Wanna Make A Pie?

I love pie. Really. Love. Not just like, but love. I even worked in two restaurants and guess what they both specialized in...yup, pies. So, when darling Suz emailed me and asked if I was interested in hosting a pie event with her a few other lovely ladies (Dianne of Dianne's Dishes, Mary Anne of Meet Me in the Kitchen, and Jamie of Sticky Feet Part Deux), it was a no brainer. There was pie involved after all and pie just doesn't get enough love from what I've seen. Besides, here in the US of A we are coming up on what I consider prime pie season with the holidays approaching.

So, what is this event you ask? Well, do you see that cute little waitress up there? She is telling you the name of this new event and the blog which can be found at You Want Pies With That? So, go to the new site and find out all the details for the event. The first deadline is coming up quick, but hey, it's pie, not rocket science. To prove it, I threw this together today to show you how satisfying pie making can be.

My sister is an absolute fiend for Chocolate Chess Pie. I had never had it until she bought one to make me try so I could figure out how we could recreate it. I found this recipe and it sounded like a winner - and it was!! This one beat the restaurant version far and away. I hope you'll give it a try and I hope that you will join in the pie lovin' fun and submit your creation by Oct. 8th! Just remember to check out the new event blog here for all the details!

This crust recipe is a simple and easy favorite of mine. It is three ingredients, easy to make and tastes fantastic. The recipe it comes from if you follow the link below actually takes you to another version of chess pie.

The filling has a kind of sugary-fudgey and yet silky texture and very chocolately flavor. I prepared it as directed, but substituted with the type of chocolate I had on hand (in this case, Lindt 70%) and it was truly fantastic. The whipped cream on top really just helps showcase all the flavors and has a slight hint of cinnamon in it that is a real treat.

Make sure to prepare the crust first so that it can chill while you are mixing the filling ingredients. The pie should have a bit of a brownie like crust on top, but try to only bake it till it is done (a knife inserted will come out fairly clean) and not until the top crust breaks. The pie does puff up a bit while baking, and will "deflate" to a level fudgey layer while cooling.

Chocolate Chess Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Adapted from Recipe by Emeril Lagasse

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
4 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a saucepan, melt the butter. In a mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar together. Add the melted chocolate and whisk until smooth.

Add the eggs, vanilla and cornmeal. Whisk until smooth. Pour into the pie shell. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes before slicing. Can be served chilled, if desired.

Serve with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1 quart heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat the cream with an electric mixer on high speed in a large mixing bowl for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and beat again until the mixture thickens and forms stiff peaks, another 1 to 2 minutes.

Yield: 4 cups

Pie Crust
Recipe courtesy Cynthia Gerlach

3 ounces cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add flour and mix until dough forms a ball. Pat into a 9-inch pie pan. Chill while you prepare the filling.