Star Spangled Berry Pie

HEADLINE: BLOGGER ACTUALLY THINKS AHEAD TO UPCOMING PATRIOTIC HOLIDAY AND POSTS FESTIVE RECIPE SO READERS WILL HAVE TIME TO ADD TO THEIR HOLIDAY MENU AND SHOP FOR INGREDIENTS

*Blogger pats self on back*

I know.  I have blogged this pie before.  Here.  But I just feel like it needed to be reblogged.  And renamed.  Because it is soooo summery, festive, and patriotic. 

I recently made it again and fell in love all over.  Which is saying a lot because I am not the biggest fan of fruit pies.

Serve it with ice cream.  Or whipped cream.  Or leave it plain.  It is not too sweet and the sugar can be adjusted.  Go to the original post for some more notes, but it's pretty straightforward.

Star Spangled Berry Pie

Printable Recipe

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

The zest of one medium orange

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1 unbaked pie crust plus enough pie crust scraps to make decorative cutouts for top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Stir together the blueberries, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and orange zest in a large bowl.  Pour into an unbaked 9-inch pie crust.  Cut butter into small pieces and dot the top of the fruit. 

Roll out the remaining pie crust scraps and cut shapes using cookie cutters dipped in flour.  (I used different sized star shaped cutters.)  Place the shapes on top of the pie in a decorative pattern.

Beat together the egg and water.  Lightly brush the mixture onto the pie crust shapes and around the perimeter of the crust.  Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 50-55 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.  Let cool on wire rack completely before cutting.

Bananas Foster White Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

Can I be frank with you?

Thanks.  I knew you would let me be.  I feel safe with you.

I've been busy.  And I am not complaining one bit,  I'm just stating a fact.  (I serve an amazing God who has blessed my photography business more than I could ever imagine!)  Obviously my food blogging is taking a backseat to some other important things in my life. (I wish I could say my family, but I am ignoring them too.)  (*low point for blogger*) 

But I have had an epiphany that I am only one woman.  (Alright, I might be being a little dramatic with this epiphany talk.)

(This would be a good time for violins to start playing softly in the background. )

I am only one woman...not two...not six....and I can only do the work of one woman. 

(One woman, a dictator of a small country, and a packhorse on my good days.)

And although there are SO many things on my list that I would LIKE to do (such as post pretty pictures and awesome recipes on Mississippi Kitchen, write profound and moving articles over at my personal blog which I have all but abandoned, experiment with a flat iron to see if there is the slightest possibility that I can rock a straight look, clean out my barn, dust that top shelf,  take a night to do nothing but lie on the couch and stare into oblivion, find the source of the smell... you know, things like those), I have to pick and choose very carefully.

Because I'm spread thin.

(Please note, I didn't say I was thin, I said I was spread thin.)

What I am trying to say  is that my posting here will probably be...less frequent.  Which makes me a little sad.  BUT, and this is a BIG but, I have a plan and a goal to get to a point where I am running more efficiently.  It's just going to be a while before that kicks in. 

And that's why I continue to wear my hair curly.  'Cause curly for me is fast and easy.  Straight takes a long time.  I don't have extra time right now.

Am I making sense? 

Good.  I knew you would understand.  We are kindred spirits, you and I.

And this is the part where I get mushy.  I can't even express how *grateful* I am to all who take the time to read Mississippi Kitchen.  You make my days.  Really.  And I am SUPER sorry that I have not taken the time to visit many of the people who have stopped by here.  I have not visited my dear, sweet, crazy talented friends' blogs in forever.  I hope to change this one day. 

But I will still be around!  I will still be posting recipes when I get the chance.  I will still be at Mississippi Kitchen's Facebook page. (I am actually on Facebook quite a bit!  It's an important part of my business, I swear!).  I will still be tweeting as much as I ever did (this is a joke--if you are following me on Twitter you have probably noticed that I don't tweet a lot).  I will still be on Instagram (unlike Twitter, I actually love Instagram and post quite  frequently.)  I also pin things that I dream of making from time to time.

So let's hook up, 'kay?

(Unless you worship the devil or are a serial killer.  Do not hook up with me if you are a devil worshipper or a serial killer.) 

(Or if you are Olan from that travel agency on the coast who keeps calling here to tell me I won a free trip.  STOP CALLING ME, OLAN!)

And the great thing about today is, I am not just here to bleed all over you!  NOOOOOOO!  I actually have a recipe!!!!!  A good one in fact.

I counted seven thumbs up from my test panel, which still baffles me because there were only three of them, but anyway, here it is.  A concoction of some of my favorite flavors in a creamy, cool pie.

Here are my notes:

-Those white things on the pie are supposed to be white chocolate curls, but curl fail for this blogger.  I mostly just got pieces, not curls.  I still loved the way they tasted on the pie, so pile them on!

-Use  a slotted spoon to get the bananas out of the pan and into the crust.  The remainder of the sauce is drizzled on each slice.  

 -I put this in the freezer to firm it up quickly, but I would store it in the fridge to keep it soft and creamy.

 

Bananas Foster White Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse Pie 

Printable Recipe

24 vanilla sandwich cookies, crushed into very fine crumbs (I used Golden Oreos)
1/4 cup butter, melted

3 medium ripe bananas

1/4 cup butter              

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons rum

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature

2 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 (8-ounce) container frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed

White chocolate curls for garnish, if desired

1.       In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs and 1/4 cup melted butter. Press the mixture on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.  Place in freezer.

2.      Peel and slice bananas into 1/4 inch slices. Heat 1/4 cup butter in a large, heavy skillet until melted.  Turn off heat and add the dark brown sugar, the rum, and the cinnamon.  Turn heat back on to medium, and whisk and cook until mixture begins to bubble.  Let cook for 3 minutes whisking often.  Turn off heat.  Add bananas and toss gently to coat with sauce.  Remove crust from freezer and, using a slotted spoon to drain off most of the sauce, carefully place the bananas in the bottom of the crust.  Pour the remaining sauce in skillet into a small container or bowl to cool to room temperature.  (I like to use a container with a spout on it for easy drizzling later.)  Place pie in freezer while filling is being made.

3.      Beat the cream cheese, melted white chocolate, and the powdered sugar on high speed with a whisk attachment until fluffy.  Beat in the peanut butter.  Fold in the whipped topping by hand.  Spread mixture carefully over bananas in pie crust covering fully.  Place in freezer for 45 minutes to one hour.  Remove pie from freezer and garnish with white chocolate curls, if desired.  Cut into 8 slices and drizzle each slice with the reserved rum sauce. (If sauce gets too thick, just place in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.)  8 servings.

Honeyed Peanut Butter Pie with Roasted Bananas and Milk Chocolate Ganache

I had high hopes of starting the new year off with a healthy recipe, but I'm just not good at healthy.  I am what I am.  And since I've been wanting to blog this pie for a while, I think I'll take the opportunity today, which totally makes sense since I'm on a diet and am self-forbidden to eat fun stuff like this.  Blogging might just satisfy that part of me that is crying out for sugar and carbs.  I doubt it, but still.

This is a pretty classic peanut butter cream pie, but with the addition of a little honey for sweetness and flavor.  When my sister and I were little girls, we would not touch jelly or jam because those items were gross, icky, and BLECKY.  But honey?  We loved our little honey bear.  So my mom would mix peanut butter and honey together and spread it on our Wonder bread.

Gosh, I haven't seen Wonder bread in years.  Do they still make it?  And what about Count Chocula and Franken Berry cereals?  Where are they now? *remembering the seventies*

And what's peanut butter without a little chocolate?  Chocolate in the form of an Oreo crust and milk chocolate ganache.  And since I wanted to make this pie a little more unique, I roasted some bananas and stirred those in too.

And you know what I love best about this pie?  It's so fluffy, I could die.

I really don't have any notes.  It's a pretty straight forward recipe.

Honeyed Peanut Butter Pie with Roasted Bananas and Milk Chocolate Ganache

Printable Recipe

24 chocolate sandwich cookies, very finely crushed or ground in a food processor

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

3 medium bananas, sliced

2 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 cup chilled heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1 1/4 cups peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped, salted peanuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the Oreo crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl and stir with a fork until crumbs are just moistened.  Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie plate.  Place crust on baking sheet, then bake for 10 minutes.  Transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Place bananas in medium baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons brown sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.  Let cool completely.

Whip heavy cream on high speed until it has stiff peaks. 

Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is smooth. Beat in the peanut butter and honey.  Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in the whipped cream.  Fold in cooled roasted bananas just until evenly combined.  Spread filling into pie shell.

Melt the milk chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons heavy cream in the microwave for 90 seconds, stopping to stir every 30 seconds, until mixture is melted and smooth.  Spread over top of pie and sprinkle with the peanuts.  Let chill for 4-6 hours in fridge or until firm.

Lorie's Ultimate Coconut Cream Pie

I'm not going to say much about this recipe.  It's my baby and was created simply because I never had real success with any of the coconut pie recipes I had made.  (Anyone ever make a pourable coconut pie before, or is that just me?)  It's one of my all time favorite pies and I worked really hard to get it just the way I wanted.  So even if no one else in the world loves it...I love it. 

Here are some notes:

-This makes a lot of filling.  I find my 9 1/2 inch glass pie plate is filled to the very top when I make it, but when I use a foil pie plate, I cannot fit all of the filling in.  No worries there.  I just put the excess in a small bowl, let it set up for a while in the fridge and eat it with a spoon.

*Update 10-4-11:  Yesterday, I tripled my filling and got four 9-inch foil pie plates filled to the rim, plus a small bowl leftover.  Once the filling in the pies and the bowl set up in the refrigerator for several hours, I was able to spoon the extra filling in the bowl back onto the pies to make them even thicker without them flowing over.  Just a thought.  Also, a reader commented that she did not use the full amount of crust in her pie, so she lined a mason jar with the remainder, baked it, then added the leftover filling.  How cute would that be? I personally use all my crust even when making the smaller foil pie plates because one of my favorite parts of the pie is the crust.

-It has gelatin, cornstarch, and eggs to thicken it.  It does not, however, taste like gelatin, cornstarch or eggs.

-Four kinds of coconut:  real coconut milk, cream of coconut, coconut extract and shredded coconut.

-The crust has both butter and shortening and I really like it that way.  I know some people prefer all butter, but I think shortening gives it a nice, flaky texture.

-The vinegar in the crust helps to make it tender.

-My son-in-law thinks this would be great in a graham cracker crust.  Something to think about.

-I am dying to add pineapple to this pie one day.  I think that would be lovely.  Maybe with a little rum extract?

-One day I will make this with a fresh coconut.  I'll let you know how it turns out. Or you let me know if you do it first.

This recipe was a winner in the pie category in the Perfect Three contest sponsored by The Cooking Channel.  Recipe here.  Video here.  I am putting the recipe on my blog because sponsors often remove links and I want this pie to live on forever. :)

Lorie’s Ultimate Coconut Cream Pie

Printable Recipe

Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

1 teaspoon white vinegar

2-3 tablespoons ice cold water

Filling:

1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
1 envelope (about 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 (13.5-ounce) can pure coconut milk

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 large whole egg
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 (15-ounce) can cream of coconut

2 1/2 cups shredded, flaked coconut, divided (sweetened, flaked coconut from the baking aisle)

Topping:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening and 1/4 cup cold cubed butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the vinegar and 2 tablespoons water, until mixture forms a ball, adding more water if necessary. Pat into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll dough out to fit a 9 1/2-10 inch glass pie plate. Place crust in pie plate and trim and crimp edges.  Place the dish on a baking sheet for easier handling.  Prick the bottom and sides of the crust well with a fork.  Line the inside of the crust with a piece of foil, allowing edges to extend several inches beyond the perimeter.  Place 2 cups of dried beans in the crust to weight it down during baking and prevent shrinkage.  Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is no longer raw on bottom.  Remove the foil and beans by carefully lifting the foil out by the overhang.  Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool completely.  

Place 1/2 cup cold milk in a mixing bowl (preferably with a pouring spout) and sprinkle with the gelatin. Set aside to soften for about 5 minutes.

Bring the remaining milk and coconut milk to nearly a boil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat.

When the gelatin is soft, add the sugar, cornstarch, egg and egg yolks and whisk until very well blended. Gradually whisk about a 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the gelatin mixture; repeat this process once or twice using about 3/4 cup of the hot milk mixture. Pour the warmed gelatin mixture into the saucepan with the hot milk and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for about 2 minutes or until mixture is very thick. 

Strain the pastry cream through a fine wire strainer into a large clean bowl; whisk in the butter, coconut extract, and cream of coconut until smooth. Stir in 2 cups shredded coconut.  Pour into the cooled the pie shell and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.


To make the topping, beat the heavy cream in a large bowl on high speed until foamy.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until soft to medium stiff peaks form.  Spread over the pie.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut.   Keep refrigerated.

  

 

Roasted Banana Cream Pie With Butterscotch Ganache

Not to hurt cake's feelings, but I think I like pie a little more than cake.  It's close, but for right now, today, I think pie is winning in my mind. 

And that's probably why I have been on a pie kick the last few months.  I concocted this cream pie back in June for Nestle Kitchens "There's Always Room For Pie" contest.  I totally did the happy dance when I found out I won second place a few weeks ago.

My daughter told me to stop it.  "Stop it, Mom.  Stop dancing like that."

Nestle shipped me this gorgeous gift basket chock-full of baking supplies and single-handedly saved the 2011 fall baking season for me which might have otherwise consisted of pitiful Chocolate Chipless Recession Cookies.  (Is it just me or has the price of groceries gotten really out of hand?)  Now I have something to look forward to when the temperature drops to a crisp 88 degrees and 64 percent humidity.  That's baking weather in Mississippi, y'all.

This pie starts with an vanilla wafer crumb crust.  On top of that is a layer of butterscotch ganache, followed by a creamy filling made with roasted bananas and a hint of cinnamon.  On top of that is freshly whipped and sweetened cream with more butterscotch ganache drizzled on top.  My husband fell in love with this pie.

Don't be intimidated by the lengthy directions.  It's not hard and I promise it's worth it.  You should probably pace yourself when you eat this pie.  I speak from experience.  Check out the other winning recipes here.  They look delicious!

Roasted Banana Cream Pie with Butterscotch Ganache

Printable Recipe

Crust:

2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers

6 tablespoons melted butter

Ganache:

1 1/4 cups NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels

1 tablespoon butter

6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Filling:

3 bananas, sliced

2 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cups whole milk, divided

1 envelope (about 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin

1 can (12 fluid ounces) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped cream:

1 1/2 cups cold, heavy cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together crushed vanilla wafers and 6 tablespoons melted butter. Press onto bottom and sides of 9 1/2 to 10-inch glass pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes.

Melt butterscotch morsels, 1 tablespoon butter and 6 tablespoons heavy cream in the top of a double boiler or glass bowl placed over simmering water, whisking until smooth. Set aside 3 tablespoons in a small cup and cover for later use. Spread the remaining ganache evenly over the pie crust then place in refrigerator.

Place bananas in medium baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons brown sugar and the cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until bubbly and caramelized.

Place 1/2 cup milk in a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Set aside to soften for 5 minutes. Bring remaining milk and evaporated milk to nearly a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Add 1/2 cup light brown sugar, cornstarch, and the egg yolks to the softened gelatin and whisk until blended. Gradually whisk about a 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the gelatin mixture; repeat this process once or twice using about 3/4 cup of the hot milk mixture. Pour the warmed gelatin mixture into the saucepan with the hot milk and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Cook for a few minutes or until mixture is very thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Strain cream mixture through a fine wire strainer into a large bowl; whisk in 2 tablespoons butter and vanilla extract. Stir in the roasted bananas. Cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then transfer to refrigerator for 1 hour to cool. Spread the filling over the ganache in the pie shell and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Beat 1 1/2 cups heavy cream in a large bowl on high speed until foamy. Add the powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat until soft to medium stiff peaks form. Spread over the pie. Transfer the reserved 3 tablespoons ganache into a small resealable bag. Seal bag, pushing out all the air, and press the ganache to one corner of the bag. Cut a very small hole in the corner and drizzle on the top of the pie. Keep pie refrigerated until ready to serve.

Simple Summer Peach Pie

There is something very therapeutic about going into the kitchen and making a fruit pie from scratch. It's like I'm playing Little House on the Prairie or something.  It's kind of cozy.  Yeah, I know it's the middle of July and I'm running my air conditioner 24/7, but now is the time when peaches are is season.  A warm fruit pie with vanilla ice cream melting over the top is hard to beat in any weather.   Especially when it's Alton Brown's homemade vanilla ice cream.

My husband had bought a huge bag of peaches a couple of weeks ago from a fruit stand and asked me to make him a pie.  The whole baking a pie from scratch might have really sent me over the edge in this sweltering heat if I hadn't had a major step already done and in my freezer--the crust.  I make several pie crusts at a time and freeze them so I can have them ready when the pie notion hits.  I talked about it in this blog post right here.

Here are a few pie notes:

-This pie is not very sweet.  You could definitely increase the sugar to 1 cup if you like it on the sweeter side, which is the way I usually prefer most of my desserts.  For some reason, though, I really liked this not so sweet.  It was a great balance with the ice cream.

-I like using cornstarch in my fruit pies as a thickener instead of flour.  I have better success that way.  Maybe that's just me.

-If you want your pie to slice nicely, you are going to have to let it cool for a good 30-60 minutes.  And if you will not be taking a hundred photographs of it, then go ahead and slice it about 15 minutes after you remove it from the oven.  It will probably fall a part a little, but still be hot enough to melt the ice cream.  Yum.

About the ice cream.  Alton Brown's vanilla ice cream is the bomb.  I love it.  It's so smooth and creamy--the texture is perfect.  Alton really nailed it with this recipe.  I'm not going to retype the recipe here, but I have just a few notes:

-I strain the base through a fine wire mesh strainer.  Anytime I am making a custard I do this. There will be little bits of eggs that have scrambled that will need to be strained out.  I don't care how careful I am when tempering.  It always happens.

-I use 1 cup and 3 tablespoons sugar.  His recipe calls for 9 ounces.  I put in a little extra.

-I can't tell you how important it is to chill your base a good 8 hours or overnight and half the next day before freezing in the ice cream maker.  The texture of the ice cream will be dramatically better than using it at room temperature.  I always make my ice cream bases the day before I freeze them.

-I have made the chocolate version approximately four times already this summer using my beloved dark cocoa powder and the same amount of sugar as the vanilla.  Each time I make it, it's gone in the blink of an eye.  This is the only photographic evidence I have of the chocolate:

It's that good, people. 

Simple Summer Peach Pie

Printable Recipe

5 cups sliced peaches

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

2 unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Stir together the peaches, sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Pour into an unbaked 9-inch pie crust.  Cut butter into small pieces and dot the top of the fruit. 

Roll out the remaining pie crust, cutting out shapes out if desired.  Place on top of pie and crimp edges.  Make slits in top with a knife to let steam escape if not cutting out shapes.

Beat together the egg and water.  Lightly brush the mixture onto the pie crust shapes and around the perimeter of the crust.  Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 50-55 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.  Let cool on wire rack completely before cutting.