Lets Eat Pie

Photo credit: Steve Buchanan, www.Flickr.com

Finally, a holiday I can really sink my teeth in,  Yes, today is National Pie Day which makes it our patriotic duty (at least in my house) to eat a slice or two in honor of one of the finer things in life–dessert.  If you’re like me, chances are your mom or grandma are pie makers.  I totally lucked out because my dad is also superb at the task and is known for his light, flaky crust recipe.  Mom’s specialty is pecan pie.  Mam-maw made a mean apple pie and my Aunt Nadine whipped up a chocolate pie topped with homemade meringue so high it nearly reached the sky.  My nieces, Hannah and Allison, now make pies that fetch top dollar at their church bazaar.
As for me…well, I’ve mastered the art of pie making but my true gift is eating my handiwork.  I like pie cold, hot or anywhere in between.  Apple, blackberry, chocolate, lemon, pumpkin, pecan, chess–I love them all, especially if they’re topped with cheese, ice cream or drizzled chocolate.
So it’s probably no surprise I’m always on the hunt for a new take on this little round  dessert to have another reason to pop for pie.  A dandy one has surfaced from “Southern Pies“ by Nancie McDermott that you’ve got to try.   This chocolate angel pie  looks almost too pretty to eat…and yet I will (and so should you).

Photo credit: Leigh Beisch, Southern Pies by Nancie McDermott, www.ChronicleBooks.com

Chocolate Angel Pie
This delicate dessert is an ethereal pie, in which meringue—usually pie’s accessory—becomes the crust. Like the Pavlova of Australia and New Zealand, angel pie features a large meringue as the main event. But while Pavlovas are usually filled with sweetened fruit, angel pies are typically filled with lemon curd and whipped cream, or a simple chocolate mousse. Both angel pies and Pavlovas are iterations of the classic Viennese schaum torte. Some Southern cooks add pecans to the meringue crust, making the angel-cloud base quite reminiscent of Divinity, a classic Southern candy. Around the South, angel pies are cherished throughout the year as a celestial party dish.
Makes one 9-inch pie
Meringue Crust:
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped pecans
Chocolate Cream Filling:
4 squares (4 ounces) semisweet chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
Sweetened whipped cream and cocoa powder, for garnish (optional)
Directions:
To make the meringue crust: Heat the oven to 275 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they are bubbly and foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt, and beat on high speed until the egg whites begin to swell up and hold their shape. Add the sugar gradually, and then the vanilla, while you continue to beat the egg whites, until they are thick, light, shiny, and able to hold firm, curled peaks.
Scoop the beaten egg whites out into the pie plate and use the back of a large spoon to shape them into a piecrust with high sides, extending a little above the sides of the pie pan. Scatter the chopped pecans over the bottom of the meringue crust.
Place the pan on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 250 degrees F, and bake until the meringue crust is lightly browned, firm, and dry to the touch, 45 to 50 minutes more.
Place the pan on a cooling rack or a folded kitchen towel and let cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate the crust for 3 hours, until very cold.
To make the filling: Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup hot water and the vanilla and stir well to combine everything smoothly Set aside to cool completely.
When the chocolate is cool, beat the cream until it is thick and light and holds firm peaks. Gently stir the whipped cream into the chocolate and fold them together to make a delicate, creamy chocolate filling.
Scoop the chocolate filling into the meringue piecrust and mound it up handsomely. Refrigerate it for 3 hours or more and serve cold, with extra whipped cream and a cocoa powder dusting, if you like.
Recipe courtesy of:  “Southern Pies:  A Gracious Plenty of Pie Recipes, From Lemon Chess to Chocolate Pecan” by Nancie McDermott.  Photographs by Leigh Beisch, www.ChronicleBooks.com









The Veranda Home pie plate is a perfect pick.  Its French white hue goes with everything and it’s made of stoneware that’s oven, microwave and dishwasher safe.  Its pie plate stand makes transporting pie easy and dresses up the overall look of the dessert.














Sometimes even the most enthusiastic pie maker doesn’t have time to make everything from scratch.  That’s when mixes like our Lemon Ice Box Tart come in handy.  These time savers make dessert easy to serve up every night of the week. www.cindyshomedecor.com