WORLD'S BEST CHOCOLATE PIE
This is from Diana Rattray at The Spruce Eats. She wrote, "This pie is made extra tasty with baker's chocolate and homemade whipped cream topping."
Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 14 minutes; Total Time: 34 minutes; Makes 8 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/worlds-best-chocolate-pie-3053489.
Ingredients
Pie:
1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker pie shell
1 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons flour (all-purpose)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups of milk
3 egg yolks (slightly beaten)
4 (1-ounce) squares Baker’s unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Topping:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon Hershey’s cocoa
Directions
Blend the sugar, cornstarch, flour, salt, and 1 cup of milk together with a wire whisk.
Whisk in the remaining 2 cups of milk.
Cook over medium heat for 8 to 9 minutes, until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and whisk in the egg yolks.
Return to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes more.
Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate squares, butter, and the vanilla. Stir until smooth and all the chocolate is melted.
Cool for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into graham cracker pie and shell refrigerate for 4 hours.
For the topping, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form.
Add the sugar slowly and beat until stiff peaks form.
Spread onto the cooled pie.
Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of Hershey’s cocoa and serve.
CRANBERRY PIE
My dad sent this recipe in a letter dated “18 No 79”. He wrote, “Here is a recipe for a pie. 1st the way it was in the paper and the way I made it.”
The pie can be made with either one or two crusts. Dad's recipe, though, only called for one.
This can be found in my e-cookbook, Off the Wall Cooking.
Ingredients
2 T cornstarch
1 C sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/4 C hot water
1 C raisins
1 T butter
2 C cranberries
Pie crust
Directions
Blend 1st four ingredients & cook in double boiler until thick. Add next 3 ingredients & cook 10 minutes. Put in pie shell & bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, covering pie with foil for the first 10-15 minutes. (Crust can be any kind you want, whether double crust or simply a bottom crust.)
VARIATION
2 Tbls cornstarch
3/4 C honey + 1/4 C molasses
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/4 C hot water
1 C raisins
1 T margarine
1-1/2 C cranberries + 1 C canned cranberries (kind with berries in sauce)
Pie crust
Make as above.
NO-BAKE YOGURT AND COOL WHIP PIE
This is from Jolinda Hackett on The Spruce Eats. She wrote, "If you're looking for an easy no-bake dessert, this Cool Whip pie recipe is the one to try. It will be a welcome treat on a hot summer evening and can be the prettiest dessert at the next cookout; it's also the perfect recipe to get the kids involved as there is no stovetop or oven required. This pie is completely customizable since you can choose the yogurt flavor, matching it to whatever fruit happens to be in season. Consider strawberry or peach slices, cherry halves, mandarin orange segments, or whole blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries. It's also a healthier dessert option so you can enjoy a piece of pie without all of the guilt.
"This recipe comes together quickly, calling for just a container of Cool Whip, flavored yogurt, a ready-made graham cracker crust, and some fresh fruit. Just keep in mind the pie will have to firm up in the freezer for about 2 hours before serving."
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 0 minutes; Freeze Time: 2 hours; Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes; Makes 8 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/cool-whip-pie-recipe-3376704.
Ingredients
8 ounces whipped topping
18 ounces yogurt, any flavor
1 prepared graham cracker crust
Fresh fruit (e.g., berries, peaches, oranges), for garnish
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the Cool Whip and yogurt until smooth.
Pour the yogurt and Cool Whip mixture into the pie crust. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
Remove the pie from the freezer approximately 20 minutes before serving.
Slice the fruit if necessary and top the pie with the fruit.
Cover and refrigerate any leftover pie, or freeze for later.
Tips
Cool Whip is sold frozen and will need to be defrosted beforehand. This can be done in the refrigerator, microwave, or in cold water. Thawing in the refrigerator will take some planning as it needs to sit in the fridge for about 5 hours (or overnight). The microwave method is simple, but you will need to pay close attention; remove the lid and microwave on the defrost setting for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until smooth. A third method is to place the tub in a bowl filled with cold water and let it sit for 30 to 40 minutes.
To give the pie a more sophisticated look, arrange the fruit slices on top before you fully freeze the pie. Depending on the weight of the fruit, you might want to freeze the pie for an hour before adding the slices or whole fruit so they don't sink into the yogurt mixture.
What Is Cool Whip Made Of?
Cool Whip is made from water, hydrogenated vegetable oil, corn syrup, skimmed milk, and natural and artificial flavors, as well as other additives. If you'd rather not use this whipped topping, you can substitute with whipped cream.
Recipe Variations
Although a store-bought graham cracker crust is convenient, it is easy to make your own graham cracker crust or a sugar-free graham cracker crust.
Instead of a graham cracker crust, you can use a cookie crust. Vanilla cookies go nicely with a lemon yogurt filling, or a chocolate cookie crust pairs well with coconut flavored yogurt topped with coconut flakes.
This light pie is fairly low in calories for a dessert, but if you'd like to reduce the fat and calories, this recipe can be made with reduced-fat or no-sugar varieties of Cool Whip, yogurt, and graham crackers.
STRAWBERRY PIE
Several summers ago, my daughter and I checked out a local fruit stand and came away with a quart of strawberries. They were on sale for $3 for a quart, so how could we pass them up?
Of course, then we had to decide what to do with all these yummy strawberries. And what better use for them than in a pie? So, here goes what I made.
Ingredients
1 quart strawberries
1 C sugar
3 Tablespoons corn start
3/4 cup hot water
1 pie crust
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place pie crust in an ungreased pie pan. Using a fork, pierce crust a couple of times (though don't go overboard), and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until lightly brown.
Note: If you're using a store-bought pie crust, bake until brown according to the package directions.
Wash strawberries. Cut up half of the berries (about 1 pint) and arrange in pie crust. You don't need to cut the strawberries too small; maybe in half or, for larger strawberries, in fourths.
Mash the remaining berries and place in a medium saucepan. Pour sugar over the strawberries in the pan and combine. Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
In a small bowl, whisk hot water and cornstarch together, then stir into boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat, then simmer until mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour thickened mixture over berries in pie crust. Chill for several hours before serving. Oh, and be sure to share!
MANGO PIE
This is from Kanta and Hrishikesh Kirway, and adapted by Samin Nosrat in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Samin wrote, "When Hrishikesh Hirway was a kid, his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Maharashtra, in western India, began hosting Thanksgiving. The meal soon evolved into a hybrid of a traditional Thanksgiving and an Indian potluck. “Out of that cultural mash-up, my mom started making this mango pie,” he said. She’d gotten the idea from other Indian aunties in the States, but their versions weren’t as good. “They weren’t making it with the best kind of mango,” Hirway explained. “The Alphonsos have a stronger, more intense flavor.” That Alphonso flavor shines as brilliantly as the pie’s bright filling, made tangy and rich with the addition of cream cheese and whipped cream. And the salty, crumbly graham cracker crust is the perfect foundation for the golden cloud of custard that sits atop it. It’s so satisfying that you'll catch yourself cutting sliver after mouthwatering sliver of pie."
Yield: 2 9-inch pies; Time: 50 minutes, plus 5 hours' chilling
This was featured in "A Very American Mango Pie, Inspired by Indian Aunties," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019974-mango-pie.
Note: I found the featured article very interesting, and hope you will, too. Please, take a look at it. Nothing like combining the old and new cultures and food!
While we're at it, check out Melissa Clark's guide titled "How to Make a Pie Crust." Helpful stuff there!
Ingredients
For the graham-cracker crust:
2-1/2 cups finely ground graham-cracker crumbs
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 large pinch sea salt
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the mango custard:
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon powdered gelatin (2-1/2 packages at 2-1/2 teaspoons per pack)
cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 30-ounce can Alphonso mango purée (3-1/4 cups)
1 large pinch sea salt
Preparation
Stir crumbs, sugar, cardamom and salt together in a medium bowl. Add butter, and stir with a fork until evenly combined.
Pour half the crumb mixture into a 9-inch round metal pie pan, and spread evenly. Press down with fingers, a metal measuring cup or a second pie pan to compact the crumbs as much as possible across the bottom and up the sides of the pan into an even crust. (The more compressed the crust, the less it will crumble.) Repeat to form the remaining crumb mixture into a crust in a second pan.
Heat oven to 325. Transfer both crusts to freezer, and chill for 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Place 3/4 cup cold water in a large bowl. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup sugar with the gelatin; sprinkle mixture evenly over the surface of the cold water. Let sit a few minutes to bloom.
In the meantime, whip the cream and remaining 1/4 cup sugar together until medium-stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm 1 cup of the mango purée to body temperature (stir to make sure you are just warming it and not bringing it to a boil). Pour warmed mango purée over gelatin mixture, and whisk until well combined. Gelatin should dissolve into mango completely. Gradually whisk in remaining mango purée.
Use a rubber spatula to beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until it is soft and smooth, then add to mango mixture along with a large pinch of sea salt. Use an immersion blender to blend until completely smooth, tipping the bowl to make sure you’ve incorporated everything well. Gently tap the bowl on the counter once or twice to pop any air bubbles. Use the spatula to gently fold about 1/4 of the mango mixture into the whipped cream, then fold cream into the larger amount of mixture until no streaks remain.
Divide custard between cooled crusts. Use a rubber spatula to smooth out the filling. Refrigerate 5 hours or overnight until firm and chilled. Serve chilled.
Tip
You can find Alphonso mango purée — which is a variety, not a brand — at most Indian grocery stores. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a food processor or a countertop blender to blend the custard mixture.
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.
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