Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Chocolate Pecan Pie



It's been cold, I needed a break from apples, and I wanted to do something different to celebrate my first 100 pies - hence this Chocolate Pecan Pie. I found a Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie recipe from a Washington Post pie contest online, and it was just what I was looking for to give my pecan pie a nice chocolate zip. I didn't use the Post recipe, however. I merely added 1 cup of chocolate chips to my tried-and-true Pecan Pie recipe. I can see some bourbon-soaked pecans and dark chocolate popping up in future versions. I also think I'll omit the orange zest the next time around. It betrays the decadent nature of the pie. We don't need any fruity fresh, just as much chocolately nutty sweet as we can stomach.

Current Pie Tally: 101

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Pie Contest Blurb in the Local Paper

There's a Pie Contest write-up in the Takoma Park Newsletter. The blurb and a couple photos are on Page 9. The proof is in the pie, so to speak.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Gimme Some Apple Crumb



This pie rectified a severe dessert shortage in my household. My sweet tooth was aching and this one hit the spot. I even had the gall to serve it to dinner guests two days after it was baked. And with this and the second savory pie, I was apple to use up the subpar pie contest crusts that I threw in the freezer for safekeeping. I thought the crusts were great in the savory and crumb pies, so maybe they just needed to chill out for a while. Ha ha. Happy Hundreth Pie to me! For the Apple Crumb Pie recipe, click here (don't forget to read my substitutions). To celebrate, I think I shall try something new and different - perhaps a pecan pie with chocolate chips that I recently read about.

Current Pie Tally: 100

Savory Austrian Apple Pie, Take 2



I made another Savory Austrian Apple Pie while basking in the glory of my win during the week following the pie contest. While developing the recipe, I relied heavily on a tart recipe in a German cookbook that I received as a gift. After Americanizing many of the metric measurements of the ingredients, I realized the purchasable American quantities would yield enough of the good stuff for two pies. Since most of the first one went to charity, it seemed like a good idea to have plans for another one intended for personal consumption. I took this one on a picnic to Frying Pan Park in Herndon, VA, where it was enjoyed with a good friend. The leftovers were eaten for breakfast at Matthews Arm Campground in the Blue Ridge Mountains. For the recipe, view my recent pie contest post. Oh boy, I'm on the cusp of my 100th pie!

Current Pie Tally: 99