Chocolate Pecan Pie

I have been trying a few new pie recipes this year, and yesterday I made a Chocolate Pecan Pie that I will definitely be making again soon. Chocolate is something that I will never tire of, and this pie has only made it easier to love that cocoa goodness. I based this recipe off Martha Stewart's Chocolate Pecan Pie with only a few tweaks (more vanilla and pecans, and I swapped the light corn syrup for golden). To be honest, I was about to make a pie with a hybrid of recipe tips from online, then I found the Martha Stewart pie and it was exactly what I was trying to make, so, thanks Martha!

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces of dark chocolate
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups golden/dark con syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
• 1 recipe of basic pie crust for 9" pie plate (see links below for recipes)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place the rack on the lowest shelf in the oven.
2. In a double boiler melt the chocolate until smooth, then set aside. How do you do that? Place a heat-proof bowl over a smaller pot of water (the bowl should not touch the water, simply sit above it), put the chocolate in the bowl, then turn on the heat to simmer the water in the pot. The heat will melt the chocolate slowly so you don't have to worry about burnt chocolate.
3. In a large bowl add the eggs and beat them lightly. Mix in the corn syrup, vanilla, and salt. Then slowly fold in the melted chocolate. 
4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared pie crust, then place the pecans on top. They will remain floating on the top layer, so feel free to get artsy with this part! 
5. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet, then transfer the sheet and pie into the oven. Bake for 60 minutes, or until the filling jiggles only slightly when the pie plate is nudged. (Martha Stewart's recipe quoted 50-60 min, but I found mine took closer to 65, so keep an eye on your pie).

Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 4 hours. Serve room temperature or chilled with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Pie crust recipes:
Martha Stewart's Basic Pie Crust
Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pie Crust

Key Lime Pie

For Easter I decided to make a key lime pie, committed to bringing it to the BF's family dinner, and instantly realized that I've never made it before. I usually like to play around with new recipes, but this time I decided to pick a recipe and stick to it to avoid a disaster.
I chose Martha Stewart's Key Lime Pie, and it is beautiful! Tomorrow we will eat it, so I'll get feedback that I can add in later. I was really happy with how easy this recipe is, and I think it will be a perfect Easter dessert!

The recipe was pretty straight forward and I didn't have a hard time finding any of the ingredients which was nice. I knew that I could use regular limes if I didn't come across any Key limes, but I got lucky and stumbled upon a bag of Key limes in a nearby grocery store. For a "first time" recipe, I am so glad I chose to follow this one!

Tips and Suggestions:
I baked the pie crust then reduced the oven temperature before prepping the filling to ensure enough time for the crust to cool. 
Get yourself organized before you start! Locate the zester, the juicer, the whisk, the wire rack! Melt your butter! Make sure you have graham cracker crumbs on hand! 
Make this well ahead of serving time! I baked my pie a full day ahead.

Ingredients

•  1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup key lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lime zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix the butter, crumbs, and sugar with a fork in a medium sized bowl. Press the mixture into a 9" pie plate (I use glass pie plates!) and bake for 12 minutes. Cool the crust on a wire rack -- cool it completely before filling it!
2. Decrease the heat of the oven to 325 F. Whisk the milk, yolks, lime juice, and zest in a medium bowl, then pour into the crust. Bake for 15-17 minutes (I baked it for the full 17 minutes) and then cool completely on a wire rack. 
3. Let the pie sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours before serving for optimal flavor, and serve with whipped cream! 

Caramelized Pear Pie

I have a confession - I don't like most fruit. Like, I buy a bunch of bananas maybe once a month. The other day, however, I was drawn to the fruit section in the grocery store and I added 2 juicy pears to my basket, suddenly filled with the urge to have caramelized pears! Story of my life. My grocery list gets neglected all of the time, I'm just so easily persuaded by fresh produce!

Anyway, this is a great pie to bring to a pot luck or to eat by yourself while you're watching reruns late at night--it's not too sweet, not too heavy, just a yummy slice of heaven. Feel free to add more pears, or throw in apples instead. If you like a more savory dessert, add a light sprinkling of grated sharp cheddar before baking, it's delightful!



Ingredients:

• 2 large pears
• 1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons vanilla extract, separated
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  
• Ground nutmeg for seasoning (Optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F, and bring the pie crust out in it's pan to sit at room temperature.
2. Peel and thinly slice the pears. Heat a medium skillet to medium heat, add the butter and the pears. Cook until the pears have started to turn golden (I treat pears like onions, so use the same method you would use if caramelizing onions!).
3. Add 2 tablespoons of the vanilla and 2 tablespoons honey to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes, until the pears are covered in a honey glaze and turning a deep golden brown.
4. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese with the remaining honey and vanilla. Mix in a pinch of nutmeg (optional). Spread the cheese mixture over the pie crust, reserving 2 tablespoons. 
5. Spoon the caramelized pears over the cheese mixture, then top with the chopped pecans.
6. Crack the egg into the bowl with the reserved cheese mixture, and mix together well. Pour over the top of the pie. 
7. Bake for 10 minutes at the preheated temperature, then lower the heat to 350 F and bake for 25 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting, or chill and serve cold. 

Enjoy!

Mini Blackberry Pies

Blackberries were on sale at the grocery store down the street, and after a few days of regret because I passed them up, I scurried back to the store and bought 3 pints. And before I could eve begin to heat the pan I had eaten 1 of the pints... I must say that berries are quite a delight.

Anywho, it was the BF's mom's birthday this week and I wanted to whip up something snack-ish for her, and also something dessert-y. So when I was looking for puff pastry I came across mini pie shells and all my dreams came true! I know, I know. Homemade pastry is great. If it works. And lately I've been botching my pastry dough so I figured store-bought was the best thing for everyone.

These little treats are not too sweet - I didn't add any sugar because my blackberries were especially ripe and juicy, but if yours are on the tart side add sugar as needed. But trust me -- not much is needed. Especially when you top a little pie with a lot of ice cream. Just an idea...

Here goes!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups blackberries
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons butter (I used olive oil butter)
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 12 mini tart/pie shells
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush over the unbaked pie shells. Place the shells on a baking sheet and bake according to package instructions. Once they are done baking, let them cool to room temperature.
2. While the shells begin baking, put a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the blackberries, butter, and flour once the pan is hot and stir to dissolve any lumps of flour. Stir constantly as it comes to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium low. Let this cook for 10-15 minutes, then remove from the heat. The consistency should be thick and lumpy, so don't worry if some blackberries disintegrate and others stay large and in charge. 
3. Mix the cinnamon into the blackberries and pour the berries into the pie shells. Let the filling cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to a covered platter in the fridge. These will last 4 days refrigerated!

Enjoy!