Wholesome Wednesday: Orange Cream Pie with Chocolate Meringue

This week's recipe is special.  I've never had a chocolate meringue before, ever.  Neither has my mom.  Which is odd if you think about it because I have and see an amazing number of cookbooks and recipes.  I knew when I saw this that I had to make it.

This recipe comes from a really old Martha Meade cookbook from the early 40's.  I actually didn't change anything as the entire recipe worked just fine.  :)  Also the pie is amazing I made it yesterday afternoon and it was gone after dinner tonight.  Definite endorsement there.

Susie Savors:  This pie ranks quite high up on the savor scale (which I may or may not just be inventing).  Honestly, this pie was airy and cool.  A perfect summer dessert.  The fluffy meringue and thick custard melt in your mouth.  The flavors of chocolate and orange meld together for a burst of freshness.  Expect a cleansed palate after a slice.  For a person that loves fresh fruit pies, I know how dense a slice can be thick with berries or peaches or apple, but this had just the right amount of substance with a kick of sweet.  Ending with a crisp pie crust and you may find yourself sneaking a second piece.

Orange Cream Pie
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 cups scalded milk
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 baked 9-inch pie shell (recipe below)

Combine flour, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler.  Combine with egg yolks and milk.  Cook over hot water until slightly thickened.  Add orange juice and continue cooking until thick and smooth, about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, add orange rind and vanilla.  Pour into baked pie shell, top with mounds of Chocolate Meringue and bake in a slow oven, 300 degrees, for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand, away from drafts, until cool.

Chocolate Meringue
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
3 tablespoons finely chopped nuts (I omitted these)

Add sugar and cocoa slowly to egg whites and beat until smooth.  Fold in nuts last.

Pastry Dough (enough for 1 pie shell)
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
3-4 tablespoons ice cold water

Place flour, salt and shortening in medium bowl.  Using a pastry cutter, cut shortening into flour and salt until mixture is pea sized.  Add just enough water to barely hold dough together.  Turn out on a lightly floured board and roll to fit pie pan.  Fit loosely into a 9-inch pie pan, flute edges and prick bottom and sides.  Bake in a hot oven, 425 degrees, for 10 minutes.

Apple Pie with a Coconut Oil Crust + Tropical Traditions Give-Away!!

Recently Tropical Traditions offered to let me try out some of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.  I'd never used it before but had heard that its incredibly good for you.  Dr. Oz says so too.  :)

Here's a video about Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.

I've tried a few things with coconut oil and not all were a baking success.  As you've read, I tried making an entirely coconut oil pie crust and a lemon blueberry bread (both were fails).  I do quite like to use it when making anything with meat and also throwing some in with the rice when I make it in the microwave.  To me it doesn't add a coconut taste to anything I've made.  Which makes it perfect!  How to Use Coconut Oil: There are hundreds of uses!

I did email Tropical Traditions because I was having issues using the Coconut Oil to bake with and they recommended using half coconut oil and half butter.  Upon learning this, I knew exactly what to bake...my favorite apple pie.  So here's the recipe and the pics:

Coconut Oil Double Pie Crust Recipe

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1/2 teaspoon salt
5-7 tablespoons ice water

You can make the crust in two different ways, you can use the food processor or you can use a pastry cutter.  I prefer using a pastry cutter because I've always used one.  If pressed for time, I'd break down and use the food processor.

(Pastry Cutter) 1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.  Then add coconut oil and butter, work them into the flour using the pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal. 
2. Add 5 tablespoons ice water and work into flour mixture.  Continue to add water till dough comes together but don't add enough to become sticky.
3.  Separate dough into 2 even pieces.  Using hands work one piece into a thick round.  Roll out with rolling pin, large enough to fit a 9-inch pie pan.  Do the same with second piece of dough.

(Food Processor) 1. In food processor bowl, combine all ingredients except water.  Pulse several times till mixture resembles coarse meal.  2.  Add 5 tablespoons ice water and pulse till dough comes together.  Adding more water as needed.  3.  Separate dough into 2 even pieces.  Using hands work one piece into a thick round.  Roll out with rolling pin, large enough to fit a 9-inch pie pan.  Do the same with second piece of dough.

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie (adapted from The American's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book)

5 lbs your favorite type of apple (I prefer tart: rome, mcintosh, granny smith, jonathon) peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4" thick
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest (if I have it I use it, if I don't it still comes out great)
dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (I use bottled if I don't have a lemon)

1. Toss the apples, sugars, zest, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl.  Transfer to a large Dutch oven or a large cooking pot, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until apples are fork tender but still hold their shape, 10-20 minutes.  Transfer apples and their juice to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

2. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place foil-lined rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Drain the cooled apples thoroughly through a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice.  Stir the lemon juice into the reserved 1/4 cup of apple juice.

3.  Spread the apples into the dough-lined pie plate, mounding them slightly in the middle, and drizzle with the lemon juice mixture.  Loosely roll the second piece of dough around the rolling pin and gently unroll it over the pie.  Trim, fold, and crimp the edges, and cut 4 vent holes in the top.

4. Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.  Reduce heat to 375 degrees, rotate baking sheet, and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, 25-30 minutes longer.  Let the pie cool on a wire rack until the filling has set, about 2 hours; serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

My recipe differs in that I use apples that I like instead of a mix of tart and sweet.  I've also increased and added spices.  This tastes more like a classic apple pie to me.  And yeah, it is important to cook the apples before hand.  If you don't, they'll shrink and you'll be left with a lot of empty space at the top and your crust will collapse when you cut it.

Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil

On to the giveaway, Tropical Traditions has graciously offered to send a quart of Coconut Oil to one lucky reader.  You can enter below using the rafflecopter entry form.  Contest will run from May 4th - May 15th.  Open to residents of the US and Canada.  Also you if you're a new customer and place an order with this link you can get a free coconut oil cookbook.  Tropical Traditions Weekly Sales

Farmstead Chef: Pear Crumb Pie

I can honestly say I’ve never had a pear pie before.  Actually never anything baked with pears in it.  I’ve always eaten them plain.  So when I saw this recipe in the Farmstead Chef I knew I had to try it.  This pie is reminiscent of a Dutch apple pie with a different taste to it.  To me it does taste like pears, more so on the second day but everyone else said they couldn’t tell a difference between it and an apple pie. 

One more thing, you shouldn’t make pie crust with coconut oil.  (The pie crust recipe listed is one I’ve always used and it turns out great.  If you want it flakier, replace half of the cold water with ice cold vodka.  While vodka won’t flavor the crust it does completely evaporate while baking, thus ensuring a very flaky crust.)  It doesn’t turn out like you’d expect.  The dough was really elastic rolling it out and while not exactly tough when baked it definitely didn’t have a regular pie crust texture.  I’ve been trying to find a great recipe to use with coconut oil as we’ll be having a giveaway soon. 

Pear Crumb Pie

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

½ cup brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

6 cups pears peeled and thinly sliced (about 6 large pears, 3 lb.)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2/3 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup unsalted butter

To make pie crust: 1 cup flour, ½ teaspoon salt and 1/3 cup shortening or unsalted butter.  Mix flour and salt in medium bowl, then using pastry cutter work in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Then add 3-4 tablespoons ice water, making sure to use just enough to bring dough together.  Don’t over wet dough.  Roll out to fit pie pan.  Crimp edges.

To make pie:  Combine all but last three ingredients; spoon into pie crust.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. 

For topping:  Combine flour and brown sugar.  Cut in butter till crumbly.  Sprinkle over filling.  Bake 40 minutes longer.  Cover edges of crust with foil for the last 15 minutes if browning too quickly.

Don't be alarmed when you take it out of the oven to put the crumb topping on because they pie will look incredibly juicy.

My pie didn't brown enough for me to cover the edges while baking.  But make sure to keep an eye on yours just in case.  The pie kept extremely well and I'll probably be baking it again with a regular pie crust.