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Written on May 7, 2009 by Kate

“Where’s the lemon meringue pie?”. This question has been asked countless times over the years during family holidays when we sit down for a meal together. Well, it’s pie time! This month Natalie at Oven Love selected the theme “Family Pie” for the “You Want Pies With That?” baking group. The first thing that came to mind was that ever-so-sarcastic question, “Where’s the lemon meringue pie?”.

Since I was little, we’ve all come to expect this question from my dad when my mom serves up her feast. When it’s time for dessert, something amazing comes out of the oven and it’s never lemon pie. For the rest of the family, lemon pie is not at the top of our favorite pie list, and the truth is, I don’t think it is at the top of my dad’s either. You think after all of these years, my mom would try to throw us a curve ball and appear in the dining room with that infamous lemon meringue pie in hand, but she never does. I think she knows if she did, it would take away this tradition that we’ve come to expect. Since the tradition is really the asking of where the pie is, not the eating of the pie itself, I think it’s about time the man had his pie, don’t you? And since it’s not a major holiday, it won’t take away from tradition.

Well, guess who shared her recipe with me? My mom, of all people! It seems she had a lemon pie recipe up her sleeve and was withholding all of these years.

I decided to make a mini-me version of the pie he’s been pleading for. It’s all about portion control with summer around the corner. These premade tarts from Bristol Farms were perfect for this recipe.

This is not your typical lemon pie recipe. Hidden under the dollop of meringue is vanilla ice cream topped with a thin layer of lemon curd.

Once the meringue is ready, the fun begins. The next step is to take out the kitchen torch and fire those babies up for a few seconds. I’m not into fire by any means, but there’s just something great about having the torch in hand. Is anybody with me on this?

The final product is so refreshing, with just the perfect amount of tart and the perfect amount of sweet. Forgot portion control, it’s hard to limit yourself to just one or two. I love making appetizer desserts. The dieters who usually turn down dessert will eat them and not feel guilty. You can keep these in the freezer for a week and when friends stop by, take them out of the freezer and impress the group with your torch firing skills.

Okay dad, you want to know where the lemon pie is? Head over to my house and you better hurry. These little babies are disappearing fast! As for everyone else, go check out all of the other pies the group created this month.

Lemon Meruinge Tarts

2 BOXES MINI TART SHELLS (24 EACH)

I PINT VANILLA ICE CREAM (SOFTENED)

LEMON CURD

1 LARGE EGG

1 LARGE EGG YOLK

3 TABLESPOONS BUTTER

1/2 CUP SUGAR

JUICE OF ONE LEMON

ZEST OF ONE LEMON

MERINGUE

2 LARGE EGG WHITES, ROOM TEMPERATURE

PINCH OF CREAM OF TARTAR

3 TABLESPOONS SUGAR

LEMON CURD:

1. WHISK EGGS AND EGG YOLKS IN A MEDIUM BOWL.

2. MELT BUTTER IN A DOUBLE BOILER. WHISK IN SUGAR, LEMON JUICE AND ZEST.

3. GRADUALLY WHISK IN EGG MIXTURE. WHISK UNTIL THICK, ABOUT 8 MINUTES. TRANSFER TO A SMALL BOWL. PRESS PLASTIC WRAP ON TOP OF CURD; CHILL 2 HOURS. (CAN BE MADE 2 DAYS AHEAD.)

4. PLACE 1 TEASPOON OF SOFT ICE CREAM IN EACH TART SHELL.

5. SPREAD 1 TEASPOON OF LEMON CURD OVER ICE CREAM. COVER AND FREEZE FOR 2 HOURS.

MERINGUE:

1. BEAT EGG WHITES WITH ELECTRIC MIXER UNTIL FROTHY. BEAT IN CREAM OF TARTAR. GRADUALLY ADD SUGAR AND BEAT UNTIL STIFF PEAKS FORM.

2. SPREAD MERINGUE OVER PIE AND SEAL EDGES. (TARTS CAN BE MADE 1 DAY AHEAD OR CAN BE FROZEN.)

3. BEFORE SERVING TOAST MERINGUE WITH BUTANE TORCH UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWNED AND SERVE IMMEDIATEY.

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Written on April 29, 2009 by Lynda

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A few weeks ago, Kate posted her Whopper ice cream pie with a waffle cone crust. I have my own Whopper recipe that I made for dessert at Gourmet group. Hope you like it!

1 10-ounce package chocolate wafer cookies

1/3 cup walnuts

1/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter (8 Tbl.)

16 ounces milk chocolate (broken apart)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup malted milk powder (Ovaltine)

2 pounds (4 8-oounce packages) cream cheese (softened)

1 cup sugar

5 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups Whoppers (malted milk balls) ground

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup hot fudge

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Butter 10-inch round springform pan and wrap bottom with heavy duty aluminun foil to avoid leaks.

3. CRUST: Pulse cookies and walnuts in processor until fine. Add sugar and melted butter. Pulse a few times until mixture is blended. Press into bottom and partially up the sides of the springform pan. Chill

CHEESECAKE:

1. Place milk chocolate in top of a double boiler and melt, stirring often.

2. Bring cream to boil over medium heat in saucepan. Turn off heat and add malted milk powder. Whisk and let steep for for 10 minutes. Strain.

3. Place cream cheese in large bowl and beat until fluffy.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each egg.

5. Beat in sour cream and vanilla.

6. Add strained cream and melted chocolate. Blend throughly

7. Process 1 1/2 cups malted milk balls in processor until fine and add to batter.

8. Pour batter into spring-form pan and place in a shallow roasting pan. Pour boiling water halfway up the the spring-form pan and place into oven. Bake for 1 hour and 50 minutes until top is set, (It will move slightly). Remove pan from the oven and place on a rack to cool. Remove foil and cool completely. Remove from springform pan and place on plate. Cover with waxed paper and wrap with foil. Place in refrigerator. Can be stored up to 4 days or frozen.

9. To serve, heat hot fudge until it spreads easily. Spread over top of cheesecake and decorate with Whoppers. Variations: I have made this cheesecake with shortbread cookies and pecans add topped with chocolate curls or whipped cream and garnished with strawberries or raspberries.

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Written on April 7, 2009 by Kate

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It’s pie time for the “You Want Pies With That Group?”. Jacque from Daisy Lane Cakes and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen With Puppies picked “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” as this month’s theme. I thought this theme was going to be a piece of cake (I mean pie!). After all, I am a magazine junkie and have been known to stalk my mailman on Thursdays for the lastest installment of People magazine. Yes, sadly, I can tell you the latest celebrity to give birth (Trista on the Bachelorette) and I know that the latest celebrity trend is hideous jumpsuits (What is this about?).

However, when it came time to commit to a pie, I was stumped. While in deep thought, pondering pie possibilities, my son burst into the room to remind me that it was our favorite night of the week- American Idol night. My son counts the days until American Idol, while I count the days until I get to see Danny Gookey sing his heart out. Yes, I love that man. I have a huge crush on him (as I’m sure many women in America do.). But I’m sorry Danny, I’m still working on your pie. This pie goes to the one who has a love/hate relationship with the viewers…Mr. Simon Cowell.

Without question, the pie had to be a frozen because when this man doesn’t like a performance, he is downright cold. Once he told a singer,“If your lifeguard duties were as good as your singing, a lot of people would be drowning.” He told another contestant, “Shave off your beard and wear a dress. You would be a great female impersonator.” Every time he opens his mouth, the audience waits to hear his latest whopper of a critique – Aha, a Whopper Ice Cream Pie!

This malt shoppe pie starts with a crust made out of waffle cones. The crust is arguably the best part of the pie! A few years back, I saw this idea in Cooking Light and remembered how great it was. The ice cream is blended with malted milk powder. A layer of chocolate sauce with crushed Whoppers separates the ice cream flavors because if you’ve watched Simon long enough, you know that deep down there is a sweet side to him. This pie will not help you look like Jennifer Aniston in a bikini, but the calories are definitely worth it!

Be sure to check out all of the other pie entries this month at “You Want Pies With That?” . I can’t wait to see these rich and famous pies!

Whopper Candy Malt Shoppe Pie (Adapted from Cooking Light, 2005)

2 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. butter, melted

8 waffle cones, crushed (this will vary based on size, but you need 2 cups crushed)

2 c. vanilla ice cream, softened

2 c. strawberry ice cream, softened

1/4 c. malted milk powder, divided

1 c. chocolate syrup

carmel sauce

1 box of Whoppers (1/4 c. crushed)

Combine the first three ingredients, stirring well. Firmly press mixture into the bottom and up sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Freeze 30 minutes or until firm.

Place softened ice cream and 2 tablespoons milk powder in a medium bowl, beat with a mixer on medium until smooth. Spread mixture over crust. Freeze until firm.

Spread chocolate sauce over ice cream layer and sprinkle crushed Whoppers on top. Freeze until firm.

Place softened vanilla ice cream and remaining two tbsp. milk powder in a medium bowl, beat with a mixer on medium until smooth. Spread mixture over chocolate sauce layer. Press Whoppers onto the top of the pie. Freeze until firm (or overnight). Top with carmel sauce before serving.

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Written on March 12, 2009 by Kate

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Sound strange? I thought so too. It’s pie time again and Elizabeth of Cake or Death picked “herbs and spices” as the theme for this month for the “You Want Pies With That?” group. This was the toughest theme yet for me. I have a pantry full of herbs and spices and I can follow a recipe well, but when it comes to knowing what to put with what, I’m pretty clueless. On my pie quest, I came across a recipe that was printed in the Washington Post. It calls for lavender to complement an onion, bacon, egg, and cheese dish. I like the scent of lavender on my skin, but on my quiche or strata – that I wasn’t sure of. This was clearly a departure for me, as my pies are usually as sweet as can be, but every once in awhile I have to shock people and venture into new territory.

I tweaked the original recipe a tad and used a frozen premade pie shell. Cheater, cheater, I know, but sometimes you have to let go of something and this month I refuse to have guilt about my store bought pie shell.

Listen up ladies, did you know that lavender has other appeal? Medical science may convince you to try this pie, and no I’m not going to get on my SuperFood bandwagon. Dr. Allen Hirsch, neurological director of the Smell and Taste Research and Treatment Foundation has studied for years how and why men and women respond to specific scents and tastes. He figures out what scent combinations most arouse men and women. In one of his most publicized studies, he found that men respond most strongly to a mix of two scents, and of of them is lavender. Can anyone name the mystery fragrance? I’ll reveal it in a recipe I post early next week. This dish may get your man to snuggle up to you, but will your onion breath counteract that attraction? Hmmm… You’ll have to let me know.

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Written on February 5, 2009 by Kate

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It‘s pie time again! The Food Librarian won December’s challenge for the “You Want Pies With That?” group. She was in charge of selecting the theme for this month and picked a great one - “Literary Pie”. I loved this theme! The teacher side of me is obsessed with books. I love children’s literature and am an avid fiction reader. Without question, my favorite genre is romance novels – hold on a minute, it’s not what you’re thinking. I don’t read the trashy kind, but only truly great love stories. Since it’s February and I’m a hopeless romantic, my pie was inspired by the greatest love story of all time…Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

This classic was written almost two hundred years ago, but still continues to be retold and remade into movies and books. Jane Austen’s themes are timeless. If you haven’t read this classic, you must and if you have, you’ll remember that Mr. Bingley is the link to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Mr. Bingley moves to Netherfield and the reader is led to believe in the beginning that Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth fall in love. He is kind and wealthy, but not overly concerned with social status. However, Mr. Bingley is not her true love – that spot is reserved for Mr. Darcy, the prideful, arrogant person on the outside, who is overly concerned with social status. Over time Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy deal with their pride and resolve their prejudices to realize that they have found true love.

One of my favorite quotes is when Elizabeths asks Darcy to explain when he fell in love with her. He tells her, “I cannot fix on the hour, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” Can we ever pinpoint that exact moment of falling in love?

Okay, I know this is supposed to be about pie, right? I promise I’ll get to that. I first have to recommend my favorite contemporary version of Pride and Prejuce, Me and Mr. Darcy. It is the perfect read for February.

Now for the pie… Hopefully you got my connection Mr. BING-ley and BING cherries. This is my mom’s pie and it takes me right back to the my childhood whenever I make it.

The pie is made with a graham cracker crust, followed by two creamy layers, and topped with cherry pie filling. If you’re not a cherry fan, I’m adding a strawberry glaze topping recipe at the bottom, which is arguably better than this classic.*

printable recipe

Cherry Cheesecake Pie

1 1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/4 c. butter, melted

Filling

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. sugar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. vanilla

dash salt

2 eggs

1 c. sour cream

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 15oz. can cherry pie filling

To make the crust combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into 9 inch pie pan, building up sides.

To make filling soften cream cheese; beat until fluffy. Gradually blend in sugar, lemon, salt and eggs; one at a time. Beat after each.

Pour into crust. Bake in slow oven (325 degrees) until set, 25 to 30 minutes.

Combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Spoon over top of pie and bake 10 minutes longer. Cool. Spread cherry pie filling on top. Chill several hours.

*Directions for strawberry cheesecake pie

Strawberry Glaze

3 c. fresh strawberries

1 c. water

1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

3/4 c. sugar

Crush one cup of the strawberries; add the water, and cook 2 minutes. Sieve.

Mix cornstarch and sugar. Stir into hot berry mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thick and clear. Add a few drops of red food coloring. Cool to room temperature.

Place strawberries atop cooled cheesecake. Pour glaze over strawberries and chill for at least 2 hours.

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Written on January 5, 2009 by Kate

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Just when I felt completely stuffed from all of that holiday food and couldn’t eat another bite, it’s that yummy time again – pie time! The theme for the “You Want Pie With That?” group for January was “Resolution Breakers” selected by November’s winners Nic of Bakeologie and Carrie of Cooking With Carrie.

Did you know that 3 of the world’s greatest inventions of all time came out of the 1840′s? – the telephone, the ice cream maker, and the candy bar. You may disagree, but I can’t even imagine a life without these three luxuries!The first candy bar was invented in 1847 by Joseph Fry (an angel on Earth!). Sadly, this man didn’t live to see the creation of the world’s best selling chocolate bar of all time 83 years later– SNICKERS! I don’t think I’m alone when I say that this is the one food that has the potential to break the most unbelievable willpower!

Snicker’s Pie was an obvious choice for me this month – chocolate, caramel, fudge, cheesecake filling, are all a few of my favorite indulgences. The recipe is an adaptation of several recipes out there. I made a standard chocolate cookie crust. Then added a fudge layer topped with bite sized pieces of Snickers, followed by a layer of cheesecake (From Bon Appetit). The final touches were Dorie Greenspan’s caramel recipe (Yum!), hot fudge sauce and chopped nuts. The best part of this pie is when you bite into a Snickers hidden between creamy cheesecake and amazing fudge. When they say, “Snickers Satifies!” they really mean it! This tasted even better the next day when I had it for breakfast!

When I make this the next time, the only thing I will change is to make the fudge layer a little thinner than what the batter makes so that it doesn’t compete with the cheesecake. If you don’t consider yourself a chocoholic, you might want to make a graham cracker crust instead. I’ll stick with the chocolate!

printable recipe

Snickers Pie

CRUST

16 Oreo cookies, broken into rough pieces

4 TBS unsalted butter melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Process cookies in a food processor until coarsely ground, then continue to process until fine, even crumbs. Sprinkle the butter over the crumbs and pulse to incorporate. Bake approximately 5 minutes. Cool on rack. Maintain oven temperature.

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Written on December 2, 2008 by Kate

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It’s pie time! This month Anne picked “holiday songs” as the theme for the “You Want Pies With That?” group. Great theme Anne! There were so many different directions to go on this one that It was tough to narrow it down. I had no intention of making another ice cream pie, but couldn’t resist since “Tin Roof Pie” seemed perfect for the Christmas carol, “Up on the Housetop”. The pie is pretty simple and yummy. Store bought chocolate sauce can be substituted to speed up the process if you’d like. This pie has a crunchy, peanut-buttery crust topped with ice cream, caramel sauce, and homeade hot fudge piped horizontally and vertically to resemble shingles on a roof. Bits of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on top added a little more texture and gave a little more of that peanut-buttery flavor.

For the final touch, I made a chocolate Santa going down the chimney. I found the mold in one of Wilton’s holiday pretzel making kits. The chocolate Santa was fun and suprisingly easy to make. It reminded me of the paint by number books that were around when I was little.

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Written on November 6, 2008 by Kate

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You Want Pies With That? The Fashion Challenge

This past month I joined “You Got Pies With That?”, a group created by Susan at She’s Becoming Doughmestic. I am excited to be part of such a creative group of women. I have been a reader of many of their blogs and am finally have Grin and Bake it up and running. Holly, at PheMOMenon, was one of the winners of the 1st challenge and came up with this month’s fashion theme. Let me preface this by telling you I am NEVER late! I pride myself on being on time. My pie entry is past the deadline (Thanks for granting the extension Holly!). There is a hilarious story about what happened to the 1st pie I made which I’ll write about in the next couple of days. It was one of those “I’m losing my mind” mom moments. Anyway, that deserves an entry all by itself.

Right around the time that I signed up for the group, I had heard on the news that Mr. Blackwell had past away. He is the fashion critic well-known for publishing the worst dressed celebrity list.

I wanted to create a pie with a fall look that included my favorite flavors that I crave this time of year. Cinnamon is what first came to mind and the memories of the cinnamon toast my mom used to make sparked an idea. I immediately called my mom and asked if she had heard of a pie with a cinnamon toast crust. I told her my wild idea of using Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal to make a pie crust and she encouraged me to go for it. Once I had the crust designed, I had to consider the filling. Here in California we’ve been having sweltering heat and humidity for the past few weeks. Fall is nonexistent here. My challenge was to make a fashionable pie with fall flavors, yet still be a refreshing treat.

I’m sure you’ve seen celebrities on the red carpet at the awards ceremonies carrying on about the designers who were fortunate enough to dress them. There’s always one or two of the women who take a big risk in their ensemble and clearly stand out in the crowd. One of two things happen to these risk-takers, one, the fashionistas pull it off in an amazing way and everyone “oohs” and “ahhs”, or two, the disastrous design makes all of the viewers wonder, “What was she thinking?”and automatically grants her a spot on the worst dressed list.

Bear with me for a moment and picture this pie rolling down the red carpet. On the outside, the toffee colored meringue is warm, elegant, and whimsical. When it’s sliced, it reveals textured morsels of brown sugar and cinnamon crunch embedded between creamy layers of pumpkin and vanilla.

The pie designer considers this combination “haute couture” beauty – truly an original. The crust came out beautifully with just the cinnamon flavor I was going for. The thin layer of pumpkin ice cream tied it all together, but was small enough that even those who don’t love pumpkin will enjoy it. So I guess the real question is what would Mr. Blackwell have to say about this risky design? (God rest his soul.)

Cinnamon Toast Ice Cream Pie

Crust

2 tbsp. butter, melted

2 c. cinnamon toast crunch cereal, finely blended

Combine cereal and melted butter. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a greased pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling

caramel

vanilla ice cream (softened)

pumpkin ice cream (softened)

Cinnamon Toast Crunch coarsely chopped

Spread a thin layer of caramel on top of the cooled pie crust and freeze for at least 30 minutes. Spread a layer of vanilla ice cream (about 1 inch) on the caramel. Sprinkle 1 c. Cinnamon Toast Crunch (chopped) on top and lightly press into vanilla layer. Freeze until firm. Spread a thin layer of pumpkin ice cream on top of the cereal layer. Freeze until firm. Add another layer of vanilla ice cream on top of the pumpkin layer. Freeze until firm.

Meringue

4 egg whites

6 tbsp. sugar

Beat egg whites until fluffy (Do not over beat). Gradually add in the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks begin to form. Spread on top of the pie smoothly. Use micro torch to brown the meringue so that it resembles cinnamon toast.

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Category Archives: Pies