Choco Mocha Latte Cream Pie

Once again, I was driving down the road trying to wake up on my way to work.  The kids had been up multiple times in the night, as if they scheduled shift to keep Mommy and Daddy awake, so I was running off of about 4 hours of sleep.  I'm staying in my lane, no worries there, but I definitely needed caffeine buzz to keep me conscious for the upcoming 9 hour schlog I was about to endure.

So I drove through one of the five different coffee huts on my way to work and ordered a bucket of Chai Tea Latte.  It was 40 degrees and close to Thanksgiving, so the spices sounded good.  But there was that smell as the barrista opened her drive through window that hit me like a shot of epinephrine to the heart.  A dark roast Columbian blend with a definite semi-sweet undertone.  Then it came to me. A breakfast wake-up pie with coffee and chocolate!

We've used our Basic Cream pie so many ways since it's so versatile, so why not bend it to our will again.  The milk and cream make a great dairy base, so all we need to do is add in the chocolate and coffee.  Don't skimp on the chocolate for this one.  Make sure you use some type that you love.  I'd recommend a semi-sweet or dark chocolate, just because of the sugar that's already in the recipe.

As for the coffee, there are two different methodologies that work.  You could go with a great tasting coffee.  I've tried adding a double shot of espresso.  Since we're flavoring almost a quart of ingredients, that much gives it a great coffee flavor without overpowering everything.  And you get the caffeine as well, so it can qualify as a breakfast pick-me-up.

If you don't want to go that route, you could always just use Kahlua or another Coffee liqueur.  All the coffee flavor, none of the caffeine and a little bit of an alcoholic flavor so it's more of a dessert feel.

Choco Mocha Latte Pie

3/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
4 ounces espresso or Kahlua
2 cups milk
3/4 whipped cream
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cups chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.  Pour the mixture into a large saucepan and then add the coffee, milk and cream.  Use a whisk to blend all of the ingredients together.  Next, separate the 3 egg yolks into a small cup, beat them for about 20 seconds and then set them aside for later.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and with a silicon or rubber spatula and constantly stir the filling until it thickens slightly, from a milky consistency to where it acts like a loose pudding.  While still stirring, add a small amount of the mixture to the egg yolks and immediately stir them. (And don't forget to keep stirring the main mixture so it doesn't burn)  This warms up the egg yolks so they don't become scrambled eggs in the pie.  Repeat this step two more times, then slowly pour the eggs into the main mixture, stirring the main mixture the whole time.

Continue to stir for another two minutes, then stir in the butter.  Once it's completely melted, remove from the heat and add the vanilla.  Pour directly into a pre-prepared pie crust and allow to cool on the counter for 15-20 minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.  Garnish with whipped cream and maybe an espresso bean or two.


So make one of these and get your morning buzz via some pie!

25 Pie Recipes For Your Thanksgiving Party

Wednesday, we presented all of our recipes for the Thanksgiving meal.  We're now a couple days out and you're going to need a dessert.  And for me, Thanksgiving means pie... lots and lots and lots of pie.  Enough that the sugar buzz from the pie will outweigh and tryptophan funk the turkey may induce.  So here's about 25 different options that should please anyone's sweet tooth.  Make a pair, haul them to the event and bask in the loving adoration of your family these pies will illicit.

Oh, and if you need a Pie Crust recipe, you can find that here as well...

Pumpkin Pie

This classic recipe has been around for years. Listen, anyone can slap a pumpkin pie together and make it passable.  The recipe on the pumpkin can works well.  But as with many things in life, if you take care in the details and spend just a few extra seconds to add a few twists, you can elevate the average to extraordinary. You don't have to be a master chef to pull it off, just take your time and as Alton Brown says, "Your patience will be rewarded."

Pumpkin Pie

Basic Cream Pies

These are the first pies I ever made.  As my mother was bedridden with Rhumatic Fever, she'd instruct me on the proper technique for a Coconut Cream Pie.  I'd then run down the hall to the kitchen, start cooking and then run back down the hall with questions.  And from this basic cream pie recipe we tinkered with for a month or two developed into a multitude of different variations.  You can really add almost anything to this cream pie filling and it'll turn out wonderfully.  Here are a few of the first versions we created, which still hold up well almost 25 years later.

Chocolate Cream Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
Banana Cream Pie
Peanut Butter Pie
German Chocolate Pie

Fruit Cream Pies

You can always go with a basic fruit pie, but sometimes you want something just a little different.  We all know how delicious the combination of fruit and whipping cream is.  Well it stands to reason that if you embed them in a creamy pie filling, the result would be decadent.  You can use almost any type of fruit, as long as it's not too acidic, like oranges and pineapple.  For those, there are other precautions that need to be made and will be outlined in a future post.  But for the time being, the classic berries and cherries work wonderfully.

Strawberry Cream Pie
Raspberry Cream Pie
Blueberry Cream Pie
Blackberry Cream Pie

Alcohol Pies

Alcohol, in a pie?  Yes!  It only makes sense....  Your classic candies like Butterscotch and Butter Rum weren't made with just flavorings.  They were made with the actual booze.  And therefore, so are these pies. We've added the inebriatory ingredients and cooked them long enough to remove some, but not all of the alcohol.  There is a very slight kick, but not enough to offend the tea totallers.  Just tell them you used the extracts instead.  They don't need to know.  Or tell them after they've eaten a couple slices and see if the "placebo effect" causes them to strip down naked and go rolling in the snowdrifts.  It'll be holiday "cheer" that will be discussed for years.

Pina Colada Pie
Butterscotch Pie
Butter Rum Pie

Peppermint Fudge Pie

Pardon the old picture, but it's from 3 1/2 years ago, when this recipe won the first X96 Tasty Pie contest.  This pie earned me a trip to Chicago, for which I thank Kerry, Bill and Gina profusely.  It's another variation of the basic cream pie recipe, but great for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays.  There are candy cane bits and a small amount of peppermint extract mixed in to the filling, giving it a minty aroma and slightly pink hue.  The filling sits in a buttery Oreo cookie crust and then topped with rich whipping cream and homemade hot fudge.  Pour the heated fudge over each slice and you'll have a slice of heaven for your holiday parties.  And if you have leftover hot fudge, you could use it later, once all of the guests go home and the kids have gone to bed... wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more...

Peppermint Fudge Pie

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

No, it's not made from peanut butter cups, it's make to LOOK like a peanut butter cup.  The Oreo Cookie crust is drenched with a layer of chocolate ganache to solidify the base.  Then our classic cream pie filling is infused with peanut butter.  Use the chunky style if you can so you have the crunchy nut bits throughout.  Finally, it's topped with additional chocolate ganache that will thicken slightly in the icebox, but not completely solidify, so slicing and serving the pie is effortless.  As you can see from the photo, it's amazing!

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

Chocolate Dipped Oreo Cookie Pie

The cousin of the Peanut butter cup pie, it's an Oreo lover's dream.  You start with an Oreo cookie crust, create the basic cream pie recipe with a little extra vanilla.  Crust a few Oreos and sprinkle them into the filling.  Then coat the top with our ganache and dip a few Oreo cookies and use them as garnish.  It looks like a lot of work, but it's not much more than any other pie.


Chocolate Dipped Oreo Cookie Pie

Cookie Pies

It's truly one of the more decadent pies out there.  How can you reject anything that tastes like moist, fresh chocolate chip cookies.   The Toll House Pie is the classic one from Nestle because, honestly, it's hard to mess with perfection.  But the Peanut Butter Cookie Pie and Frosted Sugar Cookie Pie are my own variations.  If you want a giant puffy loft with your cookie pies, substitute the butter for butter flavored shortening.  It has a higher melting point than butter, which will allow all of the other ingredients to expand and solidify before the fat melts and flattens out.

Toll House Pie
Peanut Butter Cookie Pie
Frosted Sugar Cookie Pie

Double, Tripe or Quadruple Berry Pie

Here is the classic fruit pie recipe.  It relies on the sugar and pectin in the fruit to combine into a molten pool of gelatinous goodness.  Almost any combination of the berries listed will work, so you can customize it to your liking.  And if the berries you love are out of season, no worries,  Frozen berries make a great substitute.  Just make sure you reheat the slices and top them with a dollop of ice cream for the ultimate pie experience.

Quadruple Berry Pie

Miniature Pies

Sometimes you don't want a large pie.  These bite-size morsels are the perfect solution.  You can make 24 pie shells in one miniature cupcake pan. Cook the shells ahead of time and then consider what fillings you'd like.  This is where your creativity can shine through.  The small size allows you to tinker with the flavoring to an infinite degree.  I've enhanced some of the basic recipes I've made over the years by placing fruit, caramel, or other morsels in the bottom of each shell.  I'll then cook up a batch of the cream pie recipe, separate out a small portion of the filling and flavor it any way I want, then fill the shells.  Don't limit yourself to just these, Play around a bit and make a couple dozen for you event.  Then top them all with a little bit of whipped cream and place on a platter (or one of these Mini cupcake racks) and serve to the masses.

Caramel Apple Mini-Pies
Triple Chocolate Mini-Pies
Peanut Butter Banana Mini-Pies

Coffee, Latte or Tea Pies

So sometimes you want something that's a little different.  The great thing about this basic recipe is that it's extremely adaptable!  You can substitute any flavored liquid for some of the milk to create something spectacular.  For example, I substituted a triple shot of espresso and added the chocolate from the chocolate cream pie recipe to create the Choco Mocha Latte Pie.  I substituted half of the milk in the recipe for the Oregon Chai instant mix and created the Chai Tea Latte Pie.  Use any type of crust for the pies.  The Oreo cookie crust or  even a shortbread cookie crust work even better than the basic crust.

Chai Tea Latte Pie
Choco Mocha Latte Pie

Bring Your Turkeys and Thanksgiving Groceries to X96's Food Drive!!

It's time for the annual X96 Food Drive for the Utah Food Bank.  I'll be bringing a Turkey and some other assorted groceries down to TelePerformance located at 1991 South 4650 West on Tuesday between 6AM and 7PM and I suggest you do the same.  Times are still rough, and maybe you've had a rough year.  Trust me, I know that feeling.

The 13th year of this century has lived up to it's unlucky reputation.  We've had months of medical issues, sending multiple family members to the doctor and hospital on multiple occasions.  The economics of those visits have taken a toll on the pocketbook.  The pure logistics of a variety of illnesses have destroyed any semblance of a regular schedule for months on end.  We're almost back to normal, hopefully tonight's trip to the doctor's is the last one for a long time.

But no matter what I've been through, I've always had food.  I've had a roof over my head.  My kids haven't gone hungry.  I may have had trials and tribulations, but there are always people in more need than me and it's my responsibility to help out any way I can.

The only way I made it through my trials, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially, was through the kindness and generosity of my family and friends.  And there are many people out there trying to survive much worse without any sort of support group.  They need a helping hand.  Even if it's just one meal, a couple extra dollars in their pocket, or just a kind gesture so they know the world isn't such a dark place,  it can mean the world to them.  So spending $20 at the grocery store and stopping by a radio remote on a Tuesday morning is the least you can do to help your fellow man

So gather your groceries, leave for work a little earlier than normal and drop them off to Kerry, Bill and Gina on November 26th.

I've done a little research that can increase your buying power.  All sorts of grocery stores are offering specials on frozen turkeys this week.  Since you have to go shopping this weekend anyway, why not pick up something extra for the food drive?  Here are some of the special offers available at all of the major grocery store chains this weekend.

Harmon's - Frozen Turkeys are only 99 cents a pound and if you buy four 12-packs of Coke Products for $11, you will receive $5.00 off any turkey.

Smith's - Frozen turkeys are 69 cents a pound with a $25 purchase.

Fresh Market - Frozen Turkeys are only 69 cents a pound if you buy $50 in groceries PLUS if you buy four 12-packs of Coke Products for $11, you will receive $5.00 off any turkey PLUS there's a $1.00 turkey coupon in their ad

Macey's - Frozen Turkeys are only 99 cents a pound PLUS if you buy four 12-packs of Coke Products for $11, you will receive $5.00 off any turkey PLUS there's a $1.00 turkey coupon in their ad

Reams - $4.00 off a turkey when you buy 4 12 packs of Coke products PLUS a $2.00 coupon in their add in their ad

Dan's - Frozen Turkeys are only 69 cents a pound if you buy $50 in groceries PLUS if you buy four 12-packs of Coke Products for $11, you will receive $5.00 off any turkey PLUS there's a $1.00 turkey coupon in their ad

Winco - Turkeys are 68 cents a pound with a $25 purchase, but only 78 cents a pound for an additional bird up to four birds!

So almost anywhere you go, you can get a frozen turkey, a few canned vegetables, potatoes, stuffing mix and a couple other additions for $20 or less!  You have to go to the store this weekend anyway.  Spend $20 to brighten someone else's world!

The Essentials to a Great Thanksgiving Meal

OK, boys and girls.  The big day is only 10 days away.  Time to start the prep right now.  Why?  Well, the grocery stores are starting all of their sales this week.  And trust me, it's much easier to shop the grocery stores for most of your supplies this week, as opposed to next.

Also, you need to make all of your food assignments.  You may think that you can do it all.  You're wrong.  Trust me, you're... Now don't argue with me!  I don't care how good of a cook you are or that you have the time management skills of the GM of Grand Central Station.  It's physically impossible to do everything yourself without causing yourself major mental trauma.  And the other side effect is the stress that will put you in one of THOSE moods that will turn the holiday into one you'll remember years from now for all the wrong reasons.

So let's plan out what you want to make.  Here's a list of our past Thanksgiving posts, along with our most recent editions, that can make your day that much easier on your psyche.

Brined and Roasted Turkey

The centerpiece of the meal and the one thing that can so horribly, horribly wrong.  Leave it in the oven too long, cut it too soon, or fail to treat it properly and your meat will turn out dry and spindly.  No amount of gravy will solve that problem.  So let's take out some insurance and infuse a little extra flavor into the bird by brining it.  You will need to start your preparations the day before, but believe you me... this bird will be the must succulent turkey you've ever had.  This works for any size bird, from the giant monstrosities down to a small turkey breast.

Crock Pot Turkey Breast with Vegetables

Sometimes you don't have an army coming for Thanksgiving.  So instead of going through the whole turkey ordeal, why not do a smaller, more efficient turkey preparation method?  All you have to do is thaw the turkey breast, place it and your veggies in the crock pot and then sit around and watch football for about four hours.  You'll have almost the entire meal done in one vessel.  Make a batch of the stuffing in the oven as listed below and serve a pie for dessert.  Thanksgiving done without a marathon in the kitchen.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This recipe was inspired by my grandmother's mashed potatoes.  She'd stand over the giant stockpot filled with strained potatoes and mash them into oblivion by hand.  Then she'd pour in whipped cream, drop a whole stick of butter and froth them up into fluffy clouds of oblivion.  This recipe follows her technique, but uses my giant stand mixer, so I can avoid the carpal tunnel. 

Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing / Dressing

This is the recipe handed down from my mother.  It's a beautiful conglomeration of all sorts of flavors.  The richness of the thyme and sage, the saltiness and depth of the sausage, the freshness of the onions and celery, it's all here.  I know a number of you are afraid of stuffing because you worry that it may not warm up enough inside the bird to prevent food illness.  That's OK.  We can just place it in a large casserole dish and allow it to cook next to the bird instead.

Turkey Gravy without the Lumps

There are all sorts of gravy making methods out there, and most leave islands of starchy lumps floating in the sauce.  The key to lumpless gravy is to coat the starch with fat so the flour or cornstarch doesn't have a chance to congeal into powder bombs.  And the preparation takes no more time than the bird's cool-down period. This will work with any type of meaty liquid, but since it's Thanksgiving, we're working with poultry broth.

Aunt Dianne's Parkerhouse Rolls

Another classic recipe that reminds me of my childhood.  You ever have a recipe where you're name ends up in the title?   Well my mom did.  This roll recipe is classic and the perfect accompaniment when you want to sop up any leftover juices.  And if you have leftovers, cut open a roll, load it up with some turkey and you have a perfect little lunch.

Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad

Would you be surprised that this recipe is one of the most popular on the site?  It is!  Top 5.  If you're assigned a salad or a dessert, you can avoid the mundane options and go with this.  Salty and sweet, fruity and starchy all at the same time.  It pleases your tastebuds five ways to Sunday

Pumpkin Pie

It's the classic pumpkin pie recipe.  But Like many things in this world, it's just not what you put in the pie, but HOW you make the pie.  For it to taste it's best, we need to follow the instruction from my mother-in-law, the best pumpkin pie baker in the world.

And if Pumpkin Pie is not your thing, no worries.  The COMPLETE list of every pie posted on this site is coming on Monday, so watch for that post listing all of the pie recipes we've done so far.

Gravy Without the Lumps

When gravy is good, it's goooooooood.  It imparts the flavor of whatever you've just created into a great sauce for smothering potatoes, meat or veggies.  The scourge of gravy is the lumps.  If you add the thickening agent too quickly, or just in one big lump, it'll create islands of starch that'll speckle the gravy.  And of you've ever bitten into a large lump, you know how bland and lifeless it is... and how it'll hydrate in the back of your throat, causing you to devolve into a coughing fit.

There are a lot of different ways to incorporate either flour or cornstarch in a gravy.  Some people just slowly whisk small portions into the liquid and home for the best.  I've seen people use a special tupperware shaker where you add a little liquid and the flour and shake it until your arm is sore.  That works most of the time, but remember that I an inherently lazy and would rather do something much easier.

So let's look at why the flour or cornstarch sticks together.  If you pore water directly into a bowl of flour, everything becomes a clumpy, doughy mess.  That's because flour likes to absorb liquid and once it's wet, it also likes to stick.  The starches start bonding together and once that has happened, it takes a lot of whisking or mulching in the food processor to obliterate them. Now once the starch molecules reach a certain high temperature, the starch doesn't stick together.  They explode into extremely small bits and become the thickener we want.

SO the key is to keep the starch molecules separated until it gets hot enough to devolve into the thickening agent.  The best way to do that is to coat them with a fat that will block the liquid until it's hot enough to break through the fat and fluff up the starches.  That where a roux comes in.

A roux is a mixture of fat and starch that can thicken liquid at a high temperature.  To make a roux, all you need to do is mix equal parts of a fat and a starch in a saucepan and cook it over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Then you can add your liquid whenever you're ready.  But add the liquid slowly and whisk it as you go.  When the sauce reaches a boiling point, the fat then frees up the starch to expand, thicken the sauce, and stay separated from each other so there's no way lumps can develop.

One tablespoon of fat (like butter) and one teaspoon of starch (either cornstarch or flour) will thicken about 4 ounces of liquid into gravy.  You can use any type of liquid you like.  I especially like to add the leftover liquid from cooking, such as broth from a crock pot recipe (like the Crock Pot Turkey Breast) or the drippings from a roast.  But if you don't have any, just use your favorite broth.  Feel free to size this up or down as you need, just keep the proportions of 1 tablespoon fat/1 tablespoons starch/4 ounces liquid the same.  I prefer the cornstarch because there's slightly less of a starchy taste, but my no means does flour overpower the other flavor.

Gravy Without the Lumps

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
About 16 ounces of broth, drippings from a roast or turkey, or other flavorful liquid
1/4 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and stir until completely combined and stir it for about 3-5 minutes.  Add the thyme and stir for 10 more seconds. Slowly add the broth in small portions, whisking for about 20-30 seconds after adding the liquid.  Add liquid until the consistency is a little thinner than you want it to be on the table.  Allow it to cook for 5 more minutes or until it reaches a light boil, then remove from the heat.  Salt and pepper to taste.   Pour the gravy into a serving vessel and allow to cool for about 3 minutes.  Serve on meat, potatoes or drink straight from the gravy boat.

Crock Pot Turkey Breast with Veggies

I've cooked enough Thanksgiving dinners to know the ordeal the turkey can be.  I love it, but it can be a little work.  As you can see in my Brined Turkey recipe, I have a way to keep it nice and moist, but we're talking some extra preparation and time spent occupying the limited space in my fridge.   '
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On top of that, if I'm only going to have 3-4 other people over, cooking a 14 pound bird just doesn't make sense.  If there's only going to be six people, that's almost 2 pounds of meat per person (once you factor out the bones) and unless you can eat like Joey on Friends and have a pair of eating pants, you just can't do it.

Now I am inherently lazy, and there are other ways to make a Thanksgiving dinner without going the full turkey route.  A turkey breast can give you just the amount of meat you need and the more compact size can give you a number of different options.  If you have a large crock pot (6 quarts), you can go that route and it has a number of advantages over just broiling it.

The method is simple and doesn't take much time at all.  Just thaw the turkey breast, pop it into the crock pot and 4-6 hours later, you have almost everything you'd need to for a basic Thanksgiving dinner except for the stuffing, which you can make with this recipe.  Since this a wet method of cooking, it will NOT have the chance to dry out. It cooks long and slow, and since it's surrounded with veggies and spices, it stews in its juices until it comes out perfectly cooked. And you're also cooking your potatoes and carrots along with it, so it's one less thing for you to prepare.  The leftover cooking liquid can be used to create a wonderful gravy as you let the turkey breast rest (recipe for this here).  You can also save the leftover cooking liquid for a great soup made from the leftovers, or freeze it to make a quick soup on a future freezing cold day.  Once again, make sure you use your handy, dandy digital thermometer to monitor the temperature as you go.  Once you reach 165 degrees, you're done.

Crock Pot Turkey Breast with Vegetables

4 14 oz cans of low sodium turkey or chicken broth
2 teaspoons thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon sage
4 whole cloves of garlic
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
8 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
4 celery stalks, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into eighths
1 5-6 1/2 pound turkey breast, completely thawed

Pour two of the cans of broth into the crock pot, add the spices and garlic cloves.

Add a small layer of the vegetables on the bottom of the crock pot.  Then set the turkey breast on top of the veggies.  Stuff the remaining vegetables around the turkey breast until it is full, making sure the lid still makes a tight seal on the crock pot.  Pour the remaining broth into the crock pot until the broth level is 1/2 inch from the top edge.  Place the lid on the crock pot and set to high for one hour.  Then cook for 3 more hours on high or 5 more on low until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 165 degrees.

Remove the breast from the crock pot and cover with foil and towels for ten minutes, just long enough to evacuate the veggies to a bowl  Use the cooking liquid to make some gravy, then carve the breast and serve.