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Tag Archives: creme anglaise

Lost Christmas

14 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Chiffon Pie, Icebox Pie

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

cream, creme anglaise, eggnog, nutmeg, rum

Hey, happy January everyone!

Time for a few numbers and figures! Last year, my ninth year of writing Peace of Pie, I had a personal goal of posting at least a twice a month. I’m pleased to share that I did indeed deliver exactly 24 posts your way in 2020! This is the most I’ve posted since 2013, and it clearly paid off; the number of visitors to my blog in 2020 was the highest ever. Maybe you were all just spending more time online because #coronavirus but I’d like to think there was more to it than that. 🙂

Now that I’m sort of back where I’d like to be in terms of producing content, I want to start checking back in with you, my dear readers, more often. I’d like to know what kinds of posts you like best, what you want to see more of, etc. In the end, my style and my storytelling are what they are (and I’m so grateful for those of you who tell me how much you enjoy reading!) but there is still room for adaptation and refinement. Do you want more recipes to be shared? Some Pie Pastry 101 posts? Often when I make savory pies or quiches, I skip blogging about them…would you like more savory pie ideas? Ready…set..leave a comment!

Now for the pie alluded to in this post’s title. Last month, I was drinking a lot of eggnog (anyone else?) and perusing/editing my Pie Gallery a decent amount (you’ll know why if you made it through the entirety of the last blog post, yikes – it was a long one!) Those two activities happening simultaneously led me to realize that I had never blogged about an incredible pie we enjoyed not one but TWO whole Christmas seasons ago: the Eggnog Chiffon Pie.

Guys, I know Christmas is over, but these pictures I found makes me wish it wasn’t so I could make this pie again right now and have it be justifiable.

This was Christmas Eve 2018. Pippa was six months old and we were flying to Richmond, Virginia that very night. We had small pieces of eggnog chiffon pie after a big family dinner at Levi’s grandparents’ house, right before heading to the airport – I picked up my pie dish weeks later – so, it makes sense that among the shuffle this pie would have simply gone unblogged. With two years+ elapsed, it really wouldn’t be honest for me to try to give any sense of what it’s like to make this pie, but allow me to note a few features and ingredients: Crème Anglaise, rum, pecan graham cracker crust, exacting timing, yes that’s nutmeg sprinkled all over, rich, whipped cream served as a garnish or over the whole pie. I don’t feel the need to go on about this pie’s merits: basically, if you like eggnog, you’ll think it’s divine. And if you don’t, you should choose one of the other 299 recipes in Pie for your next holiday soirĂ©e. Easy.

In the Pie Gallery, Eggnog has now taken the coveted #150 spot over from the Mocha Ricotta Mousse Pie (sorry, cousin Daniel!) but most likely it will not hold that spot for very long, as I’m going through my memory with a fine-tooth-comb looking for lost pies these days…

I can’t let this post end without sneaking in a reminder of what Pippa looked like in December 2018. (Cue gush of tears on this end.)

Don’t forget to leave your comments about your hopes and dreams below (I’ll take pie-related or otherwise!)

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Dragonfruit Sea Creature Angel Pie

12 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Berry Pie, Meringue Pie, Summer Fruit Pie

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

blackberry, blueberry, creme anglaise, dragonfruit, meringue, raspberry, whipped cream

Angel Pie with Berries, Cream, and Custard is the “real” name of the showstopper featured in this blog post, but Dragonfruit Sea Creature Angel Pie is so much more descriptive and enticing, don’t you think? Let me show you how it was done.

First, let’s define “angel pie”. I’m still trying to figure out what the technical difference is between an angel pie and a pavlova…both feature a large meringue base as the main event. From what I have seen, angel pies typically are filled with a cream filling (like my Grandmother’s Chocolate Angel Pie) while pavlovas feature mainly fruit. This particular angel pie is meant to be filled with both whipped cream and fruit and topped with a sweet Creme Anglaise sauce made with lots of egg yolks (genius, when you need so many whites for the meringue!)

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During our 8 month stay in Los Angeles, I only made one “new” pie from Ken Haedrich’s cookbook Pie while AT our apartment (the others were all made during travels). There’s something poetic about an angel pie living on in memory as the pie of the City of Angels.

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The meringue is shown above, ready to be baked low and slow. Forming a shape out of meringue, even if it’s just a basic bowl shape, is something I find tricky yet enjoyable. The texture is just so wild. It’s hard to believe that egg, sugar, and cream of tartar can turn into this pliable, bouncy, expansive substance. I also pretended that I was on The Great British Bake-Off while I was preparing this base. Paul Hollywood probably wouldn’t have been pleased with my final product, as there was a slightly visible hairline fracture, but I was pleased enough.

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As usual, my biggest pie-making challenge is timing. I rarely leave hours in between stages of baking as suggested, as the need to eat the pie always seems pressing…but I let this base cool as long as humanly possible before filling and decorating.

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As far as the decorating, I can take very little, if any, credit. This pie was for our dear friend Matt’s birthday. He had been visiting us in LA for a week and we made the pie on the last night of his stay (which we wished we could extend indefinitely/forever). Matt is one of my top pie sous chefs, a sculptor, and a lover of whales and giant squids, so naturally he set to work carving intricate sea creatures out of dragonfruit purchased from the Japanese market across the way.

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Another artistic touch by Matt…halving blackberries to line the pie’s border. Excellent.

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Here we see the pie really coming together–the basin has been filled with homemade whipped cream, waves of berries are crashing from within, extending over the shore, and a dragonfruit sea turtle surfaces for a quick hello.

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Finished creation featuring four sea creature friends: a whale, a turtle, a seahorse, and a starfish.

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I am not embarrassed to report that the four people eating pie that night (I’m not counting the baby-Levi’s mom helped us out, his dad having decided that chocolate ice cream from Salt and Straw was more his speed than Dragonfruit Sea Creature Angel Pie) decided to simply quarter the whole thing and FULLY consumed it in one sitting. All that was left over was some of the Creme Anglaise, which I totally forgot to take pictures of, but which we did enjoy drizzled onto our pie quarters, as well as on Matt’s birthday breakfast pancakes the next morning.

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I can’t help but smile every time I think about Dragonfruit Sea Creature Angel Pie. Thanks Matt for the ways in which you light up our life. ❤

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