French Chocolate Pie

Eleven years ago next month, I met the most wonderful friend ever. Her name is Emily and she is literally the first person I met when I started college at Emory University. Since then, we've travelled to the mountains of rural North Georgia, the ghost towns of Texas, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, both coasts of Scotland, and the entirety of California. She and her about-to-be-husband made the trek to France for my wedding three and a half years ago, and she visited me in Scotland last month.

Emily was there for me when I got mono in Paris, when I got the stomach flu as a freshman, when I broke my arm our sophomore year. She bought me shoes for a formal dance one time when I didn't have time to go shopping on my own, and another time she shipped me an entire bachelorette party's worth of snacks in a box when she couldn't make it to mine. She never quit being my friend even when I was terrible at keeping in touch in the years right after we graduated. She didn't get mad at me when I accused her of faking a case of whooping cough to get out of dinner plans we had made, even though the whooping cough was real. She didn't even get scared off when my mom came to visit me during my freshman year and offered to do Emily's laundry for her. She's seen me at my worst, my best, my sickest, my stupidest, and my saddest, and she's never given up on me. I can't tell you how many emails I've written to her with the simple request 'I NEED A PEP TALK,' but she never fails to tell me exactly what I need-- no matter whether the thing I am scared of is asking out a boy, passing grad school, moving across the country, getting married, or starting a new job.

The truth is, Emily has been my best friend since the day I met her (when she saved me a seat on the bus ride to our pre-orientation trip and our moms cried together as they said goodbye to their two slightly less lonely oldest daughters). Now that she's been in my life for more than a decade, I have a hard time imagining my life without her-- even though we now live eight time zones apart. When I was applying to school in Scotland, Judson and I knew that if I didn't get in, we'd be moving to the Bay Area of California-- and even though I was hoping like crazy that I'd get into school over here, part of me knew that I'd be just fine if we ended up in California, that much closer to Emily.

She's the chocolate to my peanut butter, the shameless agree-er to every single one of the dumbest plans I come up with, the voice of reason on my darkest days, and the one who talked me down from the ledge on the morning I was getting married. She's the bravest friend I have ever met, and the one least likely to broadcast her own bravery. She's my athletic friend, my scientist friend, my brilliant friend, and my baker friend. She's the Margie to my Eleanor, and the truth is that I couldn't be happier to be celebrating her marriage to an amazing guy who cares about Emily more than I can even imagine.

Note that mixture will be grainy until the eggs are blended in for 5 minutes each.

Mixture lightens and gets smooth after mixing in eggs for 5 minutes each.

This week, Judson and I are in California to watch Emily and Jeff get married, and I've never been more excited about a wedding that wasn't my own. We may not live in the same city (or the same country) for several more years, but I know Emily will always be part of my life and I couldn't be prouder to be part of hers. So in honour of Emily, girlfriends, relationships, love, and marriage, I give you this chocolate pie recipe. Make it for your best friend, pour yourself a glass of wine, and enjoy a thick slice together. Or, if you, like me, live thousands of miles from your logical family, then make this and schedule a Skype session to share your creation with your favourite person. If your bestie is anything like mine, she'll be even prouder of you than you are of yourself.

The verdict:

5 spoons out of five. This isn't a classy recipe-- in fact, quite the opposite (originally it came from the back of the lid of a container of Cool Whip, but I modded it to use real whipping cream since Cool Whip isn't much of an option here. The crust isn't my favourite crust to make-- that much shortening is difficult to keep chilled, but the flakiness makes it all worth it. The crispy crust is the perfect complement to the smooth, cool filling and although I may stick with my favourite all-butter crust for most recipes, I still recommend this one here. Made with extra bitter chocolate, fresh whipped cream, and a pinch of sea salt, this is the perfect dessert for sharing with your bestie on a day of celebration, a day where you need a pick-me-up, or a day when you just need someone to tell you that you're the bravest person they've ever met. Make this pie for someone you love-- they're worth it.

The recipe:

French Chocolate Pie

the directions:
crust:

Combine dry ingredients and make a well in the middle of the mixture.
Cut butter and shortening/Stork into pieces and place in the well of the dry ingredients.
Rub butter and shortening/Stork with your hands until it forms particles like grain.
Sprinkle with water and lemon juice, work into dough, and form into a ball.
Wrap in plastic and chill until needed, at least 15 minutes.
Roll out when needed, place in pie pan with generous border around the edge as the crust shrinks quite a bit, and bake with pie weights at least 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Set aside and allow to cool.

Pie:

Beat whipping cream by itself without adding any sweeteners.
Once cream is whipped, set aside.
Cream butter with sugar and salt until light and fluffy.
Stir in cooled chocolate.
Add one egg, beating 4-5 minutes on high speed before adding second egg and beating for additional 4-5 minutes until very smooth.
Fold in whipped cream gently on low speed, making sure to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl to mix evenly.
Pour into cooled pie shell and chill until set, at least two hours.
Chill any additional filling and serve like pudding.

the ingredients:
the crust:

1 ½ c flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ c butter
¼ c shortening or Stork
2 tbsp cold water
1 tbsp lemon juice

 

 

 

the pie:

2 c whipping cream
½ c butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 eggs

Basic Drop Cookies

I know, I know, two sweets posts in a row. But you should probably get used to it because I've got a dessert-filled couple of weeks coming up for you.

In the pie category, we already heard from the Key Lime variety, and now it's time to move on (at least temporarily) to the vast category of cookies. These ones aren't anything particularly exciting: they're not shaped into crescents, filled with ganache, or slathered in lemon-yogurt glaze. They're not even a new twist on something old. No, these cookies are just the perfect, cake-y sugar cookie. They're the old standby that will never fail you when you need a homemade treat for a school event, a thank you gift, or just because.

Hard to mess up and even harder to dislike, these cookies are the ones to make when it's 10pm and you realise it's your turn to bring in Friday treats for your team. They're nut-free so you don't have to worry about anyone having allergies, and without chocolate, fruit, or frosting, they're a definite crowd-pleaser. Plus, they're from Better Home & Gardens, so you know they're good.

By the time you read this, Judson and I will likely be in the air somewhere over the Atlantic (or perhaps even over your head, if you're Stateside!) heading to California and then Mexico for a few days to celebrate the wedding of a dear friend. We're excited to watch two awesome people unite their lives forever, to celebrate with excellent cake, to swim in the other side of the Gulf, drink out of a coconut, and feel the sun on our skin.

But if you can't be on holiday like us this week, then make these cookies and soak up your sads with a glass of milk and a warm cookie fresh from the oven. After all, there's not a lot that can't be fixed by a fresh homemade cookie.

The verdict:

3 stars out of five. These cookies are a great basic dessert with the perfect texture of cakiness plus crispiness. Make these next time you want a foolproof, basic homemade cookie for yourself or some friends. You'll love 'em.

The recipe:

Basic Drop Cookies

the directions:

Grease a cookie sheet and preheat oven to 190C/375F.
Cream together sugars, butter, shortening, egg, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda, then stir into creamed mixture.
Blend well.
Use a teaspoon to spoon heaping drops of dough onto cookie sheet, at least 2 inches apart.
Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown, then remove from cookie sheet to cool on a wire rack.

Yields 2 dozen cookies.

the ingredients:

½ c sugar
¼ c brown sugar
¼ c butter
¼ c shortening
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¼ c flour
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda

Key Lime Pie

Judson and I started dating in 2009, and it was early in 2015 before we realised that we were planning each other's birthdays based on what we ourselves want for our own birthdays. That is, for years I made him a cake every year because (to me), a birthday is not a birthday if you can't have cake (with frosting). And for years, he suffered through slices of cake in which he had no interest*, because he didn't want to hurt my feelings.

I, on the other hand, suffered through years of birthdays with no cake (my birthdays were, obviously, much worse than his cake-filled ones) because he hates cake, and so it never even occurred to him to buy one, much less make one. It wasn't until I turned 29 last fall that I realised I would have to do something about my cakeless birthdays because they were bumming me out so badly, and when I mentioned to Judson that cake was kind of central to my birthday experience, he hesitated for a brief second before suggesting, “Ok, I'll make sure to handle cake on your future birthdays... But do you think you could stop making me cake on my birthday?”

At least it only took us five years instead of thirty to figure this out, I guess?

Oh well, I took my mission seriously this year and successfully made NO CAKE for Judson's 35th birthday this year... but when I found this 3 ingredient Key Lime Pie recipe in the box (handwritten in pencil on the back of a class schedule), and remembered that key lime pie is the only dessert Judson will put up with (besides root beer floats), I knew I had to make it anyway. And it got two thumbs up from the birthday boy, so I think I chose wisely.

We had a busy weekend celebrating Judson's birthday with friends on Friday night, with my dad on Saturday (who happened to be in town), and with an amazing dinner high over the city at a fancy restaurant on Saturday night, so I only had a few minutes to make this. Thusly, I chose to use a pre-made crust. But before you judge, keep this in mind: I've probably made more pie crusts in the last two months than most people have in the last five years, and I've discovered something important: pie crusts taste roughly the same whether they are homemade or store-bought, but they are infinitely more difficult to make than they are to buy. Making a good one is a skill that everyone should have, but this time around, I didn't particularly feel the need to do so. If you, like me, need an amazing summery dessert but don't have the time to make an elaborate one, try this. It's delicious.

So if you're celebrating the birthday of someone you love as much as I love my amazing, supportive, bearded, silly, video-game-playing, song-writing husband, make this quick and easy pie. Even if your dearly beloved doesn't like birthday cake, chances are they'll still love this pie.

*HOW does someone have no interest in cake, and WHO is this man who I have committed my life to?

P.S. I recognise that this pie is, strictly speaking, a lime pie, since it's made with Persian Limes (the only kind I can get my hands on over here), but if you can access key lime juice (or, even better, key limes), you can make it the way it should be, and it would be even more delicious. But don't feel bad if all you have is regular limes. No one will know the difference.

The verdict:

5 spoons out of five. I grew up in Florida, I love key lime pie just as much as Judson, and we had a blast celebrating his birthday with this amazing pie. If you're feeling ambitious, make this with a homemade crust (might I recommend this one?). But if you're like me and need a corner to cut, this is the perfect recipe on which to use a pre-made shortcrust or graham cracker crust (if you're in the US). You know, I think I'll go have a slice right now.

The recipe:

(Key) Lime Pie

the directions:

Preheat oven to 176C/350F.
Mix all ingredients together and pour in pie shell.
Bake 15 minutes until just set but not yet browned.
Serve chilled.

the ingredients:

1 can condensed milk
½ c lime juice
4 egg yolks
1 pre-made pie crust