“C” Pies – Chocolate and Coconut

Gary’s two favorite pies, coconut and chocolate.  Matthew (13), my grandson, helped me make Papa a surprise for dinner tonight.  After a long week, everyone needs a taste of the “sweet”.

I got these recipe’s from the Better Homes and Gardens New CookBook, Celebrating the Promise (Limited Edition.)  Gary says it’s the best he ever had!

Coconut Pie

Ingredients:  1 recipe Baked Pastry Shell (I used frozen Marie Callender shells), 4 eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 2 1/2 cups half-and-half (light cream, or milk), 1 TBS butter or margarine, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 recipe Four Egg White Meringue.

 

Directions:  Prepare baked pastry shell.  Separate egg yolks from whites.  Set aside yolks for filling and whites for four egg white meringue.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

For filling, in a medium saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch.  Gradually stir in half-and-half.  Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly; reduce heat.  (It’s better to use a whisk than a wooden spoon.)  Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat.  Slightly beat egg yolks with a fork.  Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot filling into yolks.  Add egg yolk mixture to saucepan.  Bring to a gently boil; reduce heat.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in butter and vanilla.  Keep filling warm (this is important).  Prepare four egg white meringue.

Pour warm filling into baked pastry shell.  Spread meringue over warm filling; seal to edge (important).  Bake for 30 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack 1 hour.  Chill for 3 to 6 hours before serving; cover for longer storage.

Variations:  Coconut Cream Pie:  Prepare as above, except stir in 1 cup flaked coconut with butter and vanilla.  Sprinkle another 1/3 cup flaked coconut over meringue before baking.

Chocolate Cream Pie:  Prepare as above, except increase the sugar to 1 cup.  Stir in 3 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate with the half-and-half.

 

 Meringue for Pie:

Ingredients:  4 egg whites, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, 1/2 cup sugar.

Directions:  Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  In a large mixing bowl combine egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until soft peaks form.

Gradually add sugar, 1 TBS at a time, beating on high speed about 4 minutes more or until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks (tips stand straight) and sugar dissolves (rub a small amount between two fingers; it should feel completely smooth).

Immediately spread meringue over hot pie filling, carefully sealing to edge of pastry to prevent shrinkage (this is important).  Bake as directed above.

TIPS:  The Facts on Fluff.  Making Meringue – for perfect results, follow these need-to-know tips:

Volume Control:  Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to produce a meringue with volume.

Lather Up:  Clean all your bowls and utensils with hot soapy water and carefully dry them before you begin.  Even a little oil or grease residue will make a meringue flat and unusable.  (Use the bowl size called for in the recipe.  Copper, stainless-steel or glass bowls work best.)

Perfect Peaks:  Once all the sugar has been added to the meringue, continue beating until stiff peaks form and the sugar is completely dissolved. Underbeating may cause shrinkage during baking.  (Take a small amount of meringue and rub between fingers to make sure the sugar is dissolved.)

Moisture Maintenance:  Prevent beading — the small beads of moisture that seep from the surface of the meringue — by not over-baking the meringue.

No Tears:  Prevent weeping — the watery layer that forms between the meringue and filling layers — by spooning the meringue onto the filling while the filling is still hot.  This helps the bottom of the meringue cook at the same rate as the top.

 

Matthew’s Favorite Pie – Chocolate!

Tidbits on Meringue – Topped Pies

After removing a meringue-topped pie from the oven, let it cool at room temperature for 1 hour.  After cooling, chill the pie, uncovered, for 3 to 6 hours before serving.

For longer storage, insert several toothpicks into the meringue halfway between the center and edge of the pie.  Drape plastic wrap over the toothpicks and chill for up to 2 days.  Whipped cream-topped pies can be stored for up to 4 hours.

Before cutting each slice from a meringue-topped pie, dip the knife in water and do not dry it off.  This will prevent meringue from sticking to the knife.

Season Your Meat

Heard this from Michael Symon on “The Chew” — drizzle olive oil and salt on your cutting board, then place the meat on top to cut.  While your cutting the meat, you’re also seasoning it!  Don’t see why you couldn’t add pepper, lemon or whatever!  Going to try this one.

Tex-Ital

Lasagna for dinner is always welcome at my house.  I never use a recipe for this dish, make from scratch.  This time I used:  fresh fennel, instead of fennel seed; chopped/sautéed onion and leek; homemade ricotti cheese, and canned chilpotle peppers in adobo sauce instead of crushed red pepper flakes.  It was very tasty, the smoky flavor of the chilpotle peppers made it a little more “Tex-Ital!”

Hint – I saw on a cooking show — soak your noodles, instead of boiling them; then assemble the lasagna.  The uncooked/soaked noodles will soak up the juices from the sauce, making the lasagna not so “wet”.  I plan on trying this.  Be sure to let the lasagna set at least 20 minutes before cutting.

Cornbread and Dressing

Heard these great ideas on “The Chew,” I believe it was Carla who brought both of these ideas to light …

Leftover cornbread … make croutons out of them!  They are wonderful.  Cut the cornbread into cubes.  I usually coat with olive oil, then season as you would like.  Optional seasonings I’ve used are:  garlic salt, fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, etc.), parmesan cheese, really anything would work.  Bake in the oven at 350 until toasted, stirring as needed.  These are great on salads and in soups.  We no longer have leftover cornbread in my house!

When making dressing, whether for a holiday meal or just because, put in muffin pans!  Making individual dressing muffins!  Easy to transport, use in lunch boxes or for picnics, snacks for little ones.  I just think this is marvelous.  You go Carla!

No More Soggy Salads

I find that storing lettuce separate from other salad ingredients (i.e. tomatos, onions, cucumber, etc.) makes for a crisper leftovers!

Etouffee Day

 Decided to make Crawfish Etouffee for dinner.  I use Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen recipe.  We love it, so spicy and full of flavor.  Not for the meek.  Since I’m here in the middle of Texas, not much fresh seafood, so I use the frozen crawfish tails in the freezer section of the grocery store.   No doubt that fresh would be much tastier, but we all have to improvise sometimes.  I think Paul’s recipes were among the first cooking adventures I took.  I’ve always enjoyed his food.  Every time Gary and I go to NOLA, we eat at his restaurant.  One time I even got to go back in the kitchen with the chef’s!  It was so cool!

Recently, I bought John Besh’s cookbook, My New Orleans.  I was reading through it and found the “golden egg” of NOLA cooking!  He has the secret of making the best roux, which is used in almost everything tasty.  And I quote,

“…I’ve got a roux that’s milk chocolate in color and ready for the onions.  I add the onions and start stirring with a wooden spoon until the onions caramelize and the roux turn s a dark chocolate color.  Only then do I stir in the additional vegetables; if I add them with the onions, their water will prevent the sugars in the onions from caramelizing, and I’ll never get that deep brown color.” 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worked and worked to get that color, but to no avail.  I tried this method, last night, and stars and whistles … it worked!  Yippey!