Pies - Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday. Today's double post deals with pies, including Chocolate Lover's Chocolate Mousse Pie and Pineapple Cream Pie. Enjoy!

PUMPKIN PIE IN A SHEET PAN

This yummy pie comes from the Food Network, and begins, “Got a crowd that loves pumpkin pie? This giant dessert in sheet-cake form serves 16. We extended the height of a baking sheet with aluminum foil for a deeper crust that holds the double recipe and placed pie dough rounds around the perimeter for a pretty fanned crust.”

Level: Intermediate; Total: 11 hr (includes cooling and chilling times); Active: 1 hr; Yield: 16 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Dough:

Cooking spray

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 large egg

Filling:

Two 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Whipped cream, for serving

Directions

Special equipment: a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet, 1 roll 18-inch-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil, a 1-inch round cookie cutter

Position an oven rack in the bottom of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Tear off two 24-inch pieces of 18-inch-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil. Line a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with the foil, crisscrossing the pieces and leaving an overhang on all sides. Fold over each overhang so it stands upright and forms a sturdy wall about 3 inches high. Crimp the corners together, and lightly coat the bottom and sides with the cooking spray.

For the dough: Beat the butter, confectioners' sugar and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high until smooth, about 1 minute. Add half the flour, and beat to incorporate; add the remaining flour, and beat until the dough just starts to come together in large, soft clumps. (It should hold together when squeezed.) Set aside 1/3 of the dough (for decorating the edges).

Press half the remaining dough into the bottom of the baking sheet until it is completely covered, with no gaps, about 1/4 inch thick. (The dough won't be completely smooth.) Press the remaining dough into and about 1 inch up the sides of the foil wall until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick and there are no gaps where the sides and bottom meet. Bake until the dough is light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.

Meanwhile, knead the reserved dough a few times to bring it together. Put it between 2 pieces of flour-dusted parchment; pat it into a disk, and roll it out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out about 50 rounds with a 1-inch round cookie cutter, gathering scraps and rerolling as needed. Lay all the rounds out on a parchment-lined baking sheet or platter, beat the egg with a little water and brush the tops of each round with the egg wash. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the filling: Gently whisk together the pumpkin, cream, granulated sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt in a large bowl until blended well.

Pour the filling into the cooled pie shell. Press the rounds in a single line all around the edges of the crust. (It's OK if part of the round sinks into the filling slightly.) Bake until the filling is only slightly wiggly when shaken, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool completely. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Cut into squares, and serve with whipped cream.

Cook’s Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)

FOUR-FLAVOR SHEET PAN PIE

This yumminess comes from the Food Network, and begins, “A clever sheet pan hack gives you quadruple the Thanksgiving pie fun (and saves the time and effort of making four individual pies). Apple, cherry, pumpkin and pecan coexist peacefully in one giant slab that feeds a crowd.”

Level: Intermediate; Total: 2 hr; Active: 1 hr; Yield: 16 to 18 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Crusts:

Two 14.1-ounce boxes refrigerated rolled pie crust (4 crusts total)

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Apple Pie:

2 pounds mixed apples (such as Granny Smith, Gala and McIntosh), peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Kosher salt

Sour Cherry Pie:

2 cups drained jarred sour cherries, plus 3/4 cup juice from the jar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Pumpkin Pie:

1 1/3 cups canned pure pumpkin puree

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 large egg

Pecan Pie:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Kosher salt

3/4 cup roasted pecan halves

Directions

For the crusts: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll 3 of the pie crusts on a lightly floured work surface. Stack them on top of each other. Roll out the thick, layered dough to a 15-by-21-inch rectangle. Press into a rimmed baking sheet so that the crust comes up the sides and hangs over slightly. This will be the bottom crust. Chill until ready to use, at least 30 minutes.

Use the remaining crust for the top of the pie. Unroll it on a lightly floured work surface and roll it to a 14-by-18-inch rectangle. Cut the dough in half so you have two 7-by-9-inch pieces. One half will be the top crust for the apple portion of the pie. Cut the other half into 1-inch diagonal strips to use for the lattice on the cherry pie. Place the rectangle and strips on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill until ready to use.

For the apple pie: Toss the apples in a medium bowl with the sugar and lemon juice. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and cook until thickened, about 1 minute more. Cool completely.

For the sour cherry pie: Place the cherries in a medium bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup cherry juice with the cornstarch in a small saucepan until completely smooth. Add the remaining cherry juice and sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy, about 30 seconds. Pour the sauce over the cherries and gently fold to combine. Cool completely.

For the pumpkin pie: Whisk together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and the egg and in a medium bowl until smooth. Set aside.

For the pecan pie: Whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, eggs and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fold in the pecans and set aside.

Once all fillings are made, begin assembling the pie. Remove both baking sheets with dough from the refrigerator.

Visualize the sheet pan is divided in half lengthwise and then crosswise so you have 4 equal quadrants. Each quadrant will hold a different pie filling. Prick the bottom crust all over with a fork.

Add the pie fillings in this order: Add the apple pie filling to the upper left quadrant of the crust; spread it to cover a 7-by-9-inch rectangle. Moving counter clockwise, pour the pumpkin filling right under the apple pie filling and spread it the same size as the apple filling. Spread out the cherry filling next to the pumpkin filling. Fill the top right empty space with the pecan filling. Cover the apple pie quadrant with the reserved rectangle of dough. Lay the pie strips out diagonally over the cherry pie quadrant. Press any remaining strips of dough around the edge of the pie to thicken the rim. Crimp the edge of the pie, making sure to incorporate and crimp together the dough from the apple quadrant. Brush the edges and the dough on top of the pie with egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cut decorative slits in the apple pie crust.

Bake until all pies are set and the crust on the apple pie and cherry pie is golden brown and crisp, 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes.

DOUBLE APPLE PIE

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and begins, “This recipe is a keeper. Gently spiced with cinnamon, tinged with brown sugar and loaded with apple butter, it’s as deeply flavored as an apple pie can be, all covered with a buttery wide-lattice top crust. Although it’s at its most ethereal when baked on the same day you serve it, it’s still wonderful made a day ahead. (Don't let making your own pie crust intimidate you: our pie guide has everything you need to know.)”

Yield: 8 servings; Time: 2 1/2 hours, plus at least 3 1/2 hours' chilling and cooling.

This was featured in The United States Of Thanksgiving and can viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 sticks/20 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

4 tablespoons vodka (optional)

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

For the Filling

3 pounds apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced crosswise (1/8-inch)

1/2 cup granulated sugar, more as needed

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons apple butter

Heavy cream or milk, as needed

Whipped cream, sour cream or crème fraîche, for serving

Preparation

Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse together flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms 3/4-inch pieces. Mix vodka with 4 tablespoons ice water (or use 1/2 cup ice water). Add half the ice water mixture to dough, pulse a few times, then continue adding liquid a tablespoon at a time until dough just comes together (you might not use all the liquid). Dough should be moist, but not wet, and hold together when pinched. If there are visible pieces of butter in the dough, all the better.

On a lightly floured surface, gather dough into a ball. Remove a third of the dough and form into a disk. Form remaining dough into a disk. Cover both tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger disk to a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold over any excess dough, then crimp edges. Prick crust all over with a fork, then chill crust for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

While dough chills, heat oven to 400 degrees. Line chilled crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes; remove foil and weights and bake until pale golden, 5 minutes more. Cool on rack until needed. (You can bake the crust up to 24 hours in advance.)

Toss apples with sugars, tapioca, spices, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the lemon juice. Fold in apple butter. Transfer apples to crust and press gently to make sure fruit is tightly packed.

Roll out remaining dough disk to a 10-inch round. Use a knife to cut strips 1 3/4 inches wide. Arrange strips over the filling in a lattice pattern. Brush top of crust with heavy cream or milk. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling thickly, about 1 hour 15 minutes more. Let pie cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before cutting. Serve with whipped cream, sour cream or crème fraîche.

CHOCOLATE LOVER'S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PIE

This recipe is from FamilyTime, and begins, “Chocolate crust with a milk chocolate coating, fluffy chocolate filling, whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle: this pie is not for the faint of heart!”

Serves: 12; Prep. time: 25 minutes; Cooking time: 11 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup NESTLÉ ® TOLL HOUSE ® Baking Cocoa

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

2 3/4 cups (16 ounces) NESTLÉ ® TOLL HOUSE ® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

2 teaspoons Powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine graham cracker crumbs, cocoa and granulated sugar in 9-inch pie plate. Stir in butter until all ingredients are moistened; press onto bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle 1/2 cup morsels over bottom of hot crust; let stand for 10 minutes or until all morsels are shiny. Spread chocolate over bottom and up sides of crust. Cool to room temperature.

Microwave 2 cups morsels and 3/4 cup cream in large, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

Beat remaining cream, sugar and vanilla extract in chilled small mixer bowl until soft peaks form. Fold 2 cups whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Spoon into crust; swirl top. Garnish with remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate until firm.

Microwave remaining 1/4 cup morsels in heavy-duty plastic bag on HIGH (100%) power for about 30 seconds; knead until smooth. Cut tiny corner from bag; squeeze to drizzle chocolate over pie; let stand a few minutes before serving.

SWIRLED FROZEN YOGURT PIE

This was in a Weight Watchers' email several years ago. The program has changed, but I'm using the values from when this was sent.

This recipe begins, “Substitute your favorite frozen yogurts to create a different pie every time. For more options, swap the yogurt with fat-free varieties of ice cream or Tofutti.”

Was POINTS® value of: 8; Now POINTS® value of: 5; Servings: 8; Preparation Time: 20 min; Cooking Time: 0 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup fat-free chocolate frozen yogurt

1 1/2 cup fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

6 oz pie crust

1 cup fat-free whipped topping

Directions

In a large bowl, combine both yogurts by gently folding flavors together.

Add chocolate chips. Spoon mixture into prepared crust; cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

Top with whipped topping before serving. Slice into 8 pieces.

Chef Tips We renovated Swirled Frozen Yogurt Pie by:

Using fat-free frozen yogurt instead of ice cream.

Using fat-free whipped topping instead of regular topping.

PINEAPPLE CREAM PIE

This is one of those gems from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing lists.

Ingredients

1 graham cracker crust or pre-baked regular crust

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 large can crushed pineapple, well drained

1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in sweetened condensed milk. Stir in pineapple and pecans. Put into pie crust and top with whipped cream or Cool Whip. Refrigerate for several hours.