Mexican Chocolate Cream Pie - Week 20

The first note was coffee, then a hint of cinnamon, and then the zinger at the end. - Jonell

This Chocolate Cream Pie has characteristics that set it apart from your typical chocolate pie. If you prefer a little depth to your dessert, this pie is definitely for you! When I chose this pie, I couldn't wait to see how the different ingredients would mix with the traditional taste of chocolate pie, it didn't disappoint. You can find the original recipe here at myrecipes.com. I do think my favorite part was the crust.

When I was looking for the ingredients, I found the instant coffee at the store with 7 individual packets for $1. My husband claimed the other 6 for camping.

Crust Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 T. sugar

1 t. cinnamon

1/8 t. salt

1 egg white

2 T. butter, melted

Filling Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups milk, hot & scalded

1/2 cup sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1 T. unsweetened cocoa

1/4 t. instant coffee

1/8 t. salt

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 T. vegetable oil

1-1/2 cups frozen topping

Crust Directions:

Reserve 1 T. graham cracker crumbs for topping. Combine the remaining crumbs, 2 T. sugar, cinnamon, and 1/8 t. salt in a bow, stirring well. Stir in egg white and butter. Press crumb mixture into bottom and sides of a greased 9” pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 minutes or until lightly toasted; cool completely on a wire rack.

Filling Directions:

In mixing bowl, combine ½ cup sugar, cornstarch, 1 T. unsweetened cocoa, instant coffee, salt, cayenne pepper, and 1 egg. Gradually add milk, and whisking together well. Put mixture in heavy saucepan, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until thick & bubbly stirring constantly. Mix 1/3 cup cocoa and oil together. Add to milk mixture, and sir until smooth. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl for 10 minutes or until mixture cools,stirring occasionally. 

Spread over  crust. Chill for 3 hours or until set. Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with reserved graham cracker topping.

Do you have a recipe that has an unusual ingredient that enhances a traditional dish? 

I'd love to hear about it!

Boston Cream Pie - Week 19 Bonus

The Pie that's really a cake filled with creamy filling.

But to be on the safe side, I put it in a pie dish.  History of this pie states that in the mid-nineteenth century that pie tins were more common than the cake tin; so, the first Boston Cream Pies were probably made as pies. 

This dessert is the perfect treat for any occasion. It has the simplicity of a cake, but has enough extras to make it special.  I put together this recipe from an old cake recipe in a McCall's cookbook dated 1910 (according to cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com). I added a basic cream filling and chocolate glaze. 
And the best thing about this recipe, is that it make 2 pies! You can enjoy one yourself, and slip the other one on a paper plate and give to your neighbor or friend: Pie it Forward!

Cake Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1-1/4 cups sugar

1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs

Cream Filling Ingredients
2/3 cup sugar
4 T. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
3 cups milk
4 egg yolk, beaten
4 t. vanilla

Glaze Ingredients:
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter melted
2 cups powdered sugar
2 t. vanilla
1/4 cup hot water

Cake Directions:
Grease and flour 2-8” round cake pans. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter, milk and vanilla. Beat for about 2 minutes. Add eggs, and beat another 60 seconds. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes clean. Cool for 10 minutes and then turn out and cool completely on wire racks.

Cream Filling Directions: 
In saucepan, mix 2/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in milk gradually and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir at least ½ of the mixture slowly into egg yolks. Return egg yolk mixture to the saucepan and boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the 4 t. of vanilla.

Chocolate Glaze Directions:
Mix cocoa powder and melted butter together. Stir in 2 cups powdered sugar, and vanilla. Stir in water, one teaspoon at a time, until glaze is of desired consistency.

Assembly:
Split the cooled cakes in half to make 2 thin layers each. 

Fill the layers with the filling. 

Then spread the chocolate glaze over top.

Refrigerate any leftover cake.

I took one of these pies to a potluck dinner and the other one to our Pastor. Who will you share your extra pie with? I'd love to hear how you "pie-it-forward"!

Rhubarb Pie - Week 19

Rhubarb Pie... the sign that summer is close.

 Rhubarb is a prized crop in Kansas as families have passed the root from family garden to family garden. And because of our wild temperatures, the crop is not always a guarantee. It has to be cool enough to keep it from burning up, but warm enough to keep it from freezing. 

There are usually favorite family recipes that are cherished by families. However, that doesn't mean there is success in recreating the rhubarb treat. My husband's Grandma was well-known for her rhubarb rolls (like a cinnamon roll). I remember using her recipe and spending hours kneading the dough, cutting the rhubarb, raising the dough, baking, and glazing only to hear "It's just not like Grandma's". 

Many times, the combination of strawberries and rhubarb are a popular blend in a pie. However, I chose to fix the rhubarb straight up. Many recipes also call for red food coloring to change the color of the rhubarb that is commonly grown in Kansas gardens because you use the whole stalk, not just the red part. The leaves are known to be poisonous.

I was fortunate to be able to fix my pie this week with my son that was visiting on his summer break. I knew that this would be a pie that he would appreciate with the tart filling.

Michael and I getting ready to make rhubarb goodness!

Ingredients:

1 Double Crust Pastry

4 cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup sugar + 1 T.

6 T. flour

Direction:

Place rhubarb in bottom pastry. Sprinkle sugar and flour over rhubarb.

Cover with top crust and place vent holes and sprinkle 1 T. sugar over top. 

Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees.

Reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes.

But can he survive making pie with his mom?

Our pie before it went into the oven...
Unfortunately we had a crust crisis,
but we just pieced it together as nice as we could.
It happens!

But it still tasted great!

I know how difficult it might be to find the fresh rhubarb, 

so I scoped out the frozen rhubarb from Dillons:

During piesearch, I had found a recipe for Rhubarb Pie Martini that required "rhubarb syrup". So I made up a batch of the sticky syrup.

The drink was okay, I think I'll use the rest of my syrup for ice cream instead...

What is your favorite rhubarb memory?

I will have to say my favorite rhubarb memory will have to be 

helping my son make his first pie (hopefully not his last).

Chile Relleno Pie - Week 18 Bonus

I LOVE Cheese! And recently, I've discovered that Chile Relleno is one of my many Mexican dishes that I love! However, it is a dish that takes some planning to make, especially if you want to roast your own chiles.  The Pioneer Woman has a great how-to post on roasting your own chiles here.

Pick some large chile beauties to roast!

Place them on the top rack on broil to roast in the oven.

They are done in the oven when the skins are peeling.

After you've let them cool in a plastic bag,
you can peel them and remove the seeds.

I do admit that this bonus pie is a stretch to declare pie, but I found one chef that called this pie because of its crusty topping; so I went with it. I served this with grilled chicken breast, tortilla chips, and salsa. It made a delicious meal. 

The kitchen tip that I learned with this meal is:
"Use farm fresh eggs for quality egg white whipping."
I have always bought the regular grocery store eggs because that is readily available, but I had the opportunity to try some farm fresh eggs, and those egg whites whipped up super-fast. I can't wait to re-try the meringue topping that I've struggled with.

Ingredients:
1 lb whole roasted chiles, (5 large)
3 cups grated cheese
3 T. butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
3 T. yellow cornmeal
1 T. Flour
1 cup milk
1 t. salt
1/8 t. cayenne
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites, stiffly beaten
Salsa

Directions:

Stuff chiles with 2 cups cheese. Place in 13x9 casserole dish. 

Melt butter, add onion and peppers and cook 2-3 minutes. 

Sprinkle with cornmeal, flour, and cook stirring until flour begins to bubble (2-3 minutes). Gradually add milk, whisking until sauce is smooth and thick (4-5 minutes). Add salt, cayenne, corn and egg yolks. 

When ready to bake pie, fold in egg whites.

Spread over chiles and sprinkle 1 cup cheese over top. 

Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees until crust is set and golden. Serve with salsa.

Whew...yes, I enjoyed this.

But, I think may treat myself next time I'm at Playa Azul and order it.

What is your favorite thing to order at a restaurant

because it's better when someone else makes it?

Out of This World Pie - Week 18

Colorful and refreshing pie that is out of this world delicious!

This pie feels like spring! And I just love the fact that it tastes so fresh with ingredients that you can get year-round. This is one of my go-to pies that I make whenever I need to take a pie to a fundraiser because it always stands out with its color and gets chose quickly. Plus it is super-easy.

Ingredients:

2 Pie shells - baked
1 can (21 oz) Cherry Pie filling
4 T. cornstarch
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple
1 cup sugar
2 pkg (3 oz) strawberry gelatin
6 bananas
2 T. lemon juice







Directions:
In large saucepan, Mix cherry pie filling, cornstarch, crushed pineapple, and sugar together. Stir occasionally, and bring to a boil. Add gelatin. Remove from heat. Slice bananas and toss in lemon juice to prevent browning. Add bananas to jello mixture. Pour into pie shells. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Optional: Serve with cool whip.

It just doesn't get any more refreshing than this!

Italian Sausage Spinach Pie - Week 17 Bonus

Spinach is a great vegetable that people hate on, 

but would absolutely love it if they gave it a chance!

I love the versatility of this vegetable! It is great as a fresh treat in salads, served steamed, or included as an ingredient in main dishes. One of the first dishes that I perfected early in our marriage was Spinach Florentine Lasagna Casserole; and later on in the year, Spinach Meatballs was another favorite. 

I was kind of crazy about spinach. My boys liked it, and I couldn't imagine why anyone would not like it. The key is to eat fresh or frozen spinach. Canned spinach is nasty...I know Popeye disagrees, but seriously it isn't even the same thing! Spinach is considered a super food because of its nutritious benefits.

I have grown it in the garden in the past successfully, but it takes a lot to cook up as it cooks down tremendously. However, if you enjoy fresh spinach, you should try growing it as it is one of the easiest garden items to grow if you plant it in the cooler season; it doesn't like the hot temperatures of Kansas and will die out. But, it is easy to have a second season in the fall if you plant it after the dog days of summer.

I love this recipe for Italian Sausage Spinach Pie because it's a great treat for leftovers the next day and it really stretches your ingredients for a full meal. I don't know how it is possible, but we typically get 8 servings out of 1 pound of sausage. And, this is the same family that each one of us could eat the pound hamburger special at a restaurant.

If you like pie and sausage, but not sure about the spinach; this is the recipe to try. I think you may start to appreciate it.

Ingredients:
1 deep dish double large pastry pie crust
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
6 eggs, beaten
1 pkg (16 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed & well-drained
1 c. grated cheese
1 pkg (3 oz.) cream cheese, cubed
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 T. water






Directions:
In skillet brown sausage and onion; drain. Separate 1 egg and set aside the yolk. In a mixing bowl, beat the remaining egg white and whole eggs. Stir in the sausage and onion, spinach, grated cheese, cream cheese, garlic salt, and pepper. Line pie plate with bottom pastry. Add filling.

Top with upper crust, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in top crust. 
Combine water with reserved egg yolk; brush over top crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden brown.

After trying this recipe, you may become a spinach lover too!

Kentucky Derby Bacon Bourbon Pie - Week 17

Read on to find the six degrees separation between this year's Kentucky Derby winner and Easy as Pie in Kansas!

California Chrome is the race horse that is currently trying for the triple crown.

Kentucky Derby is the race that boosted his popularity across the nation.

The state of Kentucky has hosted the Kentucky Derby since 1875.

Fried Chicken is a well known southern food for the state of Kentucky, in fact Colonel Sanders started a chain of restaurants based on his original recipe.

KFC is the national franchise restaurant of Kentucky Fried Chicken found in nearly every part of the United States. 

Kansas Fried Chicken...surely if the restaurant is located in Kansas that is what the KFC stands for.

Pie is the perfect accompaniment to fried chicken, especially if you're in the state of Kansas.

Easy as Pie in Kansas is proud to present the Kentucky Derby Bacon Bourbon Pie. And we just had to include Bacon in it because of the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon.

And bourbon because it is unique to the state of Kentucky because of the iron-free water that is found in area by filtering it through high concentration of limestone found in Kentucky. 95% of all bourbon originates from the state of Kentucky and must be aged in new, charred oak barrels giving it a unique taste that carries through in this pie.

Ingredients (Crust):

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 t. salt

2 t. sugar

3 T. cold bacon grease

5 T. cold butter, cubed

2 T. cold bourbon

2 T. ice water, more as needed

Ingredients (Filling):

1/2 cup maple syrup

4 T. brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

3 T. butter

3 large eggs

1 t. vanilla extract

1/4 t. salt

2 cups pecan halves

1/2 cup bacon, finely chopped

3 T. bourbon

Directions (crust):

Whisk together the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in bacon

grease, and then cut in butter. Sprinkle the bourbon and water over

the mixture and lightly toss together until just mixed. Mold dough into

a disc, and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Roll dough on lightly floured surface and roll out. Place in a pie plate and crimp as desired. Freeze for 30 minutes before baking.

Directions (filling):

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Stir

syrup, brown sugar, corn syrup and butter in medium saucepan over

medium heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Increase heat and

boil 1 minute. Cool to lukewarm (45 minutes). Whisk eggs, vanilla and

salt in mixing bowl. Gradually whisk maple mixture into egg mixture.

Stir in pecan halves, bacon, and bourbon. Pour filling into crust. Bake

pie until filling slightly puffed around edges and center is set, about 55

minutes. Cool and serve at room temperature.

Nutty Goodness!!

We thought this pie was good. My husband who loves pecan pie and bacon, actually thought the traditional pie is just as good, but it was fun trying it out!

And while we are at it why don't we just rename the racehorse 

Kalifornia Krome in honor of his connection to Easy as Pie in Kansas.