Black Bottom Oatmeal Pie

February 17, 2016 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

The pie adventures of 2015 have continued into 2016 helped along by one of my favorite Christmas gifts: a copy of The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book by Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen. The book springs from the sisters’ experiences growing up and working in their family’s restaurant back in Hecla, South Dakota and later opening an independent pie shop in Gowanus, Brooklyn named (you guessed it) Four & Twenty Blackbirds.

Mention pie or dessert to any sweets lover in the Greater New York area and the conversation will inevitably turn to this gem of a shop and their dedication to all things contained in a crust. What I love most about the book are the “uncommon” fillings they’ve developed – we’ve all had apple pie and strawberry rhubarb (classics and standbys for a reason – they’re awesome) – but when was the last time you tasted something called Salty Honey Pie, Grapefruit Custard Pie, or in this case Black Bottom Oatmeal Pie?

It’s a humble name for a concoction that layers all the best things about a chewy oatmeal cookie and the caramel sweetness of pecan pie in a buttery, flaky crust. And that’s before you even get to the “black bottom” part, a foundation of deep, dark chocolate ganache. Let’s pause for a moment and revel in the glory.

Please make this pie for your favorite chocolate loving people – they will forever be your biggest fans.

Black Bottom Oatmeal Pie (serves 8-10)

Ingredients:
1 recipe All Buttah Pie Dough, par baked (recipe below)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
4 large eggs, room temperature

Instructions:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oatmeal evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

While the oatmeal is toasting, partially fill a medium sauce pan with water and place a heat proof bowl on top. The bowl should not touch the water. Bring the water to a boil, then place the chopped chocolate in the bowl and melt, stirring ocassionally. Once the chocolate is entirely melted, whisk in the heavy cream until the cream is incorporated and the mixture is smooth.

Use a rubber spatula to transfer the chocolate ganache into the cooled pie shell and spread evenly over the bottom. Place the shell in the freezer to set the ganache while making the filling.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, ginger, salt, and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, vanilla, and cider vinegar and whisk to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Stir in the cooled oats.

Pour the oat mixture over the top of the ganache layer. If the pie looks like it might over flow, then place on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 55-60 minutes; halfway through the baking time rotate the pie 180 degrees to ensure even baking. The pie is finished when the edges are set and puffed slightly and the center is slightly firm to the touch but still has some give (like gelatin). Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. The pie will keep refrigerated for 3 days or at room temperature for 2 days.

Re-written from Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book Black Bottom Oatmeal Pie by Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen (pg. 176)

All Buttah Pie Dough (yield: one 9 inch crust)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup ice water, or more as needed

Instructions:
In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt to combine. Add the diced cold butter, tossing the cubes in the flour to coat. With your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until it is the size of walnut halves (for a flaky crust) or peas (for a mealy crust).

Make a well in the center of the flour/butter mixture and add the water a few tablespoons at a time and mix with your fingers or a fork just until the dough comes together.

Gather the dough into a flat, round disc; wrap in plastic and chill well, at least 1 hour, before rolling.

Next, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough into a round crust approximately 9 ½ - 10 inches in diameter. Do your best to ensure the crust is an even thickness and a fairly regular circle in shape.

Set the crust into a 9 inch pie plate and press firmly against the sides making sure that the dough follows the shape of the dish closely. Trim the overhanging edges as needed leaving a ½ inch border. Fold the border underneath and crimp the edge, or press down onto the rim of the pie plate with a fork. Chill the un-baked crust for 30 minutes.

While the crust chills, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

The crust will be both blind and partially baked (aka par-baked) before filling. Prick the bottom and sides of the chilled crust a few times with a fork. Then, line the crust with a sheet of parchment paper or butter a piece of foil and set the buttered side against the crust. Fill the parchment paper with enough pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice to reach up the sides. These two steps prevent the crust from puffing up and leave a smooth crust to hold the filling.

Place the crust in the pre-heated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. The crust will look pale and just barely baked, don’t worry it will finish baking when the filling is added. Allow the pie to cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove the pie weights and parchment paper. Fully cool the crust before filling.

Re-written from Erin McDowell’s All Buttah Pie Dough and par-baking instructions.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes and no. With organization and washing of items between steps (there’s plenty of time with all the dough resting and ganache chilling) it can be done. To make the entire recipe – dough and filling I needed… 1 medium heat-proof mixing bowl, a large sauce pan, a 9 inch glass pie plate, one rimmed baking sheet, a medium cutting board, a chef’s knife, a rubber spatula, wire whisk, measuring cups (liquid and dry), and a rolling pin. Pie weights (or dried beans/uncooked rice) and parchment paper are also key for success.

The Verdict:
I don’t know how to fully convey the deliciousness in this seemingly simple pie. It’s incredible and if you can manage to share even a slice I think you could easily be considered for sainthood. It is rich and fairly sweet – although the cider vinegar and bittersweet chocolate do help keep an even keel – but just perfect for wintery days when the promise of summer fruit seems far off. I also love that since most everything is from the pantry it has a casual, no-frills vibe and it means that pie is a possibility without much warning. Always a good thing in my book.

Fresh Cranberry Pie with Pecan Crumble

November 26, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

Cranberry pie. Is there a more perfect distillation of the Thanksgiving spirit than an entire pie packed with bright, tangy fruits who wait all year for this one Thursday in late November? It’s their time to shine - like the cranberry’s 21st birthday, New Year’s Eve, and Christmas all wrapped up in one extravaganza of eating. That’s what we have here, my friends. A pie that is aaaaalll about the cranberry, no shame in that game.

But first, let’s talk about perfection in an imperfect world. Wait a minute!? You thought this was a post about pie! Well it is in a way, because I almost didn’t post this pie. I had #piecrustissues, even after nearly 11 months of practicing, and I was dissapointed and more than a little frustrated not to be presenting a glorious specimen of pie craft worthy of a Martha Stewart dessert table. Unfortunately, somewhere during the blind-baking stage the edges puffed out and inflated all the carefully crimped and pressed edges beyond recognition. I blame an under-weighted pie and perhaps a slightly too cool oven. Either way, it’s pretty annoying to discover that several hours of preparation have yielded an underwhelming result.

I filled it with the ruby red cranberries anyway, dutifully pulsed the brown sugar-butter mixture into streusel and figured I’d just try again another time and skip a post for the week. Then as I thought about it, I realized that homemade pie, regardless of how wonky, is still something to be thankful for and appreciated! Even if it didn’t turn out as planned; my cranberry pie is still fruit and sugar and buttery crust – it’s what’s on the inside that counts and the effort it took to try in the first place.

So, here we are friends – thankful that there is pie in the world, but most importantly that there are family and friends to share it with. I hope that’s the case whereever you are too. Happy Thanksgiving!

For the similarly pie-challenged, may I offer this piece: "I Made Pie with Saveur's Food Editor and Here's What I Learned" by Marian Bull? If nothing else it’s very Zen and may help you and your dough relax.

Fresh Cranberry Pie with Pecan Crumble (yield: one 9-inch, standard pie)

Crust Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups (155 grams) all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea or table salt
1 stick (4 ounces or 115 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup (60 ml) very cold water, plus an additional tablespoon if needed
1 egg (for egg wash)

Filling Ingredients:
5 cups (24 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 to 2 more tablespoons, if desired, to taste
3 teaspoons orange zest
2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Crumble Ingredients:
2/3 cup rolled oats or 1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coarse or sea salt
3/4 cup pecans, preferably toasted
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Serving Ingredients:
Powdered sugar, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream

Crust Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt to combine.

Add the diced butter, tossing the cubes in the flour to coat. Cut the butter into the flour until it is the size of walnut halves (for a flaky crust) or peas (for a mealy crust).

Make a well in the center, and add the water a few tablespoons at a time and mix with a rubber spatula just until the dough comes together.

Form the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic and chill well before rolling, forming, and baking.

When the dough is chilled and rested, roll out to about 10” round. Carefully ease the pie crust into a 9-inch standard (not deep dish) pie plate, making sure not to stretch the dough at all, or it will shrink as the pie bakes. Trim edge to fit and prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, then place a piece of parchment paper over the pie crust. Cover the parchment with pie weight, dried beans, or uncooked rice making sure the weights extend up the sides.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes until just lightly golden brown. Check the bottom through the glass.

Remove the pie weights and parchment and allow to cool while you prepare the filling.

Reduce the oven to 400 degrees F.

Filling Instructions:
Place all of the ingredients in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes until some of the cranberries have begun to break down and release some of their juices. Continue to cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occassionally until the filling is loose and just pourable. Set aside off the heat and allow the filling to cool for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the crumble topping.

Crumble Instructions:
Place the whole oats in the bowl of a large food processor and grind them to a powder.

Next, add the toasted pecans and pulse until the mixture is a coarse meal. Add the remaining ingredients except the butter, pulsing a few times to loosely combine.

Pour the melted butter through the feed tube, pulsing until crumbles form.

Assemble, Bake, Serve:
Brush the par-baked pie crust with egg wash, then fill with the cranberry mixture. Sprinkle the streusel topping over cranberry filling in large crumbles.

Bake the pie for 45 to 50 minutes at 400 degrees F, until the berry juices are bubbling enough that they seep into the crumb topping.

If pie begins to brown too quickly, cover top with a piece of foil for remaining baking time. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

Rewritten and slightly adapted from Deb Perelman’s Cranberry Pie with Thick Pecan Crumble via Smitten Kitchen.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, assuming you have a food processor or the patience to mince pecans. For the crust I used a large mixing bowl, pastry cutter, rubber spatula, a kitchen scale, liquid measuring cup, rolling pin, and chef’s knife. For the filling I used a medium sauce pan, microplane zester, rubber spatula, and measuring cups. To make the streusel I needed a large food processor and measuring cups.

The Verdict:
TBD pending Thanksgiving dinner. I’ll report back!

Fresh Blueberry Pie

May 20, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and I’m making these recipes for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and um, challenges, along the way and we’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Easy as Pie”

The Set-up: Ina and Michael The Florist are trading lessons – she’s showing him pie techniques and he’s showing her flower arranging tricks.

The Menu: Raspberry Corn Muffins, Fresh Blueberry Pie, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

0:44 – Since they’ll need fuel for the baking lesson, Ina is making Raspberry Corn Muffins to get them started.

1:07 – Ina promises that these corn muffins won’t be “dry as a bone” and she’s not messing around – between the eggs, milk, and two sticks of butter about 3 cups of liquid is mixed in.

2:00 – Pro Tip #1: Don’t over mix the muffins or the gluten will develop and make them tough. Pro Tip #2: Use an ice cream scoop (the kind with the trigger) to portion the batter perfectly.

3:39 – We check in with Michael The Florist and he’s prepping to show Ina how to make a “hedge” flower arrangement.

4:26 – Back with Ina to pipe raspberry jam into the corn muffins. I can see that my lack of a piping bag is holding me back from filling things up with jam…

5:11 – Michael The Florist arrives and is immediately handed a freshly baked, freshly be-jammed muffin. I bet they’re still warm and I reeeally wish I had one right now.

9:13 – Pastry Lesson #1: Lighten the flour and level it off in the measuring cup. If you forget how many you’ve put in, start over. (Not that I’ve ever had to do that…)

10:01 – Pastry Lesson #2: Really cold butter, really cold shortening, really cold water. If you’re me you’re wondering how on earth she diced shortening and then you’re remembering that they make it in sticks now. Progress in our time!

11:19 – Pastry Lesson #3: Quickly collect the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic and chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to let it relax. Keeping everything cold makes the butter release steam when it hits the hot oven.

12:48 – Now we’re on to the filling of the pies. Ina is working on the Strawberry Rhubarb and Michael The Florist is rocking Fresh Blueberry.

13:30 – Both fillings need a thickening agent to help the fruit and juices stay together in the pie. The Strawberry Rhubarb calls for cornstarch, while the Fresh Blueberry uses flour. I wonder why the difference? This calls for some research…

14:31 – Pastry Lesson #4: Generously flour the surface before rolling out the crust to make sure it doesn’t stick.

15:16 - Pastry Lesson #5: Roll the dough from the center turning the crust periodically to form an even circle.

16:43 – Pastry Lesson #6: If the edge cracks, brush it with just a little with water and press the pieces back together.

17:05 – Pastry Lesson #7: Hold the pie plate you’re using over the rolled dough to help determine if it’s large enough. Then use the rolling pin to help lift the crust into the pan and ease the dough into the bottom. Don’t stretch it!

18:39 – Ina is doing a lattice top on her pie and Michael The Florist is doing a plain top. I still haven’t attempted a lattice top, but it seems far more do-able than it used to.

22:24 – Pastry Lesson #8: Glue the top and bottom crust together with egg wash and then press together with a fork, or by folding the bottom over the top and crimp the dough between two fingers so that it forms a ruffle along the edge.

23:46 – Time for the flower lesson, and in case you’re wondering, Michael The Florist is wearing a peony colored sweater that matches the blooms perfectly.

24:52 – A hedge arrangement seems to be long rectangles of that green foam flower oasis in low trays that are then covered with the flowers like a topiary. And now I want them to make one with boxwood.

25:29 – Flower Lesson #1: Choose a consistent color palette in a variety of shapes and textures. Flower Lesson #2: Place the larger flowers first then fill in with smaller blooms working from hydrangeas, peonies down to garden and spray roses.

26:03 – Flower Lesson #3: To ensure guests can see over the flowers put your elbow on the table and don’t make the arrangement any taller than your wrist. This is a brilliant hack. Flower Lesson #4: Avoid heavily scented flowers like freesia and lilies, they compete with the food!

27:44 – Wedding-ish flowers are done, but instead of cake Ina and Michael The Florist gleefully decide they’ll celebrate with “Pie!!!” instead.

28:57 – A toast with forkfuls of flaky pastry and fruit before Michael The Florist tries to abscond with the rest of the Fresh Blueberry. Ina resists tackling him to the ground, but just barely.

Final Thoughts:
I’ve been trying to up my pie game this year (2015, The Year of the Pie) and I truly am finding that practice is leading to better results.

This pie making tutorial is right on point for summer – so much fruit, so many pies to make!

Who else thinks that both Ina and Michael The FloristTM will continue to outsource their flower and pie making needs, respectively?

Lessons Learned:
I’ve basically only ever made apple pie, which now that I read it in black and white sounds kind of sad, so Fresh Blueberry Pie was a new challenge and pie crust is always a challenge for me, although I’m getting better! I took a class with Food52’s pie whisperer, Erin McDowell last December and my efforts with this recipe were definitely influenced by the wisdom she shared.

Dough Recipe – Confession time: shortening creeps me out, and while I’ve used it in pie crust before I wanted to try making a crust with butter only. Or, more accurately Erin McDowell’s All Buttah Pie Dough doubled for two 9” crusts.

Dough Mixing – Ina’s technique of using a food processor to mix the dough is amazingly easy, so much better than using a pastry cutter and trying to mix it by hand, although it certainly can be done.

Soggy Crust Avoidance Step #1 – I love fruit pies, but soggy bottom crust, not so much. If you’re with me on this, then I have fantastic news!!! I tried a new technique called par-baking – Erin’s guidance on the subject is detailed here – but in a nutshell it means partially baking just the lower crust (10-12 minutes was about right – you don’t want the edge to get too dark when it bakes again later.)

Soggy Crust Avoidance Step #2 – I also brushed the par-baked crust with egg wash before filling it with the blueberries, a recommended step for further preventing the crust from absorbing too much juice. The result: a crisp, firm bottom crust that has enough structural integrity to hold the slice together! [choirs of angels sing…] It does take an extra step, but for me it’s worth it.

Fancy Top Crust – I admit, I got a little fancy here, again Erin is responsible for giving me ideas, but here’s the good news: this is at least as easy as making a top crust and possibly a little easier. I just rolled out the dough to about the size I’d need for the top crust, then used large star-shaped cookie cutters. I free-form layered the stars on top of the blueberries and brushed each layer with egg wash to help the pieces stick together. That’s it!

Small Kitchen Friendly?
More than most pies, no peeling or slicing required! For the pastry I used a 6 cup food processor, 9” pie plate, measuring cups and spoons, rolling pin, cookie cutter, a utility knife, a small cutting board, pastry brush and a small bowl. Additionally, for the filling I needed a medium mixing bowl, microplane zester, and rubber spatula. Plastic wrap, parchment paper, and pie weights (dry rice or beans work perfectly and can be re-used) round out the necessary items.

The Verdict:
As you can imagine a Fresh Blueberry Pie with a crisp, all buttah crust is pretty darn amazing. The blueberries are perfectly complimented by the gentle zing of lemon zest and turn just this side of a molten blueberry preserve. I served it to friends who had come over for Saturday night cards – we’re channeling our parents and trying to learn bridge. Perfect on it’s own, even more delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Maybe for this weekend or the Fourth of July?