Chocolate Cream Pie

Yesterday, my brother and I decided to make a chocolate cream pie. We aren't sure how we decided to make the chocolate cream pie, but I think the conversation went something like this. Me: I want to make whipped cream and have it with strawberries. Chris: That sounds good. I want something chocolatey. Don't you just add chocolate to whipped cream to make a chocolate cream pie?  Me: Umm... I don't know, but that sounds good. Do you want to make a chocolate cream pie? Chris: Do you? Me: Kinda. Chris: Let's do it! I went to food network and pulled up one of Emeril's recipes. I was a little hesitant to use one of Emeril's recipes because he isn't exactly know for his pastries, but it had good reviews, so I thought, "Why, not?!" Why not indeed! We used fair trade milk and dark chocolate bars from Trader Joe's for the required chocolate (maybe next time I will add a little more dark and not so much milk to even out the sweetness levels), but you can play around with the types and kinds you like best. The recipe was super easy to follow and the pie turned out really yummy, especially when paired strawberries (the sweetness of the chocolate cream and the tartness of the strawberries paired perfectly!). Unfortunately, we did not make our own crust and we weren't able to find and Oreo Cookie crust, but nevertheless it was still delicious! I actually think that our inability to find the Oreo Cookie crust was a secret blessing because it seems like it would have been a little bit of chocolate overkill. From Drop Box My version: Chocolate Cream Pie with Whipped Cream and Strawberries.  From Drop Box Bro's Version: Chocolate Cream Pie with Whipped Cream and Chocolate Chips.  Here's the recipe: Emeril's Chocolate Cream Pie Ingredients 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 3/4 cups 3/4 cup buttermilk 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch Pinch salt 4 egg yolks 4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate finely chopped 1 tablespoon butter 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar In a small saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, buttermilk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (mixture will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Place 1 3/4 cups heavy cream in a chilled mixing bowl and add the confectioners' sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the cool chocolate pudding mixture, then spoon the chocolate mixture into the prepared pie crust and refrigerate until firm and cool, at least 4 hours. Refrigerate the remaining whipped cream until you are ready to serve the pie. When ready to serve, top the pie with the remaining sweetened whipped cream and serve immediately. If you want to make your own Oreo Cookie Crust, here is the recipe they recommend using. Ingredients Graham crackers to yield 2 cups crumbs Oreos (white centers removed) to yield 1 1/2 cups crumbs 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 stick unsalted butter, melted Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process the graham crackers and chocolate cookies to make crumbs. In a bowl mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar and butter with your hands. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. (It will seem like an excessive amount of crumbs, but will compress down quite a bit with pressure.) Cover the crust with plastic wrap and top with another 9-inch pan, pressing quite firmly to make a smooth surface. Remove the pan and the plastic wrap from the pressed crust prior to placing it into the preheated oven. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and let cool completely before filling. Happy Baking!!!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I am a huge red velvet cake fan, so when I heard about this boxed mixed that got excellent reviews from Rare Bird Finds I had to get it! Luckily, I found it while shopping at Cost Plus World Market so I didn't have to order it from A Gourmet Cajun Store. Unfortunately, you cannot order the mix from the Cost Plus website, but it is definitely worth searching for. The boxed cake mix is a little more involved than most especially when it comes to making the frosting (having to cook ingredients on the stove, then have them cool and then add others), but in the end it was totally worth it! I made cupcakes instead of a full cake and they turned out moist and just plain delicious! The cupcakes got two thumbs up from our friend's dinner party guests as well as my coworkers. 

The amazing mix!

Cupcakes without frosting.

Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

So yummy! Happy baking!