One of the tenets of cooking during the summer is to avoid using the kitchen oven for long bakes. Thus, we fire up the barbecue grill and cook outdoors. Every good cookout deserves a good dessert, and Chef Jerry Pellegrino has some ideas for desserts that require little or no baking that will tickle your palate.
What we are really talking about are quickly baked pies. This means we have to get creative with the crust. One of the most common ideas is to use crumbled graham crackers for a pie shell. You can easily make your own, or you can buy them ready-made in the grocery store.
Jerry makes his own, and lately has been adding crumbled pretzels to his mix, which adds a welcome bit of saltiness. Other than the crumbled crackers, you only need butter and sugar to make a nice moist crust that will hold its shape.
The pie fillings are either along the lines of a pudding or a cheesecake. Either way, they are simple to put together. Here are two ideas that Jerry came up with that will keep your kitchen cool and your families happy.
PEACH PIE
Ingredients:
One 9-inch pie crust
2 medium fresh peaches
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Filling:
1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup cold water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 medium fresh peaches
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, can sub with almond extract
2 tablespoons butter
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the pie crust: roll out the pie crust and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate, trimming and fluting the edges with the tines of a fork, prick all over the bottom of the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour (or up to several days).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Gently press a piece of parchment paper or regular aluminum foil into the chilled pie shell and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating halfway, until the crust is lightly golden and no longer doughy.
Remove the pie crust from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment/foil and weights. Let the pie crust cool completely.
For the sliced peaches: peel two peaches and slice them thinly (about 1/8- to 1/4-inch). Place the sliced peaches evenly over the bottom of the pie; it's ok to end up with a double layer. Set it aside.
For the filling: peel the remaining three peaches, cut the peaches into chunks and put them in a medium saucepan. Using a pastry blender, potato masher, or a couple forks, mash the peaches until juicy and the consistency of chunky applesauce (don't puree until smooth). You should end up with about 2 cups of mashed peaches.
Add the sugar, cornstarch, water, and lemon juice to the saucepan with the peaches. Stir to combine.
Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, for 5-6 minutes until large bubbles pop at the surface. Continue cooking until the mixture has thickened considerably. Scraping a spoon or spatula across the bottom of the saucepan should leave a defined path that doesn't fill in very quickly.
Off the heat, add the vanilla and butter stirring until the butter is melted and well-incorporated.
Pour the warm filling over the sliced peaches and spread evenly.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to 24 hours) until the filling has cooled and is soft set. This pie can be made a day ahead of time.
Serve the pie with lightly sweetened whipped cream (spread the whipped cream over the pie before serving or serve slices of pie with a dollop of whipped cream on top).
CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE
For the Oreo Cookie Crust:
1 package Oreo cookies, crushed into crumbs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Chocolate Ganache Filling:
16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 and 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes
For the Whipped Cream Topping:
1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the Oreo Cookie Crust: In a large bowl combine Oreo cookie crumbs and melted butter, mix well to combine. Press the crust into a 9" pie plate, pressing it in the middle and up the sides. Place crust in the freezer for 30 minutes.
For the Chocolate Ganache Filling: Add chopped chocolate to a large heatproof bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a low simmer then remove from heat. Pour the warm cream on top of the chopped chocolate and set aside for 1 minute. Using a whisk, stir the chocolate and cream together, whisking until the melted chocolate and cream are completely combined; about 2 minutes. Add in the butter and use a spatula to stir until the butter is completely melted. The mixture should be smooth and glossy. Set aside until needed.
For the Whipped Cream Topping: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar until soft peaks are formed.
Assembly:
Remove the Oreo cookie crust from the freezer.
Carefully pour the chocolate ganache inside the crust. The crust will be 90% full! Very carefully, place the chocolate pie in the fridge to set; about 2 hours. When ready to serve, dollop the whipped cream in the center of the pie and top with chocolate shavings, if desired.
