Pumpkin Pie Chiffon Bars

As the leaves begin to turn, I feel like my Instagram photo feed changes from "the last bbq of summer" to pie, pie, and more pie. I like pie, but just okay. Frankly, I think pie dough is a little boring (gasp!) and takes away from the overall dish because I find it so flavorless and dull--like a beige rug lining the bottom of the pie dish. I like pie, but I don't understand why the flavor and experimentation should end at the filling?! Not in my kitchen; I decided it was time for a pumpkin pie makeover, and it is pretty safe to assume that the first thing I changed was the crust!

I went with a Biscoff cookie, and I love the crunch that it brings to the otherwise soft texture. But I didn't stop there I also wanted the pie to be fluffy! So, I decided to add gelatin and whipped egg whites. This filling's texture is like a whipped pumpkin mousse (in a word: Y-U-M!). I also modernized the presentation and decided to do away with the pie dish and instead used a square-shaped pan, serving bars instead of slices. If you love having a traditional pie shape, you can still follow this recipe—just use your preferred pie dish. I completed the look with a little fresh whipped cream and garnished with some nutmeg and leftover Biscoff cookie crumbs. Are you ready to meet your new pumpkin dessert? It’ll have you falling for Fall and pumpkin all season long!

Ingredients:

For crust:

• 25 Biscoff Cookies

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 6 tbsp melted butter

For Filling:

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

• 3/4 cup sugar, divided into 1/2 and 1/4 measurements

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites

• 3/4 cup whole milk

• 1 15oz. can pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin)

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For Topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream

• Optional: 1-2 tablespoons sugar

Method:

For Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse Biscoff Cookies in a food processor until broken down into fine crumbs (you should have just over 1 1/4 cups). Add sugar and salt and pulse just to combine. Stream in butter while pulsing until mixture is the consistency of wet sand, and holds shape with pushed together.

2. Transfer to into a greased and lined 9x9 pan. Using a measuring cup (I found 1/4 cup to be easiest), press crumbs firmly onto bottom until even. Bake crust until fragrant and edges just start to take on color, about 10 minutes. Set aside to let cool.

For Filling:

1. In a small saucepan combine: gelatin, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, a 1/2 cup of sugar, salt and place on stove top with no heat (yet!). In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks, milk, and vanilla to combine, then whisk into saucepan mixture to combine and place over medium heat.

2. Whisk mixture frequently, until mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon (but do not let it boil), about 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin purée and remove from heat. Transfer to a large bowl and chill in the fridge until cool, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. While beating, gradually add about a 1/4 cup sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, 5–7 minutes.

4. Mix half of egg white mixture into chilled pumpkin mixture until smooth. Gently fold remaining egg white mixture into pumpkin mixture until just combined.

5. Pour filling into crust and smooth top. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

For Topping & Serving:

1. Beat or whisk cream in a large bowl until medium peaks form, add in 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, if so desired.

2. Once peaks hold, turn out onto bars, and place back into fridge to chill until serving, if not serving immediately.

3. And finally, cut, serve, and enjoy!

   **Can top with crushed Biscoff Cookies and nutmeg for serving.

Happy Easter and Meyer Lemon Pie

I love Easter. Everything about it just makes me so happy: The sunrise service at church, the bright florals, the adorable children in seersucker, the cascarones (confetti eggs), the warm weather, and the citrusy desserts. Clearly, none of that is happening this year with the exception of sunrise service that is being live streamed and the bright florals I see on my daily walks. I suppose I could sleep in one of my seersucker nightgowns to get that fix. Typically, my husband and I would attend the sunrise service and then go over to my parents’ house for lunch, who attend the 8:30 service, and eat ham, macaroni and cheese, and an endless string of desserts. Of all the desserts in the traditional line up, this meyer lemon pie is the star of the show. Though this Easter looks very different—my husband and I are making gourmet pizzas on the grill for dinner and not eating off the china or the crystal—this pie was a nonnegotiable for our Easter table. Pretty to look at, literal sunshine in food form, this pie will bring a smile to your face, and hopefully a “spring” in your step! Happy Easter!

Ingredients:

For pie shell:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers

• 5 tablespoons melted butter

• 2 tablespoons sugar

For pie filling:

• 1 cup meyer lemon juice, if you don’t have meyer lemons simply blend together 3/4 cup of lemon juice and a 1/4 cup of mandarin orange juice, fresh squeezed. A meyer lemon is just a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange!

• 1 teaspoon lemon rind

• 4 egg yolks

• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk

For meringue:

• 4 egg whites

• 6 tablespoons sugar

• 1 /4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a pie dish, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter and mix until it feels like wet sand. With a smaller measuring cup, I used a 1/3 cup size, press evenly into a pie dish and bake for 6-8 minutes. Take out to let cool and keep oven on for browning the meringue.

3. Combine condensed milk, lemon juice and rind, and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl stirring until homogeneous.

4. Pour mixture into pie shell.

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar and beat until it begins to froth. Slowly pour in sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

6. Top pie with meringue, sealing the sides, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until meringue is lightly toasted.

7. Allow to cool and then refrigerate, covered, until serving. Best served chilled.

Cappuccino Pie: A love story

I used my coffee chip ice cream recipe for the pie pictured above and even served the ice cream pie a la mode!

“…Amen”. Oh I’m sorry, I just had to say a quick prayer after eating another slice of this pie because it is so sinfully delicious. I have made it no secret that my favorite flavor combo is coffee and chocolate, a dessert that combines the two with ice cream: Sign me up! As if that was not enough reason to love this pie, the added bonus is that the crust is my favorite cookie, Oreo, and my favorite ice cream flavor, coffee, is the filling. If this pie were not already named after the frothy, caffeinated beverage, I would have probably started a petition to have it named after me. Since that role has already been filled, I will just stick to being this dessert’s #1 fan. If you are looking for a grown up version of the ice cream cake you had as a child, look no further, and has the simplest process to put it together.

I will always remember the first time I ever tried my first slice of cappuccino pie. My boyfriend—now husband—and I were seniors in high school and had just started dating. While driving back from dinner one night, we were stopped at an intersection, and he remarked that the restaurant we were stopped by had the most amazing cappuccino pie, and asked if I would like to try it. I think you could see my ears perk up from the next car over. He got the hint and on went the blinker! We pulled into the restaurant, and little did I know, the boy who would become my life’s staple introduced me to one of my dessert staples. I adore both of them—and could eat one of them with a spoon.  Like any good recipe does, this recipe has options. You want to make your own ice cream for the filling? Go for it. I linked my recipe for coffee chip ice cream here. If you want to buy a quart of your favorite coffee ice cream, that’s great too. This is a pie that is eager to please.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 25 Oreo cookies, yielding 2 cups of crumb

• 1/2 tsp. espresso powder

• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

• 5 tbsp. melted butter

Filing:

• 1 quart of coffee ice cream, softened

• or if you want to make your own: click here! Just make sure you have a quart of it!

Topping:

• 2 cups of heavy cream

• 2 tbsp. of lemon juice (okay your eyebrows might be raising at this one, but hear me out. Traditionally speaking, when espresso is served in an Italian restaurant, it is served with a lemon rind that you are supposed to rub around the rim of the espresso cup and put into the drink, to cut the bitterness. I thought this addition would be a fun nod to that! It also helps cut through some of the milk fat and brightens the flavor!)

• 1-2 tbsp. of powdered sugar, depending on how sweet you like your whipped cream

Method

For the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a food processor, pulse Oreos, espresso powder, and salt until Oreos are a fine crumb. Pulse and stream butter in. Mix should look and feel like wet sand.

3. Press into a pie dish with a measuring cup, I find the 1/3 of a cup works best, and work to make the crust even.

4. Bake for 6-8 minutes.

5. Take out and let cool.

For the filling:

1. If you’re making your own ice cream, now is the time to bust out that ice cream maker! Your ice cream mixture can harden in your pie dish once it is done being mixed.

2. If you’re going the premade route, put your ice cream on the counter to soften for 30 minutes or until spreadable.

3. Fill pie dish with ice cream and place into freezer to set. About 30 minutes.

For the topping:

1. Combine heavy cream, lemon, and sugar into a bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.

2. Top pie with cream mixture.

3. Place back into freezer to harden for 4 hours.

Pie can be stored in the freezer. To slice, run some hot water over a knife to make cutting easier! Or you can just stand in your kitchen, in your jammies, with a spoon just enjoying the whole thing yourself. No judgement.