Chocolate Pie

I remember from some of my earliest memories making chocolate pie with my mom. In the vernacular of my childhood, I insisted on calling it "chocolate peach pie" despite the complete lack of fruit. I believe that my "job" consisted of licking the spoon clean, while Dad got to lick the bowl. Then recently I thought of a new twist on this old fav.

This is a super-quick and easy dairy-free recipe, especially if you use a pre-made crust and boxed pudding. I'm still working out the details of using a homemade pudding instead, but the box pudding was surprisingly good.

It's also a great recipe for the summer, because you don't have to turn on the oven. It's what they used to call an "ice box pie."

What you will need:
1 pre-made Oreo cookie or chocolate graham cracker crust (read the label to ensure that it is dairy-free, but there isn't any dairy in that creamy Oreo filling; kinda scary, right?)
1 - 4oz package chocolate pudding (once again read the label; I have found at least two brands that are dairy-free)
2 cups plus 1 Tbs of non-dairy milk (soy, almond, rice, etc.; I prefer almond milk) divided
one-half of a 12 oz container Tofutti Sour Supreme (or another non-dairy sour cream)
4 ounces dark chocolate chopped

Melt the chocolate and 1 tablespoon of milk in a double boiler over low heat, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and stir in the fake sour cream. Let the chocolate and sour cream cool completely before mixing in the pudding, otherwise it might not set up properly.

Mix the dry pudding with 2 cups of cold milk until smooth. Then add the chocolate/sour cream mixture to the pudding. Stir well until combined. Pour into the pre-made crust and refrigerate a couple of hours until set.

Top with a dollop of non-dairy whipping cream and viola!

Chocolate Ice Creams

No banana split would be complete without a scoop of vanilla, a scoop of berry, and a scoop of chocolate ice creams. Here are two of the recipes for chocolate ice cream that even my dairy-eating friends loved.

Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunks
6-7 oz semi-sweet or bitter-sweet dark chocolate (non-dairy)
2 cups So Delicious Hazelnut Coconut Creamer (found at Central Market)
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar (or to taste)
dark chocolate cut into small pieces

Heat the chocolate and the creamer in a double boiler, until the chocolate is melted.

Beat the egg yolks and the sugar until light colored and slightly thickened. Beat in the hot chocolate-creamer mixture. Let the mixture cool.

Then add to the ice cream maker and allow to freeze. When almost frozen, add the chocolate pieces so they are suspended in the ice cream.


Chocolate Coffee Ice Cream
6-7 oz of semisweet dark chocolate (non-dairy)
2 cups of Silk soy creamer
2/3 cup sugar (or to taste)
4 egg yolks
1 tsp instant espresso powder

Heat the chocolate and the creamer in a double boiler, until the chocolate is melted. Add the espresso powder and stir.

Beat the eggs and sugar until light colored and thickened. Slowly beat the hot chocolate-creamer into the eggs. Let the mixture cool. 

Then add to the ice cream maker and allow to freeze. 

ICE CREAM!!!

"I scream; you scream; we all scream for ice cream!!!" YEA!!

Ice cream is one of those things that I've mostly cut out since going dairy free. I've tried the Tofutti ice cream and the mini ice cream sandwiches. Central Market also carries a variety of dairy-free ice creams, including Nada-Moo and So Delicious coconut milk ice cream, which are really quite yummy.

Then a friend loaned me her ice cream maker last month and I began looking for dairy-free recipes. Since then I've had fun trying many different recipes, and my friends have been more than happy to be my guinea pigs tasting and helping to eat my mistakes.

Here are two of my favorite recipes.

Blackberry, Strawberry, and Banana Ice Cream

1 cup Tofutti Sour Cream
2 soft bananas
1 cup berries (you can mix different berries totaling around 1 cup, maybe a little more)
1/2 cup almond milk
3 TBS honey (or other sweetener to taste)

Mix the berries in a blender and then strain the seeds out. If you don't mind the seeds, than skip that step.

Blend together the berries, bananas, sour cream, almond milk, and honey.

Place the mixture in an ice cream maker and allow to freeze.


Mexican Vanilla
6 egg yolks
2 cups Silk Creamer
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 TBS Mexican Vanilla
cinnamon (optional)

Heat the creamer in a pan until almost boiling. If using the cinnamon, add 1 stick cinnamon to the creamer while it's heating and let steep for about 30 minutes. Then remove cinnamon.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thickened and light colored. Then beat in the hot creamer a little at a time. Stir in the vanilla.

Pour into the ice cream maker and allow to freeze.

Molten-Chocolate-Centered Chocolate Cakes

This recipe comes from Bill Granger's cook book, Bills Open Kitchen. Being that he's Australian (let me give a shout out to all of my Aussie and Kiwi friends down under!), he calls it a "soft-centred chocolate pudding." Being that I am just an uncivilized-American, my idea of pudding is entirely different.

This is a simple recipe that's sure to win over the hearts of chocolate lovers on every continent!

Ingredients

7 oz good quality, dairy-free, dark chocolate
7 Tbs of non-dairy, non-hydrogenated, vegan butter
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs all-purpose flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place chocolate and butter in a double boiler and stir until just melted. Or you can use a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the bowl does not touch the water. (Bill says, "The most important thing to remember when melting chocolate is not to overheat it. If the temperature is too high, your chocolate will end up with a grainy texture.")

In a bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, and flour. Gradually mix the egg mixture into the melted chocolate. Pour the mixture into four oven proof ramekins and place on a baking sheet. The recipe calls for 1-cup ramekins, but mine were closer to 1/2-cup size but the worked fine.

Bake until the edges are set, and the top is dry and cracked, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Side note: When I made the recipe, I used half 70-percent dark chocolate and half 85-percent dark chocolate. Wow, was it chocolaty, but not overly sweet.

Green Chile Jam

Like any good New Mexican, I can eat green chile on almost anything. Green chile is in my blood. I have frozen green chile in my freezer at all times, and when I run out it's time for a trip back to the Land of Enchantment. Although thanks to Chuy's Restaurant and Central Market, we now get Hatch green chile here in Texas too!

I've tried jalapeno jelly and chipotle jam. Why not green chile jam? So I picked up a packet of fruit pectin for making freezer jam.

I modified the recipe on the package a little, so as to not kill anyone with the spicy green chile. I think it's a delicious combination of sweet and spicy, and it certainly has a kick. I eat it on toast, crackers, biscuits, almost anything... and even sometimes by the spoon. However, most of my friends prefer to cut the spicy burn with something. For example, pour it over (non-dairy) cream cheese to use as a dip with crackers. Or use it as a relish on the side with meat.

Green Chile Jam
1 1/2 cups roasted, peeled and diced green chile (or you can use frozen), mild or hot depending on your preference
1 1/2 cups cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced (you can add more or less cucumber depending on how hot the green chile is)
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 package freezer jam fruit pectin (enough for four cups of fruit)

The directions on the package say to mix it all together and pour it into jars. I placed my jars in the refrigerator rather than the freezer and it set up ok.

So while most people would never think of green chile and dessert, to my green-chile-addicted-New-Mexican friends this one is for you!

Blueberry & Pineapple Pie

My dad has been hinting (not-so-subtly) that I should make a blueberry pie - his favorite! While my other pies have been good, nothing compares to a blueberry pie... etc, etc.

If you know my dad, then you know that he has this funny, endearing way of asking for things (repeatedly, if necessary) that makes you think that (fill in the blank) is the best thing in the whole world, so you have to make it for him, or let him have the last piece, or make a special trip to the store just for that item. How could you say no? When it's his favorite. And people fall for this routine all of the time. If he's reading this, he's saying, "Who me?!" Yes you, Dad!

Even though it's not blueberry season, my mom and I found fresh blueberries at the store and, like a good daughter, I had to do it. Yep, one spoiled Dad coming right up!

At the same store I found a deliciously-sweet smelling pineapple that I couldn't resist. Later that night while I was preparing the pie, the pineapple was sitting on the counter trying to get my attention. Then it fell over for no particular reason. I stopped what I was doing and picked it up. While holding the pineapple in my hand inspiration struck!

What if I added fresh pineapple to the blueberry pie? The worst case scenario is that the pie doesn't turn out and I'd have to make another blueberry pie for Dad. It's worth a try!

Make the pie crust dough and refrigerate.

Filling
2 1/2 Tbs cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks, about the same size as the blueberries
1 Tbs of fresh pineapple juice or lime juice

Mix the cornstarch and the sugar. Add the berries and stir to coat. Stir in the pineapple and pineapple juice and let stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out the pie dough and make the top and bottom crusts. Fill the pie. Add the top crust and brush with an egg white beaten with a little water.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes. The pie will be bubbly and golden brown.

Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with your favorite (non-dairy) ice cream.

Dad's Verdict: he liked it as much, if not better, than the plain blueberry pie. Ahh, the sweet taste of success!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Grandma used to make the best strawberry-rhubarb pie! To this day it is still my favorite pie, but for some reason it never turns out quite the same when I make it. I assumed it was Grandma's home-grown rhubarb, or maybe her years and years of experience, or maybe just her love that made her pies taste better.

Then recently my friend loaned me her copy of the Complete Book of Pastry Sweet & Savory, by Bernard Clayton, Jr.  So far everything I've made out of the book has been delicious. Then I found the strawberry-rhubarb pie recipe and couldn't resist. As long as you make a dairy-free crust, the pie all good!

I tried the pie crust the book recommended for this pie, but the non-dairy version just didn't turn out well. (The lard and butter version was excellent, of course!)

Start by preparing the non-dairy, double-crust pie crust recipe of your choice.

Filling
1-1/2 pounds (4 cups) fresh rhubarb
1 pint (2 cups) fresh strawberries
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tsp grated orange peel or zest
2 Tbs quick-cooking tapioca
1/2 tsp salt

Cut the rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces and the strawberries in quarters (or halves depending on the size).

In a bowl combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, OJ, zest, tapioca, and salt. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make the bottom crust for the pie. Then pour the filling into the pie shell, filling it higher in the middle than on the sides.

Roll out the remaining pie crust dough to make the top crust. You can make a lattice design, or just use a solid crust with slits. The pastry book had excellent instructions for making the lattice crust, and I was feeling brave so I gave it a try.

Wet the edges of the pie crusts to secure the top to the bottom. Then using your fingers, crimp or twist the edges to make it look pretty. It's ok if the crimped edges of the pie crust are thicker than the rest of the pie.

Before you bake the pie, the book says to sprinkle with 2 Tbs granulated sugar. I like to beat 1 egg white with a little water and brush over the top crust.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.
Then reduce temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking for 35-40 minutes. The crust will be golden and flakey, and the juices from the filling should be bubbling up through the top crust. If the edges of the pie brown before the rest of the pie is done, cover only the edges with aluminium foil.

Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. This is the hardest part for me, but the filling will remain runny until completely cooled. If you don't mind a runny pie, dig in!

It may not be quite as good as Grandma's, but now it's my second favorite pie!