Wrap Up

It was been a long time (relatively) since I posted on here for all of the 4 people who watch this. I didn't have internet for a month, and I did finish my project. Here is the list of pies that I made:

46) 7/11 – 7/17: White Chocolate - made it for my friend Phil's birthday. Was similar to a cheesecake.
47) 7/18 – 7/24: a) Peach b) Fudge - Peach pie is one of my favorites. Fudge pie was rich, but good.

48) 7/25 – 7/31: White Peach Crumble - didn't turn out like I wanted it to. Was too soupy.

49) 8/1 – 8/7: Peach and Blueberry - classic summer pie.

50) 8/8 – 8/14: Honey - was made w/ egg yolks, and tasted eggy, maybe similar to baklava? Not sure. Might need some more work but I'd try it a gain.

51) 8/15 – 8/21: Margarita - a hint of tequila made this a refreshing summer pie. Was very similar to key lime in texture.
52) 8/22 – 8/28: Stone Fruit - a great way to end the year of pies. A combo of nectarine, plum, and peaches.

Week #45 July 4 - 10

This week Sandy was visiting, and I didn't make any new pies. But I did make a banana cream pie because I know it is my friend Cameron's favorite. I was very happy with how it turned out.




We also ate some delicious pie at the Hubbard Ave diner in Madison.

Week #44 June 27 - July 3

One of my co-workers is named Lindsey. She "claims" she doesn't like pie. Yet it just so happens that she has given me three great ideas for pies: dirt, chocolate chip, and this week's pie called boatsinker. I really had no idea what to think when the recipe calls for 5 sticks of butter. But I figured I'd give it a try.

I ended up making 3 pie shells, because I knew that I would be making a hefty amount of filling. Also, on a side note, I've had a number of compliments on my pie crust recently. I think I'm getting the hang of it better. I'm using slightly more water than I used to, which is holding it together better than before. And it is easier to roll out.

I had to add almost a half hour on the bake time. I'm not sure if it was because I was cooking three pies or what. Not a huge deal, but just something to be aware of.



The pie was about what I expected. Which is both rich and sweet. Not my favorite, but people seemed to like it. Something that I did notice was that it seemed to separate when cooking. I think it had to do something with the recipe. Which called for cooking melting the butter in the microwave for 9 minutes without stirring. In the future I would take it out and mix it while melting the ingredients in the microwave.

Week #43 June 20 - 26

It has been almost a month since I've updated this thing. For week #43 my friend Ashley at work gave me a bunch of rhubarb. I knew I needed to redeem myself after the less than stellar strawberry rhubarb. I decided on a raspberry rhubarb.

I used my Bubby's Pies book for the recipe, so I'm not going to bother writing it down here. If you really want it, let me know. Although I'm pretty convinced no once reads this. Except for maybe 6 people a week. I digress.

So I made sure to add extra thickener this time, which ended up being tapioca. And I also changed things up and made a lattice crust. Which ended up being the best lattice crust I've made to date.



It was one of the best fruit pies I've made in a long time. It wasn't too sweet, but still had some nice flavor. The consistency was terrific. It will definitely be made again.

Week #42 June 13 - 19

I had no idea what type of pie I was going to make this week. Even though it doesn't feel like it in Southeastern Wisconsin, we are in the summer months. A custard pie doesn't really fit, and I've been making a lot of fruit pies as of late. I searched some pie sites, and came up with a Chess Pie. This is a Southern pie, known for it's intense sweetness. There is actually vinegar in the pie to help cut some of the sweetness.

It seemed relatively easy, with not too many complex ingredients. I figured I'd give it a shot. Here is the recipe. A note: I used half white and half brown sugar. I also cooked it for well over an hour to get it to set.

I knew this wasn't going to be my favorite pie, but I figured I owed it a shot. It was sweet, but not as much as I expected. The consistency came out real nice, almost like a pecan or oatmeal pie. The cornstarch rose to the top, to give it a halfway decent crunch. And my co-workers all seemed to enjoy it.

Week #41 June 6 - 12

I have been on the hunt for rhubarb for about 3 weeks now. I finally found it this past week, and made a strawberry rhubarb pie, out of my Bubby's book. Even though I know its popular, I've never had strawberry rhubarb pie. I really had no idea what to expect in terms of cooking and trying it.



As you can see from the picture above, it turned out rather soupy and watery. It tasted good, but the ingredients didn't hold together as well as I think they should have. The recipe called for flour as the thickener, but if I were to make this again, I would use an extra tablespoon or two of cornstarch.

My co-workers all enjoyed it though, and people seemed to really enjoy the crust.

Week #40 May 30 - June 5

I took this week "off". But really, I ended up making 4 pies.

Three were apple pies for a pie eating contest at work.



I then made the peanut butter oreo pie for Sandy as she was visiting and it was her birthday.

Lastly, I had dinner at Honeypie and had this great slice of pie.

Week #39 May 23 - 29

I made two pies this week. The first pie I made was a request. A friend sent me this recipe for a chocolate chip cookie pie. I tweaked the recipe slightly. I only used 1/2 cup of butter, and didn't put nuts in it. I also added a pinch of vanilla and pinch of salt.

It literally tasted like a chocolate chip cookie. One thing I noticed was that the chocolate chips fell to the bottom of the pie, but besides that, it seemed to be a crowd favorite.

The second pie I decided to take on was a strawberry pie. I got the recipe from Cooks Illustrated. It worked out well. It was really full of strawberries, and they held together decently.

Week #38 May 16 - 22

I was feeling ambitious this week and made two pies. The first was just a random idea I had for a Chai Pie. You know, like chai tea. Well, I looked online, and found this fellow.

Instead of making an almond crust, I just made a regular graham cracker crust. The taste was good, but I had a few problems. The first was that the pie didn't really get too firm. I know it isn't going to be a real firm pie, but it just didn't hold it's shape like I would have hoped. The second issue I had came with the chai whipped cream. For the life of me, I had a tough time getting this into a real "whipped" cream form. I made it twice, and both times, a fail.


The second pie I made was a chocolate raspberry. I like raspberries, and think they usually get shoved to the back because our friend the strawberry is more popular. I just googled "chocolate raspberry pie", and this beauty came up.

I have to say, I was impressed by this pie. Normally I am not a huge chocolate fan, but something about the thin layer of chocolate on top really was a nice touch. There was no one ingredient overbearing. Just a nice blend of chocolate, raspberries, and cream.

Week #37 May 9-15

I took this week off. I was home for Sandy's graduation.

Week #36 May 2 - 8

For my pie this week, I was feeling a berry pie. I decided to go with blueberries, as they are just about to come into season. I found a recipe in my Bubby's Homemade Pie's book, and the rest is history.



I know I've said it before, but berry pies are some of my favorites. I am still trying to get the right amount of corn starch or other thickener in them to be correct. But overall, I would say that I nailed this one pretty well. The blueberries weren't too tart, however it wasn't overly sweet. My co-workers enjoyed this pie, and I would say it will definitely be made again.

Week #35 April 25 - May 1

I had a request this week, for a dirt pie. For those of you that do not know, this is a staple at summer potlucks, with crushed Oreos, vanilla or chocolate pudding, and topped with gummy worms. I put my own spin on it:



I didn't like the graham cracker crust, so when I made it again I used an Oreo crust. Even though you can't see a slice, the vanilla pudding is layered with the crushed Oreos.

I tell people that everything in my pies is made from scratch. Except the Oreos. They are quite the useful food when it comes to pie making.

Week #34 April 18 - 24

This week I went with what was sure to be a crowd favorite: peanut butter Oreo. Anything with the peanut butter/chocolate combo, people tend to devour. This pie was no exception.

I've realized in the last month or two that with all the pie making, I am able to now tweak and mold recipes to the way I like them and my cooking style. I incorporated a two different recipes for the crust as well as the filling.



Overall, this pie was a winner. The filling was creamy, and the Oreos gave it a nice crunch. Please note that from what I've read, there were peanut butter Oreos on the market a few years ago. I'm not sure if they still are, but I couldn't find them and didn't use them. Here is the recipe for the crust:

CRUSH 26 of the cookies; mix with butter until well blended. Press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

And the filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Using an electric mixer or a lot of elbow grease, combine the cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream until firm. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and pour it into the prepared pie crust. Chill the pie for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Week #33 April 11 - 17

This week I continued with the cream pie theme, and made a recipe that has been staring me in the face for a long time. It is a hybrid between a banana cream and coconut cream. Or aptly titled, "Banoconut Cream Pie". This recipe comes from Chow, one of my favorite food resources.

The recipe calls for a layer of bananas on top of the crust. Then the next layer is the coconut filling. Followed by the standard whipped cream. And to top it off, a sprinkle of toasted coconut.



This was definitely one of the better looking pies I've made. I may have put too much whipped cream on top, but I didn't hear any complaints. As opposed to the last banana cream and coconut cream pies I made, this one turned out pretty well. If I were to have one complaint about the taste, it is that the coconut filling wasn't strong enough. But overall, when I hear, "This is my favorite pie you've made so far young man" it's a good feeling.

Week #32 April 4 - 10

I have been feeling the cream based pies as of late, and this week I made a raisin and sour cream pie. I knew this wasn't going to be for everyone, because for some reason a lot of people don't like raisins.



I felt like this pie didn't turn out exactly as planned. It has a regular crust, a layer of raisins, and a layer of sour cream topping. The crust was fine. But the raisins didn't cook they way I had wanted them to. The recipe called for them to be mixed with sugar, orange zest, flour, vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. But they didn't really get to the consistency that I wanted them to. When they cooled, they hardened more than I would have liked.

The sour cream custard topping was good, but again, I don't think it thickened to the extent that it was supposed to. It wasn't runny, but I was hoping for a firmer consistency then what I got.

Overall, the pie seemed to have some people who enjoyed it. A few of my coworkers told me it was great. I hope they were serious. However, there was about 20% left over, which means that it wasn't a fan favorite. Not every pie will be though. The goal of this project was to make a different one each week. I knew going into it that there would be winner and losers.

Week #31 March 28 - April 3

For my pie this week, I stuck with the pudding pies in Bubby's book, and made a chocolate pudding pie. What was interesting was that I actually found two, yes 2 mistakes in the recipe that I made. I was able to use my best judgement. But aren't there editors that are supposed to correct these things?

Regardless, I think it is safe to say that this was the best chocolate pie that I have made. It is made very similar to the vanilla pudding pie. Except I used a traditional pastry crust instead of a graham cracker crust. The chocolate is melted in a double boiler and then added at the end of the process before the filling is cooled.

Not to brag, but not only was this pie the best tasting chocolate pie that I made, but it also seemed to be the closest one that I made to being of a more professional caliber.

I wanted to get a picture, but by the time I grabbed my phone to get a picture, it was gone. It was eaten in under 5 minutes by my coworkers.

Week #30 - March 21 - 27

This week I cracked open Bubby's Homemade Pies, and came across a recipe for vanilla pudding pie. I was skeptical, because I feel like vanilla isn't necessarily a flavor that is in pies a lot. But, I made up my mind to give it a shot.



The pie actually looks very similar to a key lime pie. Probably because it calls for a full cup, or about 12 egg yolks. It also called fo a vanilla bean. I had never cooked with one before. They are long and thin, but pack a ton of flavor.

It was a crazy process mixing the ingredients together. With all the egg yolks, they book made reference that if you didn't mix correctly you would have scrambled eggs. But I must have done something correctly, because everything turned out all right. The pudding was by far better than any pudding I've ever made out of a box. I think overall this is a keeper, especially when you want a rich dessert that isn't chocolate based.

Week #29 - March 14 - 20

I took this week "off" from baking a "new" pie. I haven't had a week off in a long time. But that being said, I still made an apple pie, as well as a mixed berry pie.

Week #28 - March 7 - 13

This week I made a coconut cream pie. It was another pie from my new book. I think it turned out well, but there were issues with the filling.

I beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. But when I poured in the warm milk and shredded coconut, and beat it together, the filling expanded and filled with air. When I went to pour it into the crust, it wouldn't fit. So I baked the pie, and of course the filling completely shrank.

I used whipped cream to fill in the difference in the pie, and it still tasted good. I will definitely try this pie again, but might use a different recipe.

Week #27 January 28 - February 6

I've been saying for quite some time that I want to make non-dessert pies. Or as some might say, "savory". This past week my mom sent me a recipe for an onion pie. It seemed simple, and I decided to give it a shot.

Let me also state that I don't consider a quiche a pie. I know it is similar, but I decided long ago that I would not consider a quiche a pie for this project of mine. That being said, the onion pie has some definite quiche qualities.

For starters, I made way too much filling for the pie crust. I actually had enough to make two pies. Second, this pie isn't the heartiest. I've been eating it along with soup, but on it's own, it isn't a meal. And lastly, because it has egg in it, along with sour cream, there is an eggy type consistency, similar to a quiche.

But I've enjoyed in. A good break in tradition. And a nice warm slice of this is a great way to beat the dog-days of winter, as this one has been barking for a while.

Week #26 February 21 - 27

Last week when I was home, I bought this pie book:



It's titled "Bubby's Homemade Pies". It is a great book. The author, Ron Silver opened a pie shop in NYC, which is now rather famous (of course). But he breaks things down nicely in the book, for a beginner like myself. Also, he describes using seasonal food, something that I'm an advocate of. There are a ton of recipes, for not only sweet pies, but also savory, and tarts, buckles, etc. I have been flipping through it since I bought it, thinking about the different pies I would try. For my pie this week I made an Apple Ginger Honey pie.



As for the recipe, well, I don't feel like typing it out. To be honest, it was good, but I think it needs some tweaking. For starters, I wasn't a huge fan of the crust that they use in here. I thought it was too thin, and hard to roll out. And the apples didn't cook down well enough. I think I should have pre-cooked them slightly in a pan. In my opinion, the pear ginger maple pie is a better pie.

Also this past week, one of my friends and co-workers was transferred to another location in our company. For her going away party, I made both a Key Lime and a Mint Oreo pie. They have become crowd favorites in my office.

Week #25 February 14 - 20

At Trader Joe's, they had some great look avocados, so I decided to get some and make an avocado pie. On an aside, I've really been enjoying shopping at TJ's lately. But back to the pie at hand. So the avocado pie is made in the same vein as a key lime pie, but I didn't have any idea how it would taste.

I went about using this recipe. It was definitely a winner.

The cream cheese gave it a nice creamy base, but it wasn't heavy like a cheese-cake type pie that I've made in the past. As for the taste, it has hints of both avocado and lime, with a slightly sweet finish. I made it for our regular Thursday night Dinner Club, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Week #24 February 7 - 13

For Valentine's Day coming up, this week I made a chocolate-strawberry pie on Sunday, and brought it into work on Monday. The pie had a regular crust, with a chocolate filling. Topped with a layer of strawberries, and then whipped cream. Here is the recipe.

The layer of chocolate was good, but a problem that I had was that it was very stiff. It used a whole package of mini-marshmallows with the melted chocolate. Even after I cooled it, and whipped it to fluff it up, it still didn't seem to get a lighter texture that I was looking for.

Unfortunately, I had the opposite problems with the strawberries. I cooked a portion of them, and then added some whole. But the didn't thicken the way I would have liked to. So I had a too firm layer of chocolate, topped with a too liquid layer of strawberries.

But, my co-workers appeared to enjoy it. I would try this pie again, but use a different recipe.

Week #23 January 31 - February 6

This week I made a banana cream pie. I will cut to the chase, and say that it was an epic failure. The taste was good, but it ended up being a banana cream pudding in a crust. I'm not going to put the recipe, because it isn't worth it.

On an aside, I made a mixed berry pie for the Super Bowl. Turned out awesome. I let the berries thaw more than last time. I also used a teaspoon of corn starch to thicken up the filling.

Week #22 January 24 - 30

This week I wanted to make something a little different, and went with a Mint Oreo pie. I found a recipe for regular Oreo pie, and simply substituted mint Oreo's for regular ones in the filling. I also exchanged real whipped cream for the cool whip.



This pie seems to be a big hit the two times I've made it. I used my smaller pie tin, which works better for the Oreo crust. The pie has a more cheesecake like consistency than most other pies I've made.

One last thing, I like using recipes from actual brand websites. A lot of times I feel like they've been tested more extensively than other recipes, and tend to have good overall results.

Week #21 January 17 - 23

National Pie Day is celebrated on January 23 each year. This year it fell on a Sunday, so I decided to organize a Pie Day at my work for Friday the 21st. We were able to have about 8 different people bring in pies, and we had quite the great Friday afternoon samples each others goods.

I made a Pear Ginger Maple pie that turned out great. The ginger definitely gave it a nice flavor, but the maple syrup kept it all in check. I've said it before, but I think pears are a very underrated food to cook with. Here are some pictures from our pie day.







We had a deep-dish apple pie, lemon meringue, chocolate peanut butter, strawberry cream, cherry rhubarb, pear ginger maple, chocolate raspberry, and banana cream.

Week #20 January 10-16

Since I started this project, my step-dad, Mike, has always asked when I was going to make a Shoo-Fly Pie. I told him I would eventually. The Shoo-Fly pie originated with the Pennsylvania Dutch, and the sweetener in the pie is molasses. I like pies that tend to have stories behind them, as this one does. Although the story can be debatable, it's nice to continue on traditions through cooking. Here is the recipe that I used.




The pie turned out to be somewhat cake-like. I think this was because it called for baking soda. It wasn't necessarily sweet, the molasses gave it a nice deep flavor. This isn't a pie to make all the time, but once in a while, it could definitely hit the spot.

Week #19 January 3 - 9

While home, my mom gave me an article from Better Homes and Gardens about pies. I decided to make one from a recipe that I found in there. It is a Lemon Velvet Cream Pie. Here is the recipe:


1 Pie crust
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 tbsp cold water
6 egg yolks
2 cups sweetened condensed milk (1½ 14oz cans)
¼ cup whipping cream
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup lemon juice
Whipped Cream

1) Preheat oven to 375. Roll out pastry to about 12 inches on floured work surface. Transfer to 9 inch pie pan. Trim excess to ½ inch, and fold excess under pastry. Crimp edge if desired. Prick bottom and sides with fork. Place in freezer for 10 minutes. Line pastry with aluminum foil or waxed paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Bake for 15 minutes longer. You want the pie to get to be a slight golden brown. Remove and cool. If using a pre-made crust, bake according to package directions.

2) In a small bowl soften gelatin in water for 5 minutes. Heat in microwave for 14 seconds. Set aside.

3) In a large bowl combine egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk with electric beater for 2-3 minutes.

4) Beat in gelatin, whipping cream, and salt at a low speed.

5) Add lemon juice and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Pour into cooled crust.

6) Bake for 22-25 minutes or until center of pie looks set when gently shaken. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

7) Topped with whipped cream.

This pie was great. It was essentially a key lime pie, except there was a lemon flavor instead of lime. I had a lot of positive reviews from co-workers when I brought it in. What was nice was that even though there was custard for the filling, it didn't taste too rich. It was light, without that fake "cool whip/frozen yogurt" affect.



Also this week I went and bought a pie tin at Bed Bath and Beyond. I have two glass pie pans, but wanted to try using a tin.

I had dinner at Comet this past Friday night, and had a good slice of peach blueberry pie. My friend that I was with said that she knew that was going to be the pie that I got. Even though it had a crumb topping, I think it worked better on this pie than the mixed berry that I had last time I was there.

Stick around.

Week #18 December 27 - January 2

Took this week off while home in NY for the holidays.

Week #17 December 20-26

This week I changed things up, and made a chocolate orange buttermilk pie with cranberry topping. It was basically a orange custardy type pie, with chocolate chips, and a cranberry topping. This was a great holiday pie. The chocolate/orange combo is often overlooked, but when used correctly can be a real winner.



I got the recipe from a magazine, so eventually I'll type it in here. The cranberry topping was made by using whole cranberries and mixing it with boiling maple syrup. This is a great concoction that is going to taste wonderful on pancakes.

Week #16 December 13 - 19

I'm running behind on updating. The holiday's were busy, and I just got back to Wisconsin today where I'm catching up on things I've been putting off. During week 16, I made the same pie twice. The classic chocolate cream pie. My old way of making this pie was by using a pre-made crust, chocolate pudding, and cool-whip. As you can imagine, that isn't the way I made it now. Here is the recipe I used.

This pie was a winner. Exactly what a chocolate cream pie is supposed to be. I actually made it twice, and the second time substituted a 1/3 of a cup of bitter sweet chocolate for the semi-sweet. Again, no pics. My bad.