A Pie Per Week: Chocolate Torte Pie

Chocolate Torte Pie

Brian:  Sorry we are posting a little bit late this week, but as we just got back from vacation, we are playing a little bit of catch up on the home front.  We were fortunate enough to go on a cruise to the Bahamas with the family, and were blessed with perfect weather!

Beautiful coast of the Bahamas

Angie:  And as soon as we returned, it was time to get ready for pumpkin carving at my mom's.  This is something we do every year.  My brother Brad is so kind, and he completely has the pumpkins gutted, so kids of all ages can carve their favorite designs.

Pumpkin Carving!

Brian:  John also takes us on a hay ride, so it is truly an Indiana Fall tradition!  The leaves haven't all turned just yet, but they are getting there.  There is actually a "leafcam" in Brown County, in order to show where the leaves are in the season.

Hay Ride Time!

Angie:  Oh yeah... we also made a pie!  Chocolate themed pies have been a popular choice for us, butthere are so many varieties to choose from.  Brian's mom makes a great dessert called banana torte, and this is the chocolate version.  Since the recipe is for an 8.5 x 11 pan, we knew it would be perfect for two pies.  So keep in mind, this week's recipe is for 2 pies.

An Oreo crust is a good sign for a great pie.

Brian:  We decided to go for a double chocolate experience, featuring an Oreo crust, and a chocolate filling.

When it comes to pudding, Jello brand is best.

Angie:  For the first layer you combine 8 oz. of cream cheese, 1/2 C of powdered sugar, and one Cup of Cool Whip.

Cream cheese, powdered sugar, and whipped topping.

Brian:  After you spread that evenly, you are ready for the second layer.  The second layer features 2 small boxes of instant chocolate pudding and 3 Cups of milk.

Chocolate Pudding and Milk

Angie:  After you have distributed the chocolate pudding layer evenly, you just top with Cool Whip and garnish.  I added some chocolate curls and some festive Hershey's chocolate to celebrate the Halloween season.

Brian:  I really enjoyed this pie!  I love my mom's banana torte, so this was a great treat.  Some folks call this dessert "The Next Best Thing To Robert Redford," but I prefer Chocolate Torte.  :)

Angie:  The Oreo crust made this a very rich dessert, but rich in a good way.  I loved it!

Happy Halloween!  #TwitterPumpkin

Pie Recipient of the Week

Jill and her chocolate torte!

Our pie recipient of the week is my co-worker Jill!  Jill is actually the person who trained me when I started at ExactTarget, and then she passed the torch to me, where I started training our new employees on our software.  Think of Jill as Miyagi and me as Daniel-son.  :)

She's truly a great person with a great family.  She always speaks so highly of her husband and kids, and it was our pleasure to make her the pie recipient of the week.  #PieRules.

Recipe (For 2 Pies)

2 Oreo Pie Crusts

1 8oz. package of cream cheese

1/2 C powdered sugar

1 large container of Cool Whip

2 small packages of instant chocolate pudding

3 C of milk

1st Layer- Mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 C of Cool Whip.  Spread evenly.

2nd Layer- Mix together 2 small packages of instant chocolate pudding with 3 C of milk.  Spread evenly.

Top layer-  Cool Whip and whatever garnish you choose.

A Pie Per Week: Persimmon Pie

Persimmon Pie

Brian:  One thing we have tried to do is to make pies that match the seasons.  It is also fun to make pies, like sugar cream, that have roots from where we are from.  While at Anderson's Orchard this weekend, we picked up a couple of ingredients that accomplish both goals, gooseberries and persimmon pulp

Persimmon Pulp and Gooseberries

Angie:  I am from Bloomington, Indiana, which is about 30 minutes north of Mitchell, Indiana.  Every year the town has a Persimmon Festival, which features a parade and lots of food dedicated to the persimmon.  In particular, many southern Indiana residents have a fondness for persimmon pudding.

Indiana Persimmons

Brian:  If you would like to read more about persimmons, a fruit also found in Japan and China, you can view details here.  But we are here to talk about persimmon pie, and the only logical ingredient to being with, is persimmon pulp!

Persimmon Pulp

Angie:  Rather than go through the process of harvesting the persimmon, we purchased the frozen pulp.  We thawed it out and added 1 Cup per the recipe.  We then began adding our dry ingredients.

Mixing dry ingredients with persimmon pulp

Brian:  The next thing you do is add in your eggs, whisking them in one at a time.

Adding one eggs, one at a time, to persimmon mixture

Angie:  After your eggs have all been mixed in, add 1/2 C of heavy cream.

Adding heavy cream

Brian:  Now all you need to do, is add the mixture to a partially baked pie shell, and bake!  The recipe we used wasn't clear on what "partially baked" meant, so we went with 10 minutes.  Typically this is meant to keep the pie crust from becoming soggy.

Pouring mixture into pie shell

Angie:  This pie recipe was for 30 minutes, and although we normally have to add time to most pie recipes we encounter, this one set up nicely.  The pie will look similar to the consistency of pumpkin pie.

Baked Persimmon Pie!

Brian:  I like persimmon pudding, so I really enjoyed this pie.  Persimmon has a unique taste that is difficult to describe, but pumpkin pie is the nearest equivalent I can think of.  It tastes great with some whipped topping.

Persimmon Pie with whipped topping

Angie:  I LOVE Indiana all year round, but fall, oh Indiana has the most glorious fall season.  Apple orchards, pumpkin patches, hay rides, bright sun with a cool breeze, and the beautiful colors of the changing trees.  When this persimmon pie was cooking the aroma was amazing and just brought a smile to this Hoosier girl's face :)  

Pie Recipient of the Week

Our pie recipient of the week is Katie.  She cuts the hair of all the ladies in our household, but has cut Emilee's the longest.  She has never had persimmon pie, so hopefully she enjoys it.  The ladies certainly enjoy seeing her!

Recipe (From the Loveless Cafe)

Persimmon Pie

Makes a 9-inch pie; serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

9-inch pie shell, partially baked
1 cup persimmon puree (about 4 cups small Southern persimmons or 4 to 6 Italian or Japanese persimmons)
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs
½ cup heavy cream
Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the pie shell on a sturdy baking sheet and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk the persimmons puree, brown sugar, cinnaon, and nutmeg together. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then the heavy cream. Pour the persimmon filling into the pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. Let the pie cool completely before cutting. Serve plain or with a dollop of whip cream, if desired.

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A Pie Per Week: Cushaw Pie

A rather large cushaw squash!

Brian:  I am holding in my hand a Cushaw squash.  We discovered them last year, while hunting at the orchard for some apples, and we were told they made pumpkin pie better than pumpkins!  We had to try it, so we took one home.

Cutting the cushaw

Angie:  Cushaw squash looks like a cross between a watermelon and squash, and to prepare it, you start by slicing in half.  And much like preparing any type of squash, you have to let the gutting of it begin.

Time to clean out the squash

Brian:  Once you peel it, there are several ways to cook it.  You will see recipes for microwaving, baking, and boiling it.  Which ever way you prefer, you must cook it until you can puree it in a blender.  We opted for the boiling method.

Cubed and Boiling

Angie:  Once the Cushaw is out, you want to strain it, to get all of the water out.  Now, depending on the size of melon, you can get quite a bit of puree.  We were able to freeze much of the puree and make additional pies with it in the future.

Brian:  After you have pureed the squash, you add the cream, and then the beaten eggs.

Add cream, beat the eggs, and then add eggs to mixture

Angie:  You then start adding your flour, sugar, and spices.  

Add sugar, flour, and spices

Brian:  Pour into an unbaked pie crust, and you are ready to put in the oven.  The Recipe we used suggested to bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, and 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  However, there was no real "test" to see if the pie was done.  We looked at several other pies that advised the "clean toothpick" test, so we ended up cooking for another 30 minutes.

Baked cushaw pie

Angie:  We probably overcooked it just a bit, but we wanted to ensure that the pie set up properly.  I really liked the texture and flavor of this pie.  

Brian:  I like the texture of this pie, but this recipe was a bit to "lemony" for me.  It was like a cross between lemon meringue pie and pumpkin pie, and I was looking forward to a taste of fall.  It was good, but not exactly what I was expecting.

Pie Recipient of the Week

Emily from Susie's Place

Our pie recipient of the week is Emily!  Emily is the Director for Susie's Place, which is a great child advocacy not-for-profit organization.  Our church, Kingsway Christian Church, has offered a day of community service for the last three years called "We Love Avon."  It is where our church congregation goes out and tries to serve local residents, businesses, schools, and others.  We became introduced to them via that project, and our Life Group fell in love with what they do.

They have an office in Bloomington and Avon, and you can learn more about them by watching this video.  If you live near either one of these areas and would like to donate either financially, or with your service, I encourage you to check out their website and Facebook page.  Children are one of our greatest treasures, and this is an organization devoted to helping those who need it most.

Recipe:

There are lots of places to read about how to puree the Cushaw Squash, so this recipe is going to assume that you have already prepared the squash.

1 unbaked pie shell

2 1/2 cups cooked, mashed cushaw

1/4 cup cream

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

2 tablespoons butter

Preparation:

Stir together the mashed cushaw and cream; add beaten eggs. Mix well and add sugar, flour, salt, nutmeg, and allspice; mix well to blend. Blend in lemon extract and butter.

Pour mixture into the prepared unbaked pie shell and bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake about 40 minutes longer.

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