ABRAMS Dinner Party: Pie for Everyone...Featuring Salty Chocolate Chess Pie #pieforeveryone #abramsdinnerparty #scratchbaking #chocolatechesspie #newkitchenskills

I'm excited to share that I've been invited to take part in the ABRAMS Dinner Party blogging group again this year! Over the coming months, I'll be spotlighting new ABRAMS cookbooks...and sharing recipes from them. I had a blast last taking part in this group last year -- and I learned some valuable new cooking and baking skills along the way. The first book I'm highlighting this season is Pie for Everyone by Petra (Petee) Paredez of New York's popular Petee’s Pie Company and Petee’s Café. This excellent cookbook offers several pie crust options, as well as 80+ pie recipes...including vegan and gluten-free options. Whether you prefer fruit pies, creamy chilled pies, or even savory pies? This comprehensive book has you covered!

I admit that I was apprehensive when this book showed up in my first shipment. I've never made pie crust from scratch, because it's always seemed intimidating to me. So...this was my big chance to learn a foundational baking skill! Pie for Everyone made the entire process so much easier, offering step-by-step instructions -- and helpful photos -- to show me the way. The end result? Everyone who tasted Petee's Salty Chocolate Chess Pie agreed that Paredez' signature Butter Pastry Dough is the best pie crust ever. This pie was super simple to make, so don't be intimidated by the longish list of ingredients and detailed instructions! The crust for this pie doesn't require blind baking before filling...and the intensely fudgy filling takes minutes to whip up. Add some vanilla-scented whipped cream, and you're ready for one amazing dessert!

Salty Chocolate Chess Pie

from Pie for Everyone

Ingredients (makes 6-8 slices):

For the Butter Pastry Dough:

• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) boiling water
• 1 1/2 loosely filled cups (180 g) pastry flour, from the freezer
• 2/3 loosely filled cup (80 g) all-purpose flour, from the freezer
• 1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) pieces

For the pie filling:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick/115 g) unsalted butter
• 3 ounces (85 g) dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 Tbs. cocoa powder
• 1 cup + 2 Tbs. (250 g total) packed light-brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. extra-fine cornmeal
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup (60 ml) buttermilk
• 1/4 (60 ml) heavy cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla

For the Vanilla Whipped Cream:

• 11/2 cups (360 ml) heavy cream
• 1/3 tsp. vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup (40 g) confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Step 1: Make the Butter Pastry Dough using Petee's Making Dough by Hand method:

1. Stir the sugar, salt, and boiling water together in a small bowl until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Place the bowl in the freezer -- the liquid needs to be ice cold before it is added to the dough.
2. Put the chilled flours in a large bowl and dump the chilled pieces of butter into the flour. Use your thumbs and index fingers to squeeze each chunk of butter into a thin sheet -- between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Shake the contents of the bowl to ensure the butter sheets are well coated in flour. 
3. Sprinkle the ice-cold sugar-salt solution over the fat and flour. Use your finders to lightly toss the contents of the bowl around to evenly disperse the liquid.
4. Squeeze the shaggy mess with your fists, repeatedly and quickly, until the chunks get bigger and more cohesive.
5. At first, the dough will be crumbly and seem as if it won't come together...but with continued compression, you can begin to make two mounds of dough of roughly equal size.

Flatten your two mounds of dough into 1-inch-thick disks. [NOTE: this step can be completed a day or so ahead. Simply wrap each disc in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.]

Step 2: Preheat oven to 400℉ (205℃). In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat just until it melts, then turn off the heat. Whisk in the chocolate and cocoa until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.             

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornmeal, and salt. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolk. Whisk in the buttermilk, cream, and vanilla until smooth. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk until fully incorporated. 

Step 3: Use a floured rolling pin to carefully roll one dough puck to 1/8 inch thickness -- be sure to flour your dough and rolling surface with plenty of flour too. [NOTE: reserve the other dough puck for another pie]. Carefully place the crust into a pie pan, cutting away any excess dough and folding the edges under.

Step 4: Place the pie pan with crust on top of a baking sheet. Pour in the filling, making sure to scrape the entire contents from the sides of the bowl into the pie. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350℉ (175℃) and rotate the pie. Bake for 45 minutes more, or until the center of the pie has puffed up. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving -- serve the pie warm or at room temperature.

Step 5: Serve Vanilla Whipped Cream on the side to dollop on top of each slice. In a large bowl -- or bowl of a stand mixer -- combine the cream, vanilla, and salt Sift in the confectioners' sugar. Using a hand-held mixer or the stand mixer's whisk attachment, beat on high until the cream is voluminous and still holds its shape...but is smooth.

Paredez' Salty Chocolate Chess Pie is decadent and fudgy...and not overly sweet. If you love intense, fudgy chocolate -- with a slightly salty flavor note -- this is definitely the pie for you! The optional vanilla-kissed whipped cream -- as if whipped cream is ever really optional -- was the perfect topping. Bottom line: even if you're a pie baking novice like me, Pie for Everyone will ensure you achieve excellent results! Now that I've made pie crust from scratch? I found it much easier to make than I thought it would. Next up for me from Pie for Everybody is Petee's Sweet Potato Pie. I'm planning to bake this Southern classic pie for our Thanksgiving dessert next month, so I'm planning a trial run this weekend.

Disclosure: As part of the ABRAMS Dinner Party blogging group, I receive complimentary copies of their cookbook releases during the publishing year. All opinions stated are solely my own.