Lemon Meringue Pie

This pie was not easy to make, and once I finished it I said that I probably wouldn't be making it again...

Then I had a bite.

But really how annoying is it to make a three component, gazillion-step recipe, with instructions to "Serve that day" (after cooling to room temperature). I did it though, and my friends and I were verrrrrrrry happy to dive into it the night I made it and find the lemon filling just the slightest bit warm, indicating how fresh it was. I had literally started making the thing early in the morning and my friends came over at like 8pm! And really, the pie the next day, having been refrigerated overnight, was great too, but it did bead up on top of the meringue. However, the filling and meringue did not separate or get oozy, and the flavor didn't dull, so I might make this one day ahead of time if I needed to. Well... at least I might do the crust ahead because that took hours of chilling in between steps, but I'd do the filling and meringue the same day - these components cannot be made separately ahead of time.

The recipe is from the ol' tried and true American Classics cookbook from Cooks Illustrated (and America's Test Kitchen). It's in fact the dish pictured on the cover, so I see it allllllllllll the time and was finally compelled to make it.

The recipe seriously is long and tedious (and I'd have to re-type it since it's not online), so I won't post it unless there is a request for it. I'm happy to do it though if anyone wants it, so just ask!

An interesting part of this pie is the crust, which is rolled out with graham cracker crumbs rather than extra flour. This makes the crust a little... heartier I guess is the right word. It does not get soggy next to custard fillings.

For this kind of pie, and many others, you have to bake the pie crust before putting in the filling. Pie crust is tricky, I don't care what anyone tells you. You make the dough, chill it, think it's lookin' good. You roll it out, still doing OK. Get it in the dish, crimp the edges with a fork or somehow manage to make the edges look decent - homemade looking, but decent. You're feeling good. You might even chill it for a while at this point, but then you throw it in the oven and it SHRINKS majorly and it BUBBLES up in the middle like a sopapilla. It can ruin your day.

I liked this pie crust recipe (which can be rolled graham cracker crumbs or flour depending on the type of filling), even though I had previously sworn by Martha's pate brise (an all butter dough). This one has butter and shortening. You can see from the before baking and after pics that it only shrank a little, and did not bubble up. Oh happy day!

Two main steps made this possible: 1: proper chillage (once it's in the pie dish, refrigerate 40 minutes and then freeze 20 minutes just before baking), and 2: pie weights (I have ceramic ones, but the link I made to heavier, metal ones on a chain is the kind I want for Christmas, hint hint anyone!). Some cookbooks will tell you that dry beans work just as well as actual "pie weights" but they do NOT. They are not heavy enough. You line the crust with foil to prevent too much browning, and press in the pie weights in, then bake. After 25-30 minutes you remove the foil and weights and allow it to continue cooking to brown for 5 or so more minutes.

Here's the pie as it went into the oven. A tip for any meringue pie recipe is to make sure that the meringue touches the edges of the crust all the way around the entire pie. This will make it stick and prevent the meringue from pulling into the middle.

It's so hard not to dive in as soon as it comes out of the oven!

So much baking, unlike cooking, is nerve-wracking because you discover if you've succeeded or failed at the same time as your guests do. But whatever the outcome, at least you've tried, right?! And always try to follow Julia Child's advice to NEVER APOLOGIZE; NEVER EXPLAIN. Everything turned out precisely how you intended it. (Or at least that's what they'll think!)

Chocolate Cream Pie

One day at home I decided I'd like to make a simple chocolate pie, so I searched the net for a recipe that used ingredients I already had. I got frustrated quickly, even though I have a pantry stocked for baking. But this recipe I can make anytime, with the exception of the Oreo Crust because we don't usually have those on hand. A regular pie crust is perfectly fine; the Oreo Crust just puts it over the top. Everyone's pantry is different, but I think it's more likely that someone will have a can of sweetened condensed milk on hand than a quart of heavy cream. Since I made this pie a couple of different ways, I can offer some optional ingredients because I know it will work either way, and I want to keep it simple and try to avoid trips to the store.

I used my sieve, or mesh strainer, twice in this recipe: once for the egg yolks before they were added to anything, and then again for the entire mixture before it goes into the crust. I ALWAYS sieve eggs before adding them to any cream or custard pie, like pumpkin, coconut, etc. I absolutely hate those little globby bits in the egg and find it necessary without a doubt to remove them. Have you ever noticed one in a forkfull of pumpkin pie? They don't just melt away! Yuck! Secondly, when making a custard on the stovetop, you always run the chance of curdling the eggs, resulting in little globs of cooked egg inside the mixture. Sieving after cooking ensures a super smooth and creamy pie every time. Call me anal, but I promise I'll never make you eat the glob!

Chocolate Cream Pie with Oreo Crust
recipe adapted from recipezaar.com

1 2/3 cups water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa (I only tested with Dutch, but will work with regular cocoa powder)
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (optional, but this adds richness)
1 (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional, and won't make the pie taste like coffee, only gives it a richer flavor overall)
1 (9 inch) Oreo pie crust

Put the 3 egg yolks in a sieve and press through into a small bowl. In a medium saucepan, whisk the cornstarch and cocoa with the water until smooth. Sir in sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and chopped bittersweet chocolate, and cook on medium until chocolate is completely melted and the mixture becomes quite thick, stirring constantly. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter, vanilla, and instant espresso powder. Press through a clean sieve into the baked and cooled pie shell, and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream.

Oreo Pie Crust
recipe adapted from epicurious.com

21 Oreos (about a row and a half)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter pie dish. Finely grind cookies in a food processor. Add butter and process until mixture is evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan to form thin crust. Bake crust 5 minutes. Transfer crust to rack and cool completely. Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.