A Pie by any other name would taste as sweet...
From my monthly newspaper column : PIES of Summer
Not quite the same as the popular saying from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, but its close. The phrase "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" exclaims that simply changing the name of something doesn't change its true nature or qualities.
In the play, Juliet says this to express that Romeo's true identity as a Montague, (a rival family!) doesn't diminish her love for him. And no matter if its a pastry shell full of meat, or fruits or buttermilk cream -if its called 'pie' my love (like Julia's) will carry on!
I got to thinking…What makes a PIE a pie? Well ask Wikipedia and you'll get hundreds of items bearing the name "Pie", illustrating the delightful ambiguity around what exactly constitutes a pie.
According to the website, "a pie is a dish usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers- or completely contains- a filling of varied sweet or savory ingredients". OK, you got that?
Now here's where the descriptive words for PIE intersect with Shakespeare's phrase; in my research (and many years of cooking) a filled pastry crust (but not topped) is referred to as a Tart – a creation not covered by dough, so not a Pie.
But wait! Pumpkin pies are open and uncovered but still called pies, not a Tart, and a quiche is baked in an open pie crust, why isn't it called an egg pie??
Add to that 'by any other name' list these creations; croustade, crostata, galette, tarte tatin and turnover- which are considered various types of pies- and you can see that a pie can be as varied as the fillings that go into them!
PIE SEASON? In my house its more like PIE for any reason…
If you are a true PIE aficionado then you can understand my excitement;
I just love the idea that I can have pie for dinner and dessert; just think -if you had eaten a Chicken pot pie or a Shepard's pie or a Taco pie for dinner, well-knowing there's apple pie for dessert! There may not be anything so fulfilling than the moment you realize you can eat pie after eating pie!
To my mind, when it comes to Pie, any of time of year is the right time. I think Pie is the ultimate crowd-pleaser; you can’t go wrong with simple chilled pies for those hot summer days, and who doesn't think about pie when the cooler weather starts to roll in? As I said, its pretty much Pie for any reason in my house!
A Summer of pies.
I have jumped into pie making hard this summer, and have included the recipe for the Chocolate Chess pie I made this week. I also made a couple of other pies for my article which you can see at https://www.facebook.com/GourmetontheGorge/
Party On for PIE: I invited several friends over this Sunday for a Pie brunch; the only thing served was PIE…no way I could keep 3 pies in the house! Here's what they had to say:
Chocolate Chess Pie: WOW! yummy, easy to make and so much chocolate flavor. This would slay anyone's sweet tooth. And with ice cream- gets you two desserts in one!
Peach Galette: so fresh and fruity- light on the sweet, the fresh raspberry sauce took it over the top.
Strawberry Pretzel pie: This no-bake creation was not what folks thought of as a pie-but they agreed-boy its good. Fluffy yet substantial, sweet and bit salty.
All in all, every one of these recipes was thoroughly enjoyed, and none are difficult or overly complicated, when it comes to ingredients or skills needed.
I hope you're feeling inspired to stock up on fruits, flour, and butter-and to give one of these recipes a try. You can be completely confident that no matter which one you choose to make, your lucky guests will be swooning! ENJOY!
Chocolate Chess Pie Ala The Pioneer Women
This pie can be made a day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature, or refrigerated for a few days (the filling may firm up a bit more in fridge). Unsweetened baking chocolate, like Baker's, are a good choice in recipes with a substantial amount of sugar.
Yields: 10 – 12 Prep Time: 25 mins Total Time with chilling: 4 hrs 40 mins
Ingredients:
Ready to Bake Pie Crust (store bought or fresh made)
9 " shallow pie pan (not deep dish)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped (can use dark chocolate chips in a pinch)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
3 Tbsp fine yellow cornmeal
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
Powdered sugar, for dusting or fresh berries for garnish
Directions: Preheat the oven to 375°F.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the piecrust into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a shallow 9-inch pie plate (no more than 1 1/4-inch deep). Tuck the edges under and crimp as desired. Freeze for 20 minutes. Prick the bottom of the crust 8 to 10 times, all over, with a fork.
Line the frozen piecrust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake just until the edges of the crust are dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Carefully remove the paper with weights. Return to the oven until the bottom of the crust is dry and the edges just start to turn light brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
Let cool slightly while you make the filling.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
In a small saucepan, heat the butter and chocolate over low heat, until melted. Pour into a large bowl and whisk in the granulated sugar.
Whisk in the eggs one at a time until all eggs are well blended. Whisk in the cornmeal and flour. Add the milk, vanilla, and salt. Use a silicon spatula or wooden spoon to stir ingredients together well.
Carefully pour the filling into the crust.
Return to pie to oven: bake until the edges of the filling are set completely but the center is slightly wobbly, 35 to 45 minutes. (Tent the pie with foil after 25 minutes if the crust looks darker than golden brown.) Let the pie cool completely, about 3 hours. Top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, or fresh berries, if you like.