wafer-graham cracker crust. A dash or three of nutmeg would have gone a long way. Most disappointingly, the pie was not cold enough. When I order a slice of ice box pie, I expect it to be freezing. Like ice.

I ended up not finishing my slice (although I made quite sure to eat all the Reese's bits). I suppose the real draw of Magnolia is the cupcakes. Or it's the sociological phenomenon that a popular style or trend will become more popular simply because it's thought to be popular. Whatever it is, I'm glad I finally got around to trying something from Magnolia, but I think I'll continue to see what the rest of the city has to offer.

Apple and Brie Tarts

Because sometimes, you need a delicious treat that's easy to make but that still tastes like every wonderful part of fall ;)

Cheddar Apple Hand Pies

I haven't jumped on the pumpkin train yet. It's still in the low 80's here in New York, and there's something about still being in shorts and tank tops that doesn't quite make me think of fall foods and warm drinks. But, whether the weather agrees with it or not, it is apple season - and who am I to deny a fruit it's rightful place in the seasonal lexicon!

I had been wanting to try a cheddar pie crust for a while, and this recipe from Martha Stewart seemed like the right one for a first timer. Instead of baking an entire pie though, I made little hand pies so that I could throw one in a baggie and take it to work for a break-time treat.

Peach Cobbler

Sometimes, you get a hankering to bake something at one in the morning. And sometimes, you find a friend to help you bake said creation at one in the morning. And sometimes, that friend just happens to be your summer housemate who also happens to own her own baking blog.

When these things happen, you don't question the circumstances. You just peel some peaches and go.

(The following directions and photos might be a little fuzzy. But I can tell you that we based our cobbler off of this one from Williams-Sonoma.)

Crust

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbs. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

6 tbs. butter

3/4 cups half-and-half (or milk)

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla

- Combine dry ingredients. Add butter and mix until crumbly. Stir in half-and-half, egg and vanilla until doughy. Form into a round, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for up to 4 hours. (We stuck the dough in the freezer for about 20 minutes to expedite the process.)

Peaches

5 lbs of peaches (according to my pictures, we used 6 peaches)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbs. cornstarch

- Peel and cut peaches into 1" cubes. Mix brown sugar, cornstarch and peach cubes, and pour into shallow baking pan.

- When the dough is chilled, roll it out on a floured surface. Cut large, irregular slices to lay over the top of the peaches. (irregular = rustic)

- Paint the crust with an egg wash and dust with a generous amount of sugar. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, or until crust is browned and the peaches are bubbling.

Thanks to Laura for being the cobbler instigator! Check out her bakery and blog - A Dollop of Dixie !

Thanks to The Presidents of the USA for providing the soundtrack to this post ;)

Slice of the Week - Once Upon a Tart

I'm working in the tony neighborhood of New York's SoHo this week, and amongst the cobblestone streets, colorful buildings, stunningly overpriced boutiques and even more stunningly overdressed tourists, I snacked at a tart shop I'd been dying to try.

Charmingly named Once Upon a Tart, this quick-bite restaurant gives good face. It's cloyingly cute, there are the requisite cafe tables and chairs set for streetside dining, and the menu is handwritten on chalkboards above the counter. The allure ends right about there, however. I had perused their online menu beforehand and knew they served both savory and sweet tarts, and was going to decide which to get when I got there. The sweet tarts were presented beautifully on display trays in the window and on the counter, but the savory tarts were wrapped in plastic, piled inside a case, and left to look like they were made three days ago. So...I went in the sweet direction and ordered a blueberry walnut tart.

Forgive me for sounding like a broken record, but a restaurant's charm will only get you so far if a.) you serve your food on a paper plate with a plastic fork and b.) you don't offer to heat up said food. I'm ordering a pie (tart). Some people like warm fruit pie. I am one of those people. I would like the option of choosing whether or not my pie is to be heated.

That being said, it was a decent tart. Not the greatest, for the blueberries were most likely frozen and re-baked at some point in their short little lives, but they had a pleasantly sweet and tangy taste, they paired wonderfully with the bitterness of the walnuts, and the tart's crust was great - flaky, sweet, and completely complimentary to it's supporting contents. It was also incredibly rich, and I made it about 3/4 of the way through the 6" tart before calling it a day.

I can't say I'll be back for another tart anytime soon. At $6.50 for one tart, I should be getting silverware, table service and a glass of water (but I'll settle for any of the three). There are a zillion cute and overpriced cafes in SoHo, and I think I'll see what they have to offer.

Lemon and Lavender Icebox Pie

While the weather may have cooled itself off tonight, this week's 80+ temperatures reminded me that summer is definitely here. And since I finished off the last of the Thin Mints last week, I needed a new  frozen treat to keep me cool. Luckily, I found this list of the Huffington Post's 60 favorite pies and got straight to work.

Ingredients
28 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups lemon juice
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
8 egg yolks
1 tsp lavender extract (want to make your own? click here)
1 graham cracker pie crust (the recipe called for a homemade crust, but I used a store-bought in an attempt to keep the oven off and kitchen cool)

How to
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk together the lemon juice and condensed milk. Beat the lemon zest into the egg yolks, pour into milk mixture. Add the lavender extract, stir until smooth.

Pour mixture into the pie crust and bake for 20 minutes or until edges are set and center is jiggly.

Let the pie cool on a wire rack for an hour, then loosely cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 6 hours.

Place pie in refrigerator about an hour before you intend to serve it, this will help the ease of cutting slices and won't give your guests a brain freeze. Add some lemon slices in a pretty pattern in an attempt to make a really easy pie look all fancy and time-consuming ;)

Lemon and Lavender Icebox Pie

This pie was inspired by and adapted from this recipe.