How to Make the Best Holiday Pie

I have always wanted to be one of those ladies - the one who brings the perfect-looking pie to the barbecue or family gathering. Now, I feel like I have more of the skills I need to do just that. I recently received a beautiful cookbook and instruction book, "How to Build a Better Pie", by Millicent Suris. She is the self-taught expert in making pie crusts and preparing all the various fillings - everything from fruit to nuts to meats. 

In her book, I learned how to make the best crumble topping for pies, how to make a shortbread crust (yum!), and how to make the basic pie crust. I was excited to read this book to not only learn techniques, but to find unique recipes that I don't see in magazines or on web sites such as Allrecipes.com. Suris did not disappoint! A few of the unique recipes in this book include Apricot Tomatillo Pie, Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie and Oyster and Sweetbreads Pie. 

The recipe from "How to Build a Better Pie" that  I would like to share with you is one that would be perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas: Bourbon Pecan Pie. Enjoy the recipe below, and to order the book for yourself or for a gift, visit: http://www.qbookshop.com/products/199804/9781592537969/How-to-Build-a-Better-Pie.html

Bourbon Pecan Pie 

Crust

Single Pie Crust (page 19), chilled

Filling

1⁄2 cup (112 g) unsalted melted butter

1 1⁄2 cups (165 g) coarsely chopped pecans,

the fresher the better, toasted

3 extra-large eggs, room temperature

1⁄2 cup (60 g) packed light brown sugar

1⁄2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

1⁄2 cup (170 g) light corn syrup

1⁄2 cup (170 g) dark corn syrup

1⁄4 cup (85 g) molasses (blackstrap)

1⁄4 cup (60 ml) bourbon—but not

more!!                                        

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla

1⁄2 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt

Prebake tools

aluminum foil

baking beans

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C, gas mark 7).

Bottom Crust

Roll out your chilled pie crust to 1⁄8-inch (3 mm) thick.

It should be about 13 inches (33 cm) in diameter. Place

in your pie pan per the instructions in chapter 3. Trim

the edges so there is no more than 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) of

overhang. Lift and crimp the overhang along the rim

of the pie pan. Prick the bottom and the sides of the

crust with a regular fork to prevent bubbles. Try to not

pierce through the crust. If you can, chill your crust in

the freezer for at least 15 minutes. If not, chill it in the

refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. It is important for

the crust to be very cold and the fat to re-form and

firm up.

Pull your pie plate out of the refrigerator and place

your foil in it. It should sit flush with the plate, come up

along the rim, and fold down to cover the edges. This

foil protects the crust from overbrowning, but you do

not want the foil pressed securely to the edges. Place

your baking beans in the bottom and level them out.

Put the crust in the oven.

Bake the crust for 15 minutes at 425°F (220°C, gas

mark 7). Then pull out the crust, lower your oven to

350°F (180°C, gas mark 4), and carefully lift the aluminum

foil by the edges off your crust with the beans in

it. Put your crust back in the oven for 10 minutes. Pull

and let cool a bit.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, gas mark 5).

Filling

Melt your butter and let cool. Arrange your nuts on

the bottom of the par-baked crust. Whisk together the

eggs until homogenized and add the white and brown

sugars, then the corn syrups, molasses, bourbon,

vanilla, melted butter, and salt. Pour the mixture over

the nuts and carefully transfer to the oven. The pecans

will float.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the pie is set. A

little wiggle in the middle is all right; the pie will continue

cooking at it sits. Let cool at least 1 hour.

Yield: 1 pie (8 servings)

Make Your Own Winning Banana Cream Pie

As I promised in yesterday's blog post, here is one of the winning recipes from the recent National Pie Championships in Orlando, Fla.: Peg's Banana Cream Supreme Pie. John Sunvold of Winter Springs, Fla., won "Best in Show - Amateur Division" for this unique creation. Sunvold, a speech communications teacher at Seminole State College, based the pie on a favorite childhood dessert and perfected the recipe over three years!

Peg's Banana Cream Supreme Pie 

Use 9/9.5 inch plate. Serves eight. 

Crust 
1 1/4 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs 
1/4 Finely chopped walnuts 
3 T Sugar 
5 Tablespoons Melted Butter 

Mix all ingredients together and press mixture into pie plate. Bake in a 375 -degree oven for 10 minutes, or until brown. Allow to cool down to room temperature. 

Cream Cheese Layer 
6 oz. Cream Cheese 
1/3 C. Powdered Sugar 
6 oz. Cool Whip 

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip and chill. If you are using a smaller pie pan, make sure you get around a 1/2 inch layer of this cream cheese layer (use the rest for a fruit dip). 

Bananas and Cream 
2-4 Bananas* 
2/3 C. Sugar 
1/4 t. Salt 
1/4 C. Corn Starch 
1 C. Heavy Cream 
5 Egg Yolks 
1 1/2 cup Milk 
1 T Vanilla Extract 
2 T Butter 

Mix sugar, salt, and starch in a pot. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and cream slightly. To the pot, slowly add the milk, then the egg yolk and cream mixture. Heat over medium heat, whisking frequently, until thick and bubbling (but not rapidly boiling). Once the cream is bubbling, continue to cook and whisk for 30 more seconds. Finally, add the butter and vanilla and mix until the cream is smooth. Set aside. 

Cut bananas into even pieces. Place a layer of bananas on the cream cheese layer. Try to cover as much as possible as this acts as an insulator and keeps the heat away from the cream cheese. Add a layer of hot cream, a layer of bananas, and then top off the bananas with as much of the cream as possible. Place a plastic sheet over the cream in order to prevent a skin from forming on the cream filling. Place in refrigerator until completely chilled. 

Topping 
2-4 cups sweetened whipped cream 
1/8 cup caramel topping 
1/4 cup nut topping 

Top with your favorite whipped topping (whipped cream recommended, Cool Whip not recommended). Drizzle with (room temperature) caramel sauce and top with a prepared nut topping (such as Fisher Nut Topping). Keep cold. (Tastes better the next day). 

*Bananas should have yellow stems and have a few brown spots. 


Recipe courtesy of the American Pie Council. View all the winning recipes at: http://piecouncil.org/Events/2012EventWinners/