Sweet Endings: Happy Pie Day! Chocolate Amaretto Cream Pie

January 23 is National Pie Day here in the United States! I learned this at 8:30 this morning thanks to my email news ticker. My original blog was going to be about one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, but I changed some things around once I learned what today was. Pies might just be my favorite desserts to make. I don't typically bake them in the winter; I prefer to make fresh fruit pies with native fruits when in season. So this summer you will be seeing many varying pie recipes. I can't wait for the berries to come out!

But today I whipped up a delicious chocolate amaretto cream pie. It is a quick pie to make and is a good one when seasonal fruit isn't an option. I chose to make the whipped cream amaretto flavored. We enjoy the liquer after dinner, especially when it is cold outside. And, the almond flavor goes perfectly with chocolate. I made a very quick crust using my food processor. This isn't the way I prefer to make a homemade crust. I usually take the time to mix it by hand with a manual pastry blender. This also isn't my favorite crust recipe, but it is quick and was fine for this pie. Make sure that your egg yolks and milk are at room temperature.

OK, folks, this blog entry is going to be short and sweet. It's pretty late and I have just finished the pie. It's time to go to bed and dream about all things pie! Have a sweet night, Food Friends!

Chocolate Amaretto Cream Pie


Crust:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. plus 1 tbsp. shortening
2-3 tbsp. ice cold water


Put flour and salt into processor. Pulse to mix together. Add shortening. Mix until pea size crumbs form. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until dough begins to from. Remove from processor. lay on pastry board or floured flat surface, roll with rolling pin. Fit into a 9 inch glass pie dish. bake at 375 Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes.


Chocolate Filling:
5  1/2 oz. pieces of unsweetened baking chocolate
3 cups milk, divided
1 1/3 c. sugar
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
3 tbsp. corn starch
1.2 tsp. salt
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla


Combine chocolate and 2 cups milk in a medium sauce pan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture boils. Remove from heat and set aside.


Stir together sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk remaining 1 cup milk into egg yolks in separate medium bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Gradually add to chocolate mixture. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture boils. Boil lightly while stirring constantly for one minute until thickened. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla. Stir well to incorporate.


Pour into prepared pie crust; press plastic wrap directly onto chocolate surface. Refrigerate until well chilled.  

Amaretto Whipped Cream:

1 pint heavy cream

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 tbsp. amaretto liquer

With a hand mixer on high speed, blend all ingredients together until thickened into a whipped cream. Be careful not to overwhip or you will have butter! Spread or pipe generously onto chocolate surface of pie. Garnish with chocolate shavings.