Okay gang, we’ve got three more drinking days until Thanksgiving, and while that doesn’t mean much to me –I will be celebrating in my usual way by alphabetizing my shoes and watching John Cusack movies with my dog– those of you with so-called “family” and “friends” and “people who love you who DON’T work on commission” probably have some last minute preparations to do. So in the spirit of sharing (because I am all about sharing spirits) I would like to offer unto you my blue ribbon-winning, quick-and-dirty, smack-your-momma Chocolate Berry Pie with which I laid the culinary smackdown on a guy who worked for Martha Stewart and nearly made him cry in front of God and everybody. This is the first time the recipe has been published.
If you don’t make your own crust (i.e., if you don’t love America) this pie takes about ten minutes to prepare. Get fancy with it if you so desire, add chopped basil, chipotle, whatever. It’ll need to chill 8 hours or overnight, so make it the day before.
Ingredients:
1 8″ pie crust, baked and cooled.
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Guittard)
2 cups cream (That’s right. I said it.)
Salt
Fresh (not frozen) berries of your choice to fill an 8″ pie pan (1 lb)Extra credit:
white chocolate for drizzling, apple jelly for glazing, mint sprig.
If you are using strawberries set aside a few pretty ones, core and quarter the remainder and dry thoroughly on paper towels, set aside. Scald cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, add chocolate chips, let set for five minutes, add a teensy pinch of salt and then stir until smooth.*
Dump fruit into pie shell, pour chocolate mixture over top until fruit is covered and pie is full. Thwunk on the bottom to remove air bubbles. Let chill overnight. If you want to get creative you can drizzle melted white chocolate over the surface of the cooled pie and decorate with the reserved fruit that has been brushed with melted apple jelly to make it shiny. Remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to serving.
*What you got here is ganache. If you’ve got some left over, whip that stuff, chill it until firm again, form it into little balls and roll those bastards in cocoa powder. Poof, you’ve got truffles. Totally cheap Christmas gift, and better than most you can buy.
No butter? (I’m not being sarcastic, really asking)
Comment by Penny — November 19, 2007 @ 12:43 pm
Heavy, light or whipping cream? Does it matter?
Comment by TeleriB — November 20, 2007 @ 11:39 am
john cusack datingManolo for the Big Girl!
Comment by Jie Zhang — July 23, 2008 @ 9:18 am