Wednesday, April 4, 2012

The Letter D

D

Desserts

Apple crumb pie, Mississippi mud pie, German chocolate cake and strawberry or chocolate ice cream. These are just a few of my favourite desserts. Oh how I try and stay away from these sinful delights but I am only human. I buckle and let my sweet tooth and the little person on my left shoulder chanting….. eat it, eat it, eat it get the better of me. Even as a child I can remember the familiar whirl of the hand held beater as my mom made up a cake batter. I didn’t care if it contained raw beaten eggs. It was mixed in with the flour, sugar and coco powder or vanilla extract so I couldn’t taste it anyway. I eagerly sat on the stool watching moms every move and then when she finally clicked off the mixer and released the beaters I was willingly there to help with the clean up. I licked and lapped…errr I mean I cleaned those beaters well making sure the batter was gone before placing them in the sink. I would then hold my breath making sure my bother or sisters never heard the noise going on. If it was heard I would not be able to be the helpful assistant in charge of rinsing the bowl. Of course before I rinsed it I would have to be diligent in making sure any remaining batter was removed from the inside the bowl. It would seem like an eternity before I had a chance to assist on the clean up after the icing was made and smothered carefully over the cake. There were more than a few times when my hand was sharply slapped just as my finger was inching towards the fully iced cake. Even to this day I can still feel it…lol. I can still hear my mother’s voice as I picked and poked at the vegetables (especially broccoli) “if you don’t finish your dinner there will be no dessert”. When I grew up and had children of my own I had to gracefully hand down the baker’s assistant job to my own kids. I couldn’t help but smile as their small tongues diligently cleared off all the batter from the beaters and then clean the bowl after.

The word Desserts is a very magical word. In fact it is known to thousands of women all over the world as it has not one, but two meanings. If you don’t believe me, just spell the word Desserts backwards. That’s right it does spell stressed! J That’s my excuse for loving Desserts and I’m sticking to it!!!!!

Always remember…….

Life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first. (Ernestine Ulmer)

My all time favourite...Mississippi Mud Pie!




Mississippi Mud Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie
Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 1/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs or other chocolate cookie crumbs, such as Oreo (I
used chocolate graham crackers and processed them in the food processor to make the crumbs)
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar
For the ganache:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. heavy cream
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the filling and garnish:
1/2 cup Heath bar, chopped, divided (or other candy, chopped into small bits)
3-4 cups coffee ice cream, softened
Directions:
1. To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the chocolate
graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Toss with a fork until well combined and all
the crumbs are moistened. Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Transfer
to a wire cooling rack and let cool while you make the ganache.
2. To make the ganache, transfer the chopped chocolate to a small heatproof bowl. In a small
saucepan set over medium heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the
chocolate and let stand 1 minute. Whisk the mixture in small circular motions until the ganache
forms. Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated.
3. Spread a thin layer of ganache over the bottom of the pie crust, just enough to cover it
completely (about 1/3 cup). Sprinkle half of the candy bits over the ganache. Transfer the pie
plate to the freezer and chill for about 30-60 minutes, until the ganache is set. Leave the
remaining ganache at room temperature, whisking occasionally.
4. Stir the ice cream with a spoon or spatula to be sure it is evenly softened and spreadable. Mound
the ice cream into the pie shell and smooth the top. Return to the freezer and chill until the ice
cream is set, about 2 hours.
5. If the ganache has firmed up while the pie was chilling, soften it again by heating it in a double
boiler or microwaving it in 15-second intervals, just until it is spreadable but not hot. Spread a
thin layer of ganache over the ice cream, or drizzle it over the ice cream with a spoon. Sprinkle
the remaining toffee bits on top. (Work fast, as the ganache will harden quickly after
making contact with the ice cream.) Return to the freezer and chill for 1-2 hours. Reserve any
remaining ganache and let cool until thickened. Transfer to a pastry bag and pipe on decorative
swirls, if desired. Chill until set.
6. Let the pie stand at room temperature for several minutes before slicing. Use a warm, dry knife
to slice and serve.

If you make this I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

11 comments:

MOV said...

oh, I cannot WAIT to try this recipe!!! is 8 AM to early? anyone? must be dinner time SOMEWHERE..........

best,
MOV

Anonymous said...

Red velvet cake. That is the best ever.

HeatherL said...

I'm with MOV - is 9am too early for dessert? This looks great and I am certainly going to try it!

JoJo said...

YUMMMM!!!!! Sweets and desserts!!!! MY FAVE!!!! I used to be an uncooked batter-eater too till I found out it's a good way to get salmonella.

Natalie Decker said...

That looks Amazing! Thanks for sharing this =)

Judy said...

You had me a desserts!

Unknown said...

Yummmm! Great D word! Happy A-Z ing... :-)

S. L. Hennessy said...

Mmmmm, this makes me hungry! Great post and happy A-Z blogging.

Duncan D. Horne - the Kuantan blogger said...

Wow, never realised it spelt stressed backwards! Either desserts bring on stress or relieve stress - I think the latter!

This is me, Duncan D. Horne, visiting you from the A-Z challenge, wishing you all the best throughout April and beyond.

Duncan In Kuantan

Al Penwasser said...

Is it wrong that that picture of Mississippi Mud Pie provoked a physiological response in me? I'm gonna have to go wake Mrs. Penwasser up.
And ask her to make me some pie.

cherie said...

desserts vs streesed.
woowww....just realised about it.

Happy desserting time...:D