Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie

Aside from holiday guides and Molly's beautiful illustrations, it's been a while since I've written a proper post. I do have a fairly justifiable excuse, though: at the end of October, I packed up my D.C. apartment, and with my parent's help, drove the 360 miles to my new home in Charleston, West Virginia. The move was prompted by my acceptance of a state folklorist position with the West Virginia Humanities Council-- a real dream job for me.

Since then, it's been a whirlwind-- a new city, a new state, a new apartment, a new job where I'm building a new program. I got an all-wheel drive car and a Janus-faced tortoiseshell kitten named Wren. I really like it here-- it's friendly and cheap and scrappy and coleslaw is an obligatory topping on all hot dogs. But it did take me a while to settle into my new place. Mainly, this was because the state of the kitchen was not especially conducive to baking, an activity that always grounds me in a new place. However, with my parents' help once again, a good dose of elbow grease, and a coat of paint, my kitchen is now a room where I don't mind spending a few hours, say, baking a pie.



This Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie was the first I made here. King Arthur Flour and Bon Appétit were both touting their Chocolate Cream Pie and I had brought with me an excess of homemade mint extract and peppermint candies from some past baking projects so I adapted the recipe to incorporate these. I had some leftover filling, which I scooped into ramekins for Chocolate Peppermint pots de crèmes, and I brought most of the pie into work the next day-- not a bad way to win the favor of your new coworkers.

Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients
For the pie:
Nothing in the House pie crust, halved
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 Tablespoon peppermint extract (can add more or less to taste)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional (for richer chocolate flavor)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream, divided
2 cups whole milk
1 beaten egg + 1 Tablespoon whole milk or cream, for egg wash
Turbinado sugar, for dusting

For the topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peppermint candies (or leftover candy canes), crushed

Directions
For the crust:
1. Prepare half of Nothing in the House pie crust as per the directions, reserving the leftover egg for an egg wash and saving other half of the recipe in the freezer for a future pie. Chill dough at least one hour before rolling and fitting into a greased and floured 9-inch pie pan. Prick crust with fork all over the bottom. Place pie pan in the freezer for 1 hour to set before baking. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Remove crust from freezer, line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Blind bake crust for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove paper and weights, brush with egg wash and dust with Turbinado sugar. Return crust to oven and bake for 5-8 more minutes more or until fully baked, puffed, and golden brown. Let cool while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:
1. In a medium mixing bow, place the chopped chocolate, butter, and peppermint extract. Set aside. In a medium saucepan off of the heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, espresso powder (if using), and salt. Whisk in 1/4 cup of cold heavy cream until the mixture is smooth and no lumps remain. Repeat with another 1/4 cup of the cream, then whisk in the egg yolks.

2. Put the saucepan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in the remaining cream and milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture over the chocolate and butter. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Pass the filling through a sieve into a bowl to make sure there are no lumps.

3. Place plastic wrap tightly over the surface of the chocolate mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Place in the fridge until completely chilled. Meanwhile, prepare the topping.

For the topping:
1. Pour the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip until the whisk begins to leave tracks in the bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla and whip until the cream holds a medium peak.

2. Transfer the chilled filling to the cooled and baked pie crust and smooth with a rubber spatula. Spoon or pipe the whipped cream on top of the filling. Chill the pie until ready to serve, then sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.



Related recipes:
Chocolate Chess Pie
Dark Chocolate Lavender Tart with a Lemon Cardamom Crust
Grasshopper Pie
Homemade Peppermint Extract
Peppermint Pattie Tart

Grasshopper Pie

Grasshopper Pie is a 1950s chiffon-style diner pie in full, unabashed glory, complete with an Oreo crust, gelatin, and a shockingly bright hue not readily found in nature (it also happens to be a very 50s shade of green). According to Jean Anderson's The American Century Cookbook, the recipe may have been developed by the Knox Gelatine and Heublein Cordial companies as a way to promote their products. Though there is a mention of "grasshopper pie" in the New York Times, dating back to 1904, that one is made from real grasshoppers and is said to have originated in the Philippines. Food historians date the creme de menthe version to the late 1950s and early 1960s. The grasshopper name comes from the similarly flavored green cocktail-- made from cream, creme de menthe, and white creme de cacao--that had its heyday in that era.

I whipped up this version, adapted from Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts, for the new local magazine Domicile DC's spring issue. The green color makes it a natural pick for St. Patrick's Day, and the mint-chocolate combination paired with an icebox treatment allows it to be a refreshing choice for both winter, summer, or the dawning of spring.

Grasshopper Pie

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s New Pies & Tarts

Ingredients

For the crust:

¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut

1 ½ cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 25 cookies)

1/4 cup sugar

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

1 ½ cups whole milk

1 cup loosely packed fresh spearmint leaves

1 cup heavy cream, cold

3 Tablespoons green crème de menthe

2 ¼ teaspoons (1 envelope) unflavored powdered gelatin

5 large egg yolks

½ cup sugar

For the topping (optional):

Whipped cream

3 chocolate sandwich cookies

Chocolate shavings

Shredded coconut

Directions

For the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch pie plate. In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut, cookie crumbs, and sugar. Add melted butter and stir until well combined. 

2. Press crumb mixture into the pie plate, forming a crust. Bake until firm for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

For the filling:

1. In a medium size bowl, prepare an ice water bath and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring milk and mint just to a boil. Remove from heat and cover. Let steep 15 minutes, then pour mixture through a fine sieve into a glass measuring cup or bowl. Discard the mint leaves and set aside milk. 

2. Beat cream in a chilled medium-sized mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Cover the bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the filling.

3. Pour the crème de menthe into a medium heatproof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Add the steeped milk to the softened gelatin, whisking until well-mixed.

4. Set the bowl with the milk mixture over (not in) a pan of simmering water. A double boiler works well for this if you have one. Whisk continuously until the gelatin is dissolved, about 1 minute. While whisking, pour the hot milk mixture in a slow, steady stream into the yolk mixture. Return the combined mixture to the heatproof bowl and set over the simmering water. Cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture is slightly thickened and reaches 150 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 8-10 minutes.

5. Transfer the bowl to the ice water bath, whisking until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mousse or pudding (about 2-5 minutes). Remove the bowl from the bath and whisk in 1/3 of the reserved whipped cream until combined. Gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream using a rubber spatula. Spoon the mixture into the pie crust, then refrigerate until set for 6 hours or up to 1 day.

For topping:

1. Scoop whipped cream onto the center of the pie and sprinkle with chocolate shavings and shredded coconut. Top with sandwich cookies, if desired. Serve chilled.

Related recipes:
Bourbon Icebox Pie
Lemon Icebox Pie
Nutella Icebox Pie
Peppermint Pattie Tart

Photos by Kelly Alfaro for DomiCile Magazine

Peppermint Pattie Tart Place Setting

A few weeks ago, BYT featured a holiday place setting guide with inspiring table arrangements by local favorites Mutiny DC, Holley Simmons, and Panda Head. Pie Almanac illustrator and good pal Elizabeth Graeber created this fun 'n' fanciful part-illustrated part-real dessert spread featuring her An Illustrated Guide To Cocktails and Nothing-in-the-House's Peppermint Pattie Tart!

You can find the recipe for the tart on the blog here as well as in my recent story for NPR's Kitchen Window, "Get Freshly Minted This Holiday Season," which also includes recipes for making your own mint extract and Mint Julep Hot Chocolate. 

Photo by Jeff Martin for BYT

Peppermint Pattie Tart

I have fond childhood memories of music parties at our old Victorian house. My dad played in a band that would rehearse in our backyard, we had jams and house concerts by touring folk musicians in the living room, and once even had a contra dance in the old grocery store-turned-photography studio behind our house. As my brother and I got older and we all got busier, and eventually moved into a smaller home, those events became more infrequent. Recently, though, we've been making efforts to reinvigorate that tradition, and for the second year in a row, when I've come home for the holidays, we've had a music party.

So yesterday we busied ourselves in the little kitchen, cooking and stirring, whisking and slicing in preparation. My parents decided to make spiced beef, cooked overnight in a large crock, for chalupa, and we had chips and salsa, veggie and cheese plates, homemade pimento cheese and crackers, and other little treats for a fine spread. For dessert, I wanted to make something special, festive, and new. I'd been seeing lots of recipes for homemade peppermint patties (from Ashley English and Serious Eats and such), and thought the mint filling, topped with a chocolate ganache might just be the perfect thing for a Christmas tart.

I somehow got this notion when I was younger that peppermint patties were a treat for adults, possibly because, like avocados, my parents wanted to reserve them for themselves. I'm not sure if this tart is more grown 'n' decadent, or youthfully playful, but if you put in a little nip of peppermint schnapps like I did, you can tip that scale a little towards the former. Though optional, I decked the tart with bits of candy cane. It does add a lil' Christmas--right this very minute. I chose my standard tart crust, but this is another that would work well with other crust variations, be it graham cracker, Oreo, or shortbread, with or without nuts.

Peppermint Pattie Tart, or if you prefer, Dark Chocolate Peppermint Tart
Crust adapted from Dorie Greenspan, mint filling adapted from Serious Eats

Makes an 11-inch tart

Ingredients
For crust:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
9 Tblsp. unsalted butter, cold & cubed
1 egg yolk

For mint filling:
3 c. confectioner's sugar
2 1/2 Tblsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tblsp. peppermint extract
2 tsp. peppermint schnapps (optional)
3 Tblsp. heavy cream

For chocolate ganache:
8 oz. 60-70% chocolate, chopped (or use chocolate chips)
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. sugar

2 candy canes or peppermint candies, crushed (optional)

Directions
For crust:
1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse to incorporate until the mixture resembles cornmeal and peas. Add the egg yolk and pulse until the dough begins to form together.

2. Roll out the dough and pat it into your greased and floured tart pan. Freeze the tart shell for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

3. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit it tightly over the tart shell. Partially bake it (no need for pie weights) until golden in color, approximately 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil, gently pushing down any part of the crust that has puffed, and bake for about 5 minutes more. Let cool to room temperature while you prepare the tart filling.

For filling:
1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar, butter, extracts, schnapps (if using), and heavy cream (Make sure to add the ingredients in that order for proper mixing). Once combined, turn mixer to medium speed and beat for another minute or so until a smooth, thick paste (like the inside of a peppermint pattie) is formed.

2. On parchment paper, roll the pattie filling out in a 9-inch circle about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Place it in the bottom of the baked and cooled tart shell, piecing when necessary, and chill in the fridge about 30 minutes until filling has become slightly hard.

For chocolate ganache: 
1. Put chocolate, heavy cream, and sugar in the top of a double boiler. Put water in the bottom of the boiler and place on medium heat until the filling is melted, glossy, and thick. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

2. Once tart has chilled, remove from the fridge and pour chocolate ganache over the mint filling. Smooth with a knife and return to the fridge for about 30 minutes until chocolate is set. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.

This tart-ified peppermint pattie was well received at the party, and I don't think it was just all the anticipation that was built when I made all the guests hold off on eating it until I got enough good photos (thanks for putting up with that, everyone). We had a really lovely reunion of old family friends, many who had met long ago but not seen each other in years. After dinner, a few of us migrated to the music room for some fiddle tunes, folk songs, and even some exhilarating Cajun accordion. Happy Christmas to all, and may it be filled with friends and family and music and sweet chocolatey minty things...