Not-So-Humble Pies (7 page)

Limoncello, a lemon liqueur produced in the southern part of Italy, is traditionally served chilled after dinner to aid in digestion. It gives this dish a clean, sweet flavor with none of the tart, bitter flavor of fresh lemon juice. If you are not a fan of lemon, try orangecello in its place. It has a mild, sweet, aromatic orange flavor.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the pie crust with parchment paper or a double layer of aluminum foil and add pie weights or dry beans.

Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and bake for an additional 10–12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown all over. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, limoncello, lemon zest, sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to simmer and thicken, about 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla; stir until melted. Pour through a strainer into a separate bowl. Place a layer of cling film directly on the custard and chill for 1 hour.

In a small bowl, mix the powdered gelatin with the cold water. Let stand 10 minutes, then melt in the microwave for 10 seconds. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, or until cool to the touch.

In a medium bowl, add the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Whip on medium-high speed until it starts to thicken, about 1 minute.

Slowly pour in the cooled gelatin and whip until the cream forms medium peaks, about 1 minute. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Add ½ of the whipped cream to the limoncello mixture and gently fold to incorporate. Pour into the prepared crust and garnish the top with the remaining whipped cream. Chill for 4 hours before serving.

In this refreshing pie, sweet tart pineapple is whipped into a delicate chiffon filling. When making chiffon pies it is important to remember that they contain uncooked egg whites. The consumption of uncooked or undercooked eggs is not usually a problem for healthy adults. It can, however, cause problems for children, pregnant women, the elderly, or those with certain illnesses. When making any recipe that calls for uncooked or undercooked eggs, you can use pasteurized eggs. The pasteurization process kills the harmful bacteria, making them a better choice.

In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and the water. Allow to stand until completely bloomed, about 10 minutes.

In a double boiler, combine the egg yolks, sugar, pineapple, and lemon juice. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Whisk until dissolved. Allow to cool until it thickens.

In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with the salt until they are very frothy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add in the sugar, beating constantly, until the whites form medium peaks, about 1 minute.

Working in thirds, fold the egg whites into the pineapple mixture, making sure no large streaks of egg white remain. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and chill until firm, about 4 hours.

Once chilled, prepare the Stabilized Whipped Cream and top the pie. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Prosecco is Italian sparkling white wine. It is usually more affordable than French Champagne or California sparkling wine, and it has a lovely dry finish. In this pie, prosecco is used to brighten the flavor of the mousse and to give it a lighter texture. Unlike champagne, which gets a second long fermentation in the bottle, prosecco is fermented in glass tanks. This method is used for producing large quantities of wine with the fresh flavor preserved. When shopping buy prosecco within three years of its production date for the best flavor.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the pie crust with parchment paper or a double layer of aluminum foil, and add pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and bake for an additional 10–12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown all over. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a double boiler, combine the sugar and egg yolks until the egg yolks start to lighten in color; add the prosecco and salt. Whisk the mixture constantly until smooth, then cook, beating constantly, until it begins to lighten in color and thicken, about 8 minutes.

Beat in the melted white chocolate until well combined and smooth. Carefully remove the bowl from the heat and place directly into an ice bath. Cool, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches room temperature.

In a small bowl, mix the powdered gelatin with the cold water. Let stand 10 minutes, then melt in the microwave for 10 seconds. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, or until cool to the touch. Stir half of the gelatin mixture into the prosecco mixture.

In a medium bowl, add the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, whip on medium-high speed until it starts to thicken, about 1 minute.

Slowly pour in the remaining cooled gelatin and whip until the cream forms medium peaks, about 1 minute more.

Add ½ of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture and gently fold to incorporate. Pour into the prepared crust and chill for 4 hours before serving. Garnish with the remaining whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Fresh lime and white chocolate make for a beautiful—if surprising— pairing. The tart but not acerbic citrus helps cut the buttery richness of the white chocolate. This recipe uses mascarpone cheese to give this pie its creamy smooth texture, but you can use cream cheese if you prefer. If you are serving this pie for guests, garnish the top with fresh lime zest and finely grated white chocolate just before serving.

In a large bowl, cream together the lime juice, lime zest, mascarpone cheese, melted white chocolate, and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth, then set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the powdered gelatin with the cold water. Let stand 10 minutes, then melt in the microwave for 10 seconds. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, or until cool to the touch.

In a medium bowl, add the cream and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, whip on medium-high speed until it starts to thicken, about 1 minute.

Slowly pour in the cooled gelatin and whip until the cream forms medium peaks, about 1 minute.

Fold the cream into the white chocolate mixture until no streaks of cream remain.

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and chill for 4 hours before serving.

This pie takes a tropical twist on the everyday key lime pie by adding coconut milk and toasted coconut. Do not confuse coconut milk with coconut cream or cream of coconut. Coconut milk is simply the liquid that is pressed out of the coconut flesh. Coconut cream or cream of coconut is a coconut-flavored sugar syrup that is used for making cocktails.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly whisk the egg yolks until they are broken.

Add the unsweetened coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk and stir to combine.

Add the lime juice and stir until smooth.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until set around the edges but still slightly wobbly in the center. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight. When ready to serve, prepare the Stabilized Whipped Cream and spread it evenly over the pie. Garnish with the toasted coconut. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Strawberries are not really berries. In fact, they are a seed-bearing fruit. But no matter what they are, they are decadent both when eaten just as they are or when made into a beautiful dessert. One common problem of strawberry desserts is that once cooked, they can lose some of their robust red color. If that color is important to you, a drop of red food coloring will perk things right up.

In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and the water. Allow to stand until completely bloomed, about 10 minutes.

Combine the crushed strawberries and sugar and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Mix the bloomed gelatin with the hot water until dissolved, then whisk it into the strawberries along with the salt and lemon juice. Let the mixture stand until it begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whip the egg whites until they are very frothy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add in the sugar, beating constantly, until the whites form medium peaks, about 1 minute.

Working in thirds, fold the egg whites into the strawberry mixture, making sure no large streaks of egg white remain.

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and chill until firm, about 4 hours.

Once chilled, prepare the Stabilized Whipped Cream and top the pie. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Almond butter can be found in most grocery stores; however, you can also make it yourself at home in a food processor. Roughly chop the almonds before processing to save wear and tear on your food processor’s blade. If you toast the almonds slightly before puréeing, you’ll enhance their natural nutty flavor.