BLACK BOTTOM LEMON PIE

ph: Gentil & Hyers via serious eats

The following recipe is from The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book by Emily and Melissa Elsen. This is the first time I've baked this pie and I'm eager to see how it turned out. It's unusual to see a chocolate bottom lemon pie recipe but the combination of sweet, slightly tart, and bitter sounds intriguing. 

Black Bottom Lemon Pie
9-inch par-baked All Butter Pie Crust
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon kosher
1/2 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (from 3 to 4 lemons)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
Finely grated zest of 1 Meyer lemon
Finely grated zest of 1/4 orange

1. To make the ganache layer, bring 1/4 cup of the heavy cream just to a boil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Remove from the heat and pour in the chocolate pieces. Swirl the cream around to distribute and cover the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes, and then whisk gently to combine. Scrape the ganache into the cooled pie shell and spread evenly over the bottom and halfway up the sides. Refrigerate the shell to set the ganache while making the filling. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325º F. 
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt, and mix on medium speed until thick and well combined. Stir in the lemon and orange juices and zests and the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream and blend well. 
3. Place the ganache-lined pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet. Strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the pie shell, or strain it into a separate bowl and then pour it into the shell. 
4. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating 180 degrees when the edges start to set, 15 to 20 minutes through baking. The pie is finished when the edge are set and the center is no longer liquid but still quite wobbly. Be careful not to over-bake or the custard can separate. The filling will continue to cook and set after the pie is removed from the oven. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. Serve slightly warm, at room temperature, or cool. The pie will keep refrigerated for 2 days or at room temperature 1 day. 

NUTMEG MAPLE CREAM PIE

Nutmeg Maple Cream Pie
9-inch par-baked All Butter Pie Crust
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 300º F. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by a quarter, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg, and vanilla.
4. Pour filling into crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

NO BONES ABOUT IT

ph: via garence dore

Hello tart! I saw this recipe for Bones' Meyer Lemon Tart on Garence Dore. Had to share...

ORANGE JULIUS / BUTTERMILK ORANGE CHESS PIE

My attempt two weeks ago to make a buttermilk orange chess pie turned into a big goopy mess but the idea of it was still irresistible. Who could resist a creamsicle-flavored Orange Julius inspired pie?  I was determined for a do-over but this time with a different recipe. But all I really needed was a tweak of that and a pinch of this. Devilishly Delicious! 

Growing up, I distinctly remember hanging out at the local mall and lining up for an icy cold, frothy Orange Julius. I'd be surprised if most people haven't tried this beverage - a mixture of orange juice, sweetener, milk, powered egg whites and vanilla flavoring - at least once. Did you know that the drink grew out of an orange juice stand in Los Angles in 1926 by Julius Freed? His real estate broker, Bill Hamlin, couldn't handle the acidity of plain OJ and developed a mixture that gave him less of a bellyache. Freed started serving this frothier, creamier textured drink at his stands. Folks lined up at the stand shouting, "Give me an Orange, Julius!" The new drink would eventually be known as Orange Julius. It was named as the official drink of the 1964 New York World's Fair. In 1987, the chain was bought by Dairy Queen. 

Buttermilk Orange Chess Pie
9-inch par-baked all-butter single pie crust *see below

Filling:
1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon cornmeal
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
5 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup buttermilk
7 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
5 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine orange and lemon zest, and both sugars using your fingers. Add cornmeal, flour, and salt.
3. Stir in melted butter. Add eggs, mixing well between each addition. When all the eggs are added, stir filling briskly until thickened and light in color.
4. Stir in buttermilk, lemon juice, orange juice, and vanilla extract. 
5. Strain mixture into partial pre baked pie crust and place in preheated oven. Bake until the  edges are puffed up and set and the center jiggles just a tad when nudged. The top will be golden brown. About 40 to 50 minutes. Don't over-bake.

All Butter Pie Crust (one single)

1 cup flour

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

6 tablespoons, cold unsalted butter

2 1/2 to 3 tbsp ice water, more or less

1. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. 
2. Dice one stick of very cold butter into 1/2-inch pieces. 
3. Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour, and using the pastry blender, cut butter into the flour. Make sure to work the pastry blender evenly over the mixture until the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas.
4. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of ice water (not the ice) over the flour mixture. I find 3 tablespoons of ice water usually is enough but sometimes 1 or 2 additional tablespoons may be necessary BUT add 1 tablespoon at a time. It's always easier to add more water, then to try and repair a too wet dough. Using a rubber spatula, gather the dough together. Remember, you want just enough water for the dough to come together. Once you start to get large clumps with the spatula, use your hands to gather the rest of the clumps together into a single mound. 
5. Place mound on a large sheet of saran wrap. Shape into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for one to two hours, before rolling out.

Prepare Crust:

1. I find rolling out dough between two sheets of plastic makes the cleanup easier. Roll out dough into an 11-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge but leave a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and flute the edges. 
2. Prick bottom of pie shell, then chill shell in freezer for 30 minutes. This will prevent shrinkage. 
3. While shell is chilling, preheat oven to 350º F with a baking sheet in the middle rack. 
4. Butter the shiny side of a sheet of an aluminum foil. Firmly line the frozen pie shell with the foil (buttered side down.) No pie weights necessary.
5. Bake on baking sheet until pastry is set and edge is pale golden, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil, then bake shell another 5 minutes, just until crust is dry but not browned. Cool shell completely.

MINNY'S CHOCOLATE PIE

In the film, The Help, there's an infamous scene involving Minny's famous chocolate pie. The following is one of 53 chocolate pies newspaper columnist Lee Ann Flemming baked for actress Bryce Dallas Howard during the filming.

All Butter Pie Crust (one single)

1 cup flour

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

6 tablespoons, cold unsalted butter

2 1/2 to 3 tbsp ice water, more or less

1. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. 
2. Dice one stick of very cold butter into 1/2-inch pieces. 
3. Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour, and using the pastry blender, cut butter into the flour. Make sure to work the pastry blender evenly over the mixture until the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas.
4. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of ice water (not the ice) over the flour mixture. I find 3 tablespoons of ice water usually is enough but sometimes 1 or 2 additional tablespoons may be necessary BUT add 1 tablespoon at a time. It's always easier to add more water, then to try and repair a too wet dough. Using a rubber spatula, gather the dough together. Remember, you want just enough water for the dough to come together. Once you start to get large clumps with the spatula, use your hands to gather the rest of the clumps together into a single mound. 
5. Place mound on a large sheet of saran wrap. Shape into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for one to two hours, before rolling out.

Prepare Crust:

1. I find rolling out dough between two sheets of plastic makes the cleanup easier. Roll out dough into an 11-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge but leave a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and flute the edges. 
2. Prick bottom of pie shell, then chill shell in freezer for 30 minutes. This will prevent shrinkage. 
3. While shell is chilling, preheat oven to 350º F with a baking sheet in the middle rack. 
4. Butter the shiny side of a sheet of an aluminum foil. Firmly line the frozen pie shell with the foil (buttered side down.) No pie weights necessary.
5. Bake on baking sheet until pastry is set and edge is pale golden, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil, then bake shell another 5 minutes, just until crust is dry but not browned. Cool shell completely.

Minny's Chocolate Pie 

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Whipped cream, for serving

1. In a bowl, whisk the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and slat until smooth. 
2. Pour the filling into the cooled pie shell and bake about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a little jiggly in the center. Cover the crust with strips of foil halfway through baking. 
3. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream. The chocolate pie can be refrigerated overnight. 

PETEE'S PIE COMPANY, L.E.S., NY

Last weekend I had a slice of Salty Chocolate Chess pie at Petee's Pie Company in the Lower East Side. It was love at first bite. Second generation pie baker, Petra "Petee Paradez, grew up in her family's acclaimed bakery, Mom's Apple Pie Company, in Leesburg, Virginia. I instantly recognized her Southern roots in her scrumptious chess pie. True to her promise - "damn fine pie for damn fine people." I can't wait to try the rest of her pies. 

Petee's Pie Company
61 Delancey Street
NYC 10002
(212) 966-2526
10am-11pm Su-Th / 10am-12am Fr-Sa

MAPLE BUTTERMILK CUSTARD PIE

via food & wine / PHOTO © ANNA WATSON CARL

My favorite baking duo, sisters Emily and Melissa Elsen, of Four & Twenty Blackbirds in Brooklyn, New York make, hands down, some of the best pies I've ever eaten. The standard classics in their cookbook, The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book, make me feel all warm and fuzzy but the uncommon pies with their unusual pairings and flavor profiles inspire me to bake. 

As a Southerner I'm a huge fan of buttermilk pie but this recipe for Maple Buttermilk Custard Pie takes the slice! In a weird way the flavor reminds me of my grandma's homemade biscuits - piping hot from the oven - and topped with a swirl of melted butter and Winesett honey (orange blossom). Yum. This pie is worth every bit of time it takes to bake it. 

Maple Buttermilk Custard Pie
Cornmeal Crust for a 9-inch single-crust pie, partially pre-baked (recipe below)
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon stone-ground white cornmeal
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
1 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
¾ cup maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
1 cup buttermilk

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the prebaked pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter. Add the vanilla paste (or vanilla extract) and the sour cream and stir until smooth. Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the maple syrup and buttermilk and mix until smooth.
3. Strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the pie shell, or strain it into a separate bowl and then pour it into the shell. (FYI: I was left with about 1/3 cup of filling that would not make it through the strainer.) 
4. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, rotating 180 degrees when the edges start to set, 30 to 35 minutes through baking.
5. The pie is finished when the edges are set and puffed slightly and the center is no longer liquid but still quite wobbly.
6. Be careful not to over-bake or the custard can separate; the filling will continue to cook and set after the pie is removed from the oven.
7. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. Serve slightly warm, at room temperature, or cool. The pie will keep refrigerated for 2 days or at room temperature for 1 day.

Cornmeal Crust (for a single-crust pie)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup stone-ground cornmeal
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
¼ pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup cold water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
½ cup ice

1. Stir the flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a spatula. With a pastry blender (or using your fingers like we did), cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to over blend). 
2. Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or small bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated. Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, and mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining. Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine.
3. Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow. Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

How to partially pre-bake it:

1. Once dough has been chilled in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, roll it out and shape it into a 9-inch pie plate. Use a fork to prick all over the bottom and sides, 15 to 20 times. Place the shaped crust in the freezer. Position the oven racks in the bottom and center positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack, and preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. When the crust is frozen solid (about 10 minutes), line it tightly with a piece or two of aluminum foil. Make sure the edges are completely covered and there are no gaps between the foil and the crust.
3. Pour pie weights or dried beans into the pan and spread them so they are concentrated more around the edge of the shell than in the center. Place the pan on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until crimped edges are set but not browned.
4. Remove the pan and the baking sheet from the oven, lift out the foil and pie weights, and let the crust cool for a minute. Use a pastry brush to coat the bottom and sides with a thin layer of egg white glaze (1 egg white whisked with 1 teaspoon of water) to moisture-proof the crust. Return the pan, on the baking sheet, to the oven’s middle rack and continue baking for 3 more minutes. Remove and cool completely before filling.