Tag Archives: pie

Mississippi Mud Pie

Every year, I treat my valentine (and in this case, my three valentines) to a special chocolate treat. As I’ve stated before and hopefully you’ve forgotten, I actually do not like chocolate. And not in the “I’ll eat this but it’s not my favorite” way but in the “if an M&M happens to make it’s way into my DQ Blizzard I might throw something at someone” way. It makes me less likable, I know this. People are literally offended at this fact so I try not to mention it. So, forget you ever read this. Now that we live a stone’s throw away from the mighty Mississip, I found it fitting to take on a truly chocolate pie. This was almost what I’d consider the Great Pie Fail of 2015, but it surprisingly turned out great. It’s got a flaky chocolate pie crust, an ooey gooey chocolate center and a fluffy whipped topping. Plus the shaved chocolate on top makes it look kind of fancy, don’t you think? Mississippi Mud Pie Mississippi Mud Pie Crust: 1 2/3 C all-purpose flour 2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed and cold 2 TBSP sugar 3-4 TBS cold water Filling: 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter 1 3/4 C packed light brown sugar 4 eggs 4 TBSP unsweetened cocoa 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 C half and half Topping: 1 C heavy whipping cream 1 bar semisweet chocolate For the dough: Mix flour and cocoa in large mixing bowl. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly. Gently mix in sugar. Drizzle cold water over dough and work into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough on a lightly flour surface. Place in pie dish or loose-bottomed tart pan. Place parchment paper on top and set dried beans or pie weights on top. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and remove parchment and beans. Bake for 10 more minutes. Set aside. For filling: Beat butter and sugar on medium speed. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add cocoa one TBSP at a time. On the stove, melt chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl atop a pot of simmering water, stirring continuously. When melted, remove from heat and whisk in cream. Add chocolate mixture to bowl and beat at a medium speed. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack. Transfer to plate. In a mixture with a whisk attachment, beat whipping cream at a high speed for approximately 5-8 minutes or until thick. Spread on top of pie. Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate to sprinkle over top. Slice and serve. Mississippi Mud Pie whole

Can’t get enough chocolate? Try some of these for your sweetie this Valentine’s Day from our friends around the web!

The Lemon Bowl: Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Creamy Cheese Frosting
Feed Me Phoebe: Dark Chocolate Beauty Bark with Chia Seeds, Pepitas and Goji Berries
The Heritage Cook: Gluten-Free Black & White Brownies with Orange Glaze
Virtually Homemade: Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Coconut
Creative Culinary: Raspberry Boccone Dolce (Pavlova with Chocolate and Raspberries)
Daisy at Home: Mocha Mousse Marshmallow Cake
The Mom 100: Molten Chocolate Peanut Butter Cakes
Dishin & Dishes: Espresso Truffles
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
The Cultural Dish: Moroccan Pots de Creme
Red or Green: Dark Chocolate Truffles- 4 Flavors 
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chocolate-Coconut-Cashew Bark with Sea Salt
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Chocolate and Pretzel Bark with Sea Salt
In Jennie’s Kitchen: Fudgy, Chewy Brownies {dairy free}
Taste with the Eyes: Chocolate Mint Parfaits with Chocolate Hearts
Food for 7 Stages of Life: Everyday Chocolate Granola
FN Dish: Melt Hearts with Handmade Chocolate Sweets — Comfort Food Feast

stef

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A Slice of Garden? Yes, Please!

Zucchini can be a crazy little plant. Last week, after zucchini pasta, zucchini quiche and eight loaves of zucchini bread, I found myself wracking my brain for ways to use the unending pile of squash sitting on my counter. Desperately I wondered “if it works in bread, could it work in a pie?”

A pure zucchini pie seemed like a stretch so I strolled around the farmer’s market until I came across a bag of small baking apples.  Yes!  It would be apple pie but not! Toss in some fat, juicy raspberries and suddenly it would be not only a great use of my garden bounty, but a “haute” apple pie for my first post – slightly offbeat and definitely desirable.

091409-1Apple-Raspberry-Zucchini Pie

Double Pie Crust:
(or feel free to use your own crust!)
3C flour
1 1/4C shortening
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar
1C ice water (you may not use it all)
1 egg, beaten

Filling:
1 bag of small, tart apples; peeled, cored, thinly sliced
3-4C zucchini; peeled and thinly sliced
2 pkgs raspberries
1/2C sugar, plus extra for dusting
¼C brown sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375. Peel, core and slice apples and zucchini, keeping slices of similar thickness for even baking.  Place on baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, salt and lemon juice.  Toss over zucchini and apple slices, coating evenly and bake for 15-20 minutes or until fruit is slightly soft.  Let cool while making your crust and gently stir in raspberries.

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.  Separately, combine vinegar and ice water.  Cut the shortening in grape-sized chunks into the dry mixture. Begin adding water to the dry mixture, 1-2 Tbsp at a time as you use your hands (take off any rings first!) or a scraper to work the shortening into the flour.  Continue adding water until all the flour is worked in and dough holds together but is not  sticky (you may not use all the water).  If dough gets too sticky, dust in more flour.  Divide the dough into 2 balls and place each ball between 2 sheets of floured waxed or parchment paper.  Roll out each ball with a rolling pin until it is flat and large enough to cover a pie dish.091409-2

Place one rolled crust in the bottom of the pie dish and pour in the fruit filling.  Gently place the second sheet on top.  Pinch together the edges of the two crusts using your thumb/forefinger and other thumb to push the crust into a “U” shape.

Use a knife to create 6 ventilation slits in the top crust.  Brush a beaten egg over the crust and dust with sugar.  Bake at 375 for 45-55 min. until crust is lightly golden in color, rotating the pie after 25 minutes for even baking.

The verdict: Delicious!  The zucchini really takes on the flavors of the other fruit and has a consistency that’s nearly identical to the apples.  It received positive reviews from my husband’s pleasantly surprised family.
katie

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Filed under Cook, Garden, Treats