Chocolate Cream

Oh my rich. Recipe is here.



I made this one for Prima. I didn't expect it to be challenging at all. But it turned out to be in a couple of unexpected ways. I can do cookie crusts. However, apparently I need to be more precise with my crumb measurements because this ended up a little hard in the crust department. Or I need to cook the crust for a little less time than the recipe says. I can also do mousse-y concoctions. However, there's a reason why I don't make pudding from scratch. Holy mother. There's also a reason why housewives of days-gone-by didn't have to go to the gym to stay in shape. Because they made pudding from scratch. All that whisking over a hot stove is a workout, I tell you what. Thank goodness I didn't also have to hand-whip the cream. Oh, wait, I did. Because the other thing I learned is that my Kitchenaid stand mixer is defective. It's been my dearest, most beloved kitchen appliance for almost 9 years now, I know it's not time for it to retire. It does well with pretty much everything, except whipping cream. The whisk attachment doesn't quite reach to the bottom of the bowl, so there's always a sub-layer of liquid that causes the rest of the mass to never really reach "stiff peak". Blergh. Do I have to take it into a repair shop? Is there something that needs to be tightened? What? I guess I forgot I've been using my hand mixer whenever I whip cream. And, naturally, I loaned it to my sister.

The filling has cream and buttermilk in it. The buttermilk gives it a bit of a tang, so it's not too sweet, but is still very rich. So rich, in fact, that I would say a 9 inch pie should be cut into at least 8 pieces. 1/6 of this pie is almost too much. Note, I said almost. I think it might actually be the best tasting chocolate cream pie I've ever eaten.

Some pictures that amuse me:


It cracks me up that the mottled pattern and colors of the crust are almost exactly the same as my countertop.

The downside of piemaking:




In other news, I've decided what I want to be when I grow up. In addition to an actor, I mean. I want to be a food stylist/photographer. All those glorious drool-worthy photos of food you see in magazines and cookbooks? I want to cook that food, set up that scene, and photograph it. It's the perfect career for me. Now, how do I go about doing that? Seriously, I'm asking. First order of business, I assume, might be to get a real camera and take a photography class.

Next up: I'm trying a double crust pie this Friday. Probably cherry, since Mom has the right kind of pie cherries waiting in her pantry for my use. I think I'm going to try Alton Brown's pie crust recipe. Not because there's anything wrong with the one I've used, just to try something different. See if I can get as tasty and flaky a result using a fraction of the lard. I also might decide to put semisweet chocolate pieces in the bottom of the pie before putting the cherry mixture in. Thoughts? Good idea? Bad idea? Delicious? Soggy?