Life is What You Bake It! Black Forest Pie
Submitted by Karri Perry
CRUST
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- teaspoon salt
- Tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup ice water
- ¼ chilled vodka
FILLING
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped = 1 box Baker’s chocolate
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy cream, divided
- 2 cups milk
TOPPING
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
| Crust In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. |
| Cut in the shortening until it resembles crumbs. |
| Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces, and cut into the mixture until you have small flakes of butter. |
| Add the water/vodka mix, two tablespoons at a time, mixing as you sprinkle the water into the dough. |
| When the dough is moist enough to hold together when pressed, transfer it to a piece of press and seal. Cover dough so that no air can get in. |
| Shape dough into a disk and let lest in the refrigerator 2 hours-overnight. |
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| To blind bake the crust: Preheat the oven to 400°F. |
| Roll out the pie dough, to fit pie plate. Transfer it to the prepared pan, and trim the edges so they overlap the edge by an inch all the way around. Tuck the edges up and under, and crimp edges. Put the lined pie pan in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes. |
| Line the crust with foil or parchment paper, and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust for 20 minutes on the lowest oven rack. Remove it from the oven, and gently remove foil or parchment with the weights or beans. Return the crust to the oven for 10 more minutes, finish the second bake on the middle oven rack, until the crust is golden brown all over. Remove from the oven and cool completely. |
| Filling Place the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl; set aside. |
| In a medium saucepan away from heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt. Whisk in 1/4 cup of cold heavy cream until the mixture is smooth, with no lumps. Repeat with another 1/4 cup of the cream. Whisk in the egg yolks |
| Place the saucepan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in the remaining cream and milk. |
| Bring to a boil, whisking constantly as the mixture thickens. Boil for 1 minute. |
| Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture over the reserved chocolate, vanilla and butter. |
| Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Pour chocolate filling into the prepared pie crust. Refrigerate pie until set and fully chilled. |
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Cherry Topping · Use 1 ½ cups of Triple cherry blend frozen cherries (available at Costco Frozen) · ½ cup sugar · 1/8 tsp almond extract · 2 TBS cornstarch · 2 TBS Chambord Liquor
Heart cherries and sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat, until cherries begin to thaw and release juices. Mix the extract, liquor and cornstarch together. Turn off heat. Pour mixture over cherries. Cook cherries until bubbly and sauce thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. (This step can be done ahead and stored in the refrigerator until pie is set and ready to be assembled.) (You can substitute this step with 1 can of pre-made cherry pie filling) |
| Whipped Cream Topping Place the heavy cream in a medium mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer makes quick work of the whipped cream. |
| Mix on low speed until the mixer begins to leave tracks in the bowl. |
| Add the sugar and vanilla and mix on medium speed until the cream holds a medium peak. |
| Using a piping bag with a large decorative tip, pipe whipped cream onto the chilled chocolate cream pie.
Keep pie chilled until ready to serve. To complete pie: Cover the chilled and set chocolate cream pie with the chilled cherry topping. Using the whipped cream, pipe decorative edges around the pie. |