2/4/15 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser
Valentine’s Day is coming up and a whole lot of chocolate is
going to be sold and exchanged between sweethearts. Here in Oregon, Euphoria, See’s Candy and most chocolates will sell out quickly!
I usually whip up my husband’s favorite time intensive,
calorie laden cherry cheesecake for a Valentine dessert. But this year pie
sounds good to me. Chocolate pie. No, it’s not his favorite but it is one of
mine! I love a good pie whether they are sweet or savory. “Good” being
translated to a homemade crust and filling—not store bought.
In fact, pie is sounding so good to me that I began
looking for something new and different to serve in the world of chocolate
pies. Now simplicity is my middle name. I don’t like to spend hours in the
kitchen making a pie. I make the crust, whip up a filling, put it in the oven
and it’s done. One hour max. Selah.
Searching the Internet I discovered that complicated and
expensive recipes are in. I was fascinated by one recipe for a caramel apple
pie that took up two pages of instructions. Seriously. Another for
Winter-spiced Molten Chocolate Cakes with Cardomam-Ginger Ice Cream was off the
charts complicated. It started with softened ice cream. That always makes me a
little crazy.
So, for this Valentine’s column, I went back to chocolate
basics with one exception—a Bon Apétite recipe for Chocolate Bread Pudding with
Walnuts. Chuck loves bread pudding. Served warm, this one is covered in
chocolate and nuts. It’s very rich so eat it in small servings. I baked it in a
round baking dish but it is company special when baked in individual ramekins.
The Sweetheart Fudge Pie is an easy, old recipe and a long
time favorite at Kaiser’s Country Diner. The classic chocolate cream pie filling
recipe calls for a lot of stirring but it’s worth it. I love the meringue
topping but whipped cream is also nice.
Now go and enjoy a little chocolate!
SWEETHEART FUDGE PIE
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1 teaspoon rum flavoring
1/4 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons maraschino cherries, chopped
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Cream butter with brown sugar; add eggs, one at a time,
beating well. Melt chocolate over hot, not boiling water; add to creamed
mixture with coffee and rum flavoring. Stir in flour and nuts. Pour into pie
shell.
Bake 25 min. Cool.
Whip cream stiff; fold in cherries. Spread on top of pie;
decorate with chocolate or candy hearts.
Serves 6-8 depending on appetites.
CHOCOLATE BREAD
PUDDING with WALNUTS
4 cups
1-inch cubes French bread with crust (about 6 ounces)
1 1/4
cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup
walnuts, toasted, broken into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup
heavy whipping cream, divided*
1 cup
half and half, divided*
5
tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
4 large
eggs
1 large
egg yolk
1/2 cup
sugar
Lightly
sweetened whipped cream
Toss
bread cubes, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and toasted walnuts in large bowl to
blend.
Whisk
1/2 cup cream, 1/2 cup half and half, and cocoa in heavy medium saucepan to
blend. Add remaining 3/4 cup chocolate chips; stir over low heat until melted
and smooth. Gradually whisk in remaining 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup half and
half. Whisk eggs, egg yolk, and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in
chocolate-cream mixture. Stir into bread mixture. Let stand 1 hour for bread to
absorb some of custard.
Preheat
oven to 325°F. Butter six (1- to 1 1/4-cup) ramekins. Divide pudding mixture
among ramekins. Bake puddings until set in centers, about 40 minutes. To serve,
top warm puddings with whipped cream.
*NOTE:
I made this with whole milk and it worked fine
CHOCOLATE PUDDING MERINGUE PIE
Caution:
Read this entire recipe first and assemble ingredients
Prepare
and set aside 1 baked 9-inch pie shell
FILLING
3 cups
milk
2
ounces unsweetened chocolate squares, chopped
1 cup
semi-sweet chocolate chips
1
1/3 cups sugar
3
tablespoons cornstarch
1/4
teaspoon salt
4 egg
yolks
1
teaspoon vanilla
2
tablespoons butter
In
small saucepan, melt both chocolates in milk over medium heat to scalding; do
not boil.
In
another medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn starch and salt. Gradually pour in
hot milk mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until
mixture boils. After it thickens, stir two minutes longer. Remove from heat.
Beat
egg yolks in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of hot mixture to beaten yolks,
stirring constantly so lumps do not form. Add 1 heaping tablespoon more
pudding, stirring well. Stir yolks into the hot pudding and cook for two
minutes, boiling gently and stirring. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and butter.
Pour into pie shell and top with meringue. Bake 400° F. in oven 8-10 min.
MERINGUE
3 egg
whites
1/4
teaspoon cream of tartar
6
tablespoons sugar
1/2
teaspoon vanilla (if desired)
Beat
egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually beat in sugar, a little
bit at a time. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not under-beat. Beat
until sugar is dissolved. Beat in vanilla. Pile meringue onto hot pie filling,
being careful to seal the meringue onto edge of crust to prevent shrinking and
weeping. Swirl or pull up points for decorative top. Bake until delicately
browned.
To cut
meringue pie neatly, dip sharp knife into water; shake off excess; cut. Repeat
process between cuts. Serves 6-8.
Keep it simple and keep it seasonal!
Betty Kaiser’s
Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes
that are delicious,
family oriented and easy to prepare.
