Pie #47: Chocolate Cloud Pie (Chocolate Mousse Pie)

This week the pie-making was all about efficiency as there were too many things to do and not enough time to do everything.  So, I found myself asking questions like:

What pie would take a short time to make?
What pie would be good in a store-purchased cookie crust?
What pie would require minimal dishes to be washed?

I arrived on Chocolate Mousse Pie, and took the recipe from the back of the DREAM WHIP Whipped Topping box.

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Chocolate Mousse Pie

Ingredients:
2 envelopes DREAM WHIP Whipped Topping Mix
2 3/4 c. cold milk, divided
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. almond extract (optional)
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Instant Pudding & Pie Filling, chocolate
1 Oreo pie crust
red raspberries

Pie Algorithm:
1. Beat whipped topping mixes, 1 cup of the milk and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed 6 minutes or until topping thickens and forms peaks.

2. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups milk, pudding mixes, and almond extract; beat on low speed.  Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.  Spoon into pastry shell.

3. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.  Garnish with raspberries.  Store leftover pie (if any!) in refrigerator.  Makes 8 servings.

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I LOVE chocolate mousse, and thought the almond flavoring was a nice addition.  Perry also really seemed to like the pie.  As he enjoyed some last night he exclaimed, "It's like licking a chocolate pillow, or a chocolate cloud!"  I haven't seen him this excited about pie in a while.  That means this pie gets high ratings for being easy to make and delicious!

Pie #40: Grasshopper Pie (Mint Chocolate Pie)

Perry, a helpful guy

stepped in to make a pie.

A marshmallow in,

he asked with a grin,

"What a Chubby Bunny am I?"

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Grasshopper Pie

Ingredients:
1 chocolate pie crust
1/4 c. milk
24 large marshmallows
12 drops green food coloring (or more!)
1/2 t. peppermint extract
1/2 pt. whipping cream

handful of Oreos, crushed
1/3 c. whipping cream
1 small spoonful of powdered sugar

Pie Algorithm:
1. In small saucepan combine marshmallows and milk over medium heat until marshmallows are melted.  Add food coloring and peppermint.  Let cool.

2. Whip 1/2 pt. cream until stiff peaks form.  Fold into minty marshmallow milk.  Put into pie shell and let cool in fridge at least 1 hour.

3. Whip 1/3 c. cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.  Top pie with Oreos and whipped cream as desired.

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Pie #33: Groundhog Pie (Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie)

I love Groundhog's Day.  I can't explain it; I simply love finding out what weather the furry little creature will predict for the upcoming weeks!

As a child, Wandi always made groundhog cookies for our family.  The recipe for these cookies is on the back of the bag of Reese's peanut butter chips.  They are chocolate (like dirt) and have little peanut butter chunks (like groundhogs).  Since moving away, I have been making my own groundhog cookies and have shared them with my friends at school.  Unfortunately this year I was stuck in a Canadian airport and wasn't able to keep up with my tradition.  So, I decided to dedicate a pie to the little creature instead!

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie
Adapted from http://www.blissfullydelicious.com/2011/10/frozen-chocolate-peanut-butter-pie/, which was adapted from Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts

Ingredients:
1 chocolate cookie pie crust

filling:
6 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 t. salt
1 1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
2 c. heavy cream

garnish:
1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
2 T. creamy peanut butter

Pie Algorithm:
1. Filling: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and salt until fluffy.  Beat in peanut butter and vanilla.  In separate bowl beat cream until soft peaks form.  Whisk 1/3 of whipped cream into peanut butter mixture, then fold in remaining whipped cream.  Spoon filling into crust.  Freeze uncovered for 4 hours or up to one day covered in plastic wrap.

2. Topping: Melt chocolate, then drizzle over pie with a spoon.  Next melt peanut butter and then drizzle it over the chocolate.  Let pie stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

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This week's pie was part of a double holiday celebration.  While it was made to remember Groundhog Day, it was actually shared with school friends in celebration of Chinese New Year.  The pie turned out well; it was the perfect amount of peanut butter and sweet, but was quite rich.  Overall, I think people really enjoyed it.  Being frozen, I think it would be a great summer treat.

In other news, I have a special note to my faithful readers: please be careful when searching for Groundhog Pie on the internet.  You may actually find what you have asked for!

Pie #18: Conference Pie (Chocolate Pots de Crème Pie)

Last week I went to the University of Georgia for the Design and Analysis of Experiments Conference 2012.  I really enjoyed attending this conference because the steering committee and organizers place a large emphasis on encouraging new researchers. I'm grateful for the welcome and advice from the experienced researchers as well as for the contacts I've made with other graduate students.

 I arrived to Athens in the late afternoon, after having flown over lunch.  Dinner was to be replaced with a snack reception, so I decided to venture out for a complete meal.  Prior to leaving Ohio I had heard rumor of a delicious vegetarian place; Urban Spoon recommended The Grit so I set on the 1.5 mile trek to find some delicious vegetables.  After needing to turn around once, and rerouting once due to a no-sidewalk situation I finally arrived.  Walking through the door I was greeted by a large display case full of cakes and pies; I knew Urban Spoon had suggested wisely!  (Hm, I think there's a statistical application here.  When unsure of the correct answer, go with the recommendation of the masses.  I'll cover more about this another day.)  At any rate, I chose the noodle bowl of the day (complete with vegetables, tempeh, and orange sauce), a delightfully sour lemonade, and a slice of sour cream chocolate pie.  I was in heaven - everything was delicious!  I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the pie - the filling was fairly solid, not like a pudding pie.  However, upon my first bite I knew I had tasted something similar before - my brother in law Travis's chocolate pots de crème.

Several years ago Trav came to visit us and we cooked up a storm.  One item we whipped up was the chocolate pots de crème that he made at his place of employment, Generous Servings.  When we made it together, I was so anxious to eat it that I wasn't able to wait until it set before digging in!  Being reminded of this recipe, I simply had to make it into a pie!

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Chocolate Pots de Crème Pie
(Originally from Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
1 graham cracker crust

filling:
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
5 egg yolks
5 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 3/4 c. cream
1/2 c. milk
1 T. vanilla
1/2 t. instant espresso powder, mixed with 1 T. water (omitted as Perry hates coffee)

topping:
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Pie Algorithm:
1. Place chocolate in medium bowl; set fine-mesh strainer over bowl and set aside.

2. Whisk yolks, sugar, and salt in medium saucepan until combined; whisk in cream and milk. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until thickened and silky and custard registers 175-180 degrees, 8-12 minutes.

3. Immediately pour custard through strainer over chocolate. Let mixture stand 5 minutes to melt chocolate. Whisk gently until smooth, then whisk in vanilla and espresso.

4. Pour mixture into pie shell.  Gently tap against counter to remove air bubbles.  Cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate.

5. Just before ready to serve, whip all topping ingredients until stiff peaks form.  Place in pastry bag with #4 star tip and squeeze a dollop onto each slice.

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My life is running by at a sprinter's pace, so I once again purchased a crust this week.  (This is also the reasoning behind the boring pictures - no time to make sure I captured the pie well!)  Truthfully I liked the pots de crème better when it didn't have a crust.  It was nice to be able to serve the slices easily as the crust held the filling together nicely.  However, it was harder to enjoy the smoothness of the filling as the graham cracker crumbs mixed themselves in and made the filling feel gritty.

All in all, I cannot complain.  I LOVE this recipe.  While the chocolate is not super sweet, it is very rich.  This allowed me to enjoyed each slice with a steaming mug of coffee.  I would be interested in experimenting with combinations of other flavors - adding the espresso, mint, amaretto, almond, others?  I think any of the above would be delicious either mixed with the chocolate, or in the whipped topping!