Pie – T.W.O.

T.W.O. Three Berry Pie with Flaky Crust

Published on August 19, 2014September 5, 2017 by T.W.O.4 Comments

Berry Pie is a great dessert for those warm summer nights, cold winter evenings or even for breakfast. Pretty much anytime. T.W.O. decided to make a three berry pie for our girls night with our mom. We had so much fun in the kitchen prepping this creation. We perfected a crust that we will be using for years and years to come! Happy Baking!

Ingredients:
Pie Crust:
– 2½ cups flour
– 1 tablespoon sugar
– 1 cup unsalted European butter, cubed (you can use regular butter too)
– 5-6 tablespoons ice water
– 1 egg, beaten for pie crust top
– 1 tablespoon sugar to sprinkle on top of crust
Filling:
– 2 cups blueberries
– 2-3 cups blackberries
– 2-3 cups raspberries
– 1½ cups sugar
– ⅓ cup cornstarch
– 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:
For the crust:
1. Combine flour, sugar, and in a large bowl. Add cubed butter till mixture is sandy.
2. Add water by the tablespoon, stirring with a fork after each addition. Make sure not to add too much water – you don’t want the dough become too wet.
3. Form dough into two discs, wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

For the filling:
4. Combine the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon then toss with the berries. Make sure to not over mix – you don’t want the berries to break.

To assemble:
5. Preheat oven to 350°.
6. Roll one disc to an 11″ round. Lay in the bottom of a 9″ pie pan and crimp the edges. If your filling is liquidy, add some cornstarch to the bottom. Pour filling over.
7. Roll out the other disc till it is even. Cut long strips to make the lattice. Carefully place on the pie top, weaving the strips in and out.
8. Brush top with an egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
9. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 45 minutes to an hour or till pie is golden and bubbly. Watch carefully and if the edges are turning brown, cover with foil.
10. Let cool well before cutting.

Cheers,

Mud Pie Motherload

Published on April 25, 2014June 6, 2014 by T.W.O.7 Comments

Mud Pie has been a traditional birthday cake in T.W.O.’s family since we were babies. These past couple of years, we decided to step up our game and make the motherload of all mud pies. If this doesn’t get your taste buds excited, I don’t know what will. Peanut butter, chocolate, ganache, ice cream, oreo cookie crust and candy….we cover all the necessary ingredients.

Mud Pie Motherload

Ingredients:

Crust:
– 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
– 1 package oreo cookie box
Ganache:
– 16 ounces bittersweet chocolate
– 2 cup heavy cream
– 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Filling:
– 1.5 quartz chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream, softened*
– 1.5 quartz coffee ice cream, softened*
– ½ cup crunchy peanut butter
– 1 ounce dark chocolate, finely chopped, for garnish
– 4 peanut butter cups, finely chopped for garnish
– 1 heath bar, finely chopped for garnish

Directions:

For the crust:

Coat the inside of a 9-inch springform pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
Place cookies in food processor and pulse until ground. Add melted butter to the crumbs and mix. Press mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan and freeze until it’s good and set, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften and make the ganache.

For the ganache:

Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside.
Place cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Pour cream over chocolate and let stand until chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes.
Stir gently until smooth then stir in butter, one piece at a time. let cool slightly before using.

For the assembly:

When ice cream is softened, spread one of the flavors of ice cream over the cookie crust and smooth the top.
Spread peanut butter over the ice cream.
Pour half of the ganache over the top and smooth and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Remove pie from the freezer and top with the second ice cream flavor.
Pour the remaning ganche on top. Spread evenly.
Top with chopped chocolate candy and put in the freezer. For best results let the pie freeze for 5 hours or over night if possible.
When you are ready to serve, let the pie stand for 5 minutes prior to cutting. Plate and serve!

Happy Baking!

French Silk Pie

Published on December 4, 2013December 3, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Are you a chocolate lover? Are you a pie lover? Well, you are in luck! T.W.O. has the perfect recipe for your –French Silk Pie. It’s a rich, fluffy, dense mousse pie that will be great for your next dinner party!

Ingredients:

-4 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
-1 teaspoon butter or shortening
-1 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1 ½ cups granulated sugar
-2 tablespoons vanilla extract
-4 eggs, room temperature
-1 fully pre-baked 9 inch pie shell (See recipe HERE)
-3 cups whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a microwave safe bowl, head the chocolate and butter/shortening in 20-second intervals, stirring between each interval until completely melted. Cool for 10 minutes.

With a KitchenAid or handmixer, cream together butter, sugar until fluffy. Add the melted chocolate gradually until mixed well. Add vanilla.

Using a whisk or the whisk attachment, add one egg at a time. Each egg should be beat for 5 minutes, totaling 20 minutes. The filling should be thick and fluffy. Once you get the consistency, add the filling to a pre-baked pie shell.

Place the pie in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a butter knife comes out clean. Let the pie cool for about 30 minutes. Once cooled, place the pie in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours. It’s best to make this pie the night before.

Just when you are ready to serve, put the whipped cream on top of the pie. Garnish the top of the pie with shaved chocolate.

By this time, I am sure you are ready to taste this delectable, chocolaty pie!

Happy Baking!

Pear & Almond Galette

Published on November 27, 2013November 26, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Galette’s are a quick and easy alternative to making a pie or tart. It doesn’t require a special pan or master technic. Check out how to make this pear & almond galette.

Ingredients

*Flaky Crust:

-2 cups flour
-¾ cup shortening (T.W.O. uses butter flavor)
– 2-3 Tablespoons sugar
– 5-6 Tablespoons cold water
-1 egg white
*Please note this recipe usually makes two pie crusts, so adjust accordingly based on the size you want your galette

Filling:

– 7 ounces almond paste
– 5 Comice Pears, peeled & sliced
– ¼ cup granulated sugar
– 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
– 2 Tablespoons nutmeg
– 2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 425ᴼF. In a bowl mix the flour, shortening, sugar and cold water. T.W.O. uses a pastry blender to mix the dough together until you form it into a ball. Set aside.

In a bowl, carefully mix the sliced pears, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch. Be careful not to break the pears while mixing.

To roll out the dough, make sure your surface is floured so that the dough doesn’t stick to your countertop or mat. Using your rolling pin, roll the dough out evenly in a circular shape. With the assistance of a spatula, move the rolled out dough into the oiled or “PAM’ed” baking pan or cookie sheet. Next, add the almond paste to the center of the dough. You want to make sure the clumps of paste are distributed evenly, leaving a 1 inch border around the edge of the circle. Next add the pear mixture on top of the almond paste.

Using a knife, cut ½ thick strips along the edge of the dough. Next, take each strip and fold over to make a crust. Each strip should be crisscross. Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle sugar on top.

Bake the galette for about 35 minutes or until the fruit mixture is bubbling. Check the crust at 15 minutes and if the pie crust is getting brown, cover with foil. Remove the galette and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving. If you don’t plan to eat the galette right away, T.W.O. suggests warming it up prior to eating. Add a scoop of ice cream and you have yourself a gourmet dessert!!!

Happy Baking!!

The Pumpkin Pie

Published on November 12, 2013November 10, 2013 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

Pumpkin Pie. It is as important (maybe a little more!) than the turkey for T.W.O.’s family Thanksgiving feast. With Thanksgiving around the corner, T.W.O. decided to bake this delicious dessert a few weeks before the big day to get our and your mouths watering! You won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients

Flaky Crust:

-2 cups flour
-¾ cup shortening (T.W.O. uses butter flavor)
-2-3 Tablespoons sugar
-5-6 Tablespoons cold water

*Depending on the size of your pans or how thick you want your crust, you might want to double the crust recipe. T.W.O. uses 9 inch pie pans.

Pumpkin Filling:

-1 ½ cups sugar
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
-4 large eggs
-1 can (29 oz) Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
-2 cans (12 fl. Oz., each) evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl mix the flour, shortening, sugar and cold water. T.W.O. uses a pastry blender to mix the dough together, forming into a ball.

Once the dough ball is formed, let’s get ready to roll it out! Make sure your surface is floured so that the dough doesn’t stick to your countertop or mat. Split the dough in half to make the 2 piecrusts. Using your rolling pin, roll the dough out evenly in a circular shape. With the assistance of a spatula, move the rolled out dough into the oiled or “PAM’ed”pie dish. Pinch the crust tops with your fingers to make a stylish pattern. Repeat for second pie dough.

Now for the pumpkin filling. Mix sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in small bowl (T.W.O. uses a KitchenAid). Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shells.

Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees; bake 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for about 1-2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Happy Baking!

*T.W.O. makes a foil ring to cover the crusts so that it does not burn.

Peach + Boysenberry Pie

Published on August 20, 2013September 21, 2013 by T.W.O.2 Comments

The ultimate summer dessert – Peach Pie!!!! It’s a fresh, light and sweet ending to a perfect barbecued meal. Grab your rolling pins (or wine bottles!) and let’s start baking!

Ingredients:

Flaky Crust:
2 cups flour
¾ cup shortening (T.W.O. uses butter flavor)
2-3 Tablespoons sugar
5-6 Tablespoons cold water

Pie Filling:
5-6 yellow peaches
1 cup boysenberries
1 Tablespoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a bowl mix the flour, shortening, sugar and cold water. T.W.O. uses a pastry blender to mix the dough together. Form the dough in a ball and set aside.

Now for the filling! Make sure the peaches are washed and dried well. You don’t want extra protein in your pie! There are two ways you can remove the skin from the peaches…either blanch them in water or peel the skins off or you can take a carving knife and remove the skin like a peeler. T.W.O. removed the skin using a small knife.

Halve the peaches and remove the pit. Cut the peaches in thin slices and place in a bowl. Once all the peaches are sliced, add the nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar and boysenberries. Mix well, but not too much since you don’t want the fruit to break.

Let’s roll that dough now! Make sure your surface is floured well so that the dough doesn’t stick to your countertop or mat. Take a “hand-full” of dough and put aside. (This will be for the lattice top) Using your rolling pin/ wine bottle, roll the remaining dough out evenly in a circular shape. With the assistance of a spatula, move the rolled out dough into the oiled or “PAM’ed” pie dish. Pinch the crust tops with your fingers to make a stylish pattern. Once the dough is set, sprinkle the bottom of the pie with cornstarch. This will absorb the juices from the peaches to prevent a soggy crust.

Take your peach filling and place it in the pie dish. Make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Almost there! Now it’s time for the lattice. Roll the remanding dough out thinly with your rolling pin/ wine bottle to form a rectangle. Take a sharp knife and cut long stripes in the dough. Use these stripes to create the lattice formation for the topper. Be creative with your placement!

Place the pie dish on a cookie sheet lined with foil to prevent any excess juice from the pie to drip onto the bottom of the oven. Also, put foil around the pie crush so that it doesn’t burn. It’s oven time! The pie should take about 45 minutes, but let’s face it, not all ovens are the same, so just keep an eye on it! T.W.O. knows the pie is ready when the juices are bubbling!

Once the pie is removed from the oven, T.W.O. likes to place it on a wire rack so that the pie can cool down a bit. Wait 15 minutes, 45 minutes or 4 hours to eat this pie- it’s delicious anytime! T.W.O. suggests adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream to your slice! Enjoy!!!