Wednesday, May 18, 2011

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.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

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.