at Wed, 29 Jan 2003 19:35:45 GMT in <1fpjxgn.10eu6i9195ta8aN%
>, (Eric) wrote :

>I really like the chocolate pie crust recipe I found at:
>
> http://pie.allrecipes.com/az/hrshysc...hchcltptlc.asp
>
>I've had a couple of minor problems with it and was hoping people here
>could help out considering my lack of experience with pie crusts.
>
>The first problem I've had is that the crust, when I make it, is 'chewy'
>and I tend to prefer a harder, crispy(?) crust...

The problem with the recipe is that it's got far, far too much sugar. Large
amounts of sugar tend to lead, inevitably, to a chewy texture - think about
what's going to happen when that sugar hits the oven. It turns into
caramel. When that component dominates the product, I think you can see
where the chewiness comes from.

Crispy is no secret - you want a LOT of butter. Consider how butter in
cookies leads to crispness (thanks to a low melting point that quickly
starts driving out moisture.

I think an egg is a mistake - it's just going to make the crust softer. But
a minimal amount of egg is OK, if there were any risk of the crust turning
too crumbly.

So, when you sum it up, what you're looking for is something more like
chocolate shortbread. Here's my recipe, which I have tested in a pie as
well. This is a VERY chocolatey recipe. If you want less chocolatey, you
can reduce the cocoa content in half, increase the flour by 3/8 cup, and
add 2 additional tbsp of butter.

Chocolate Shortbread

1 cup Unbleached white flour
1 cup Cocoa (I use Ghirardelli natural process)
12 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
6 tbsp. Superfine Confectioners' Sugar
1 Vanilla bean

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the
sugar. Scrape out the vanilla bean and mix with the creamed butter until
the vanilla is uniformly mixed. Mix it the flour, stirring until the
resulting mixture is in pea-sized balls. Mix in the cocoa, stirring intil
the mixture changes from a sandy consistency to a more clumping consistency
(be patient. The may take a while.) Using your hands, gather the mixture
into a ball. Make sure the ball is smooth and uniform and roll out on an
unfloured board to 1.5- 2 inch thickness. [For pie crust you'll want to
roll it out about 1/4" thick then drape in the dish] Cut into whatever
shape you desire and place on an ungreased metal cookie sheet. Bake for 20
minutes and allow to cool long enough that the shortbread is not too
fragile (10 minutes should do it) then transfer to a plate or wax paper and
allow to cool completely. Makes approximately 12 4-inch bar-shaped cookies.
[It will make 2 complete pie crusts, or 1 large crust for a 12" pie, or 1
extra-thick crust, good if you want to take the pie out of the pan and cut
into slices for serving at, e.g. a bake sale]

The biggest mistake you can make is to over- or under-bake. If you overbake
the resulting cookies will be very dry while if you underbake they will be
very sticky and gummy. Know your oven. A good test is the smell - when it
just starts to shift from very strong unaltered cocoa to a slight cooked
smell, they're done.

--
Alex Rast

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(Something's screwy with Google, and I can't answer a specific message
in this thread) - In answer to the question about getting the crumb
crust in the pie plate with an even thickness: I put the mixture in
the pie plate and then spread it around/press it down as best I can -
then use another pie plate the same size, and press it into the crumb
layer - give it a little swirl or jog or two, while pressing down, and
the crust gets very even and smooth.

N.

Alex wrote:

> So, when you sum it up, what you're looking for is something more like
> chocolate shortbread. Here's my recipe, which I have tested in a pie as
> well.
<snip>

That recipe looks like a winner. Do you think it would work as a crust for
a cheesecake?

Bob

Alex Rast > wrote:

> 6 tbsp. Superfine Confectioners' Sugar

What about standard sugar? Why 'Superfine'?

> 1 Vanilla bean

Can you use Vanilla extract?

> Mix it the flour, stirring until the
> resulting mixture is in pea-sized balls. Mix in the cocoa, stirring intil
> the mixture changes from a sandy consistency to a more clumping consistency
> (be patient. The may take a while.)

Do you have to hand stir or can you use beaters?

> Make sure the ball is smooth and uniform and roll out on an
> unfloured board to 1.5- 2 inch thickness. [For pie crust you'll want to
> roll it out about 1/4" thick then drape in the dish]

So you place it into the pie plate and then place the pie plate into the
oven?

> Cut into whatever
> shape you desire and place on an ungreased metal cookie sheet. Bake for 20
> minutes and allow to cool long enough that the shortbread is not too
> fragile (10 minutes should do it) then transfer to a plate or wax paper and
> allow to cool completely.

I assume that since it is already in the pie place (or is it?), this
step is irrelevent.




--
== Eric Gorr ========= http://www.ericgorr.net ========= ICQ:9293199 ===
"Therefore the considerations of the intelligent always include both
benefit and harm." - Sun Tzu
== Insults, like violence, are the last refuge of the incompetent... ===

at Wed, 22 Oct 2003 21:18:43 GMT in
t>,
(Eric) wrote :

A note on the question for cheesecake: I don't see why it wouldn't work.
You'd simply cut the rolled dough into a disc large enough to fit the
bottom of your springform pan. However, I have not used this for cheesecake
so I have no direct information to report.

>Alex Rast > wrote:
>
>> 6 tbsp. Superfine Confectioners' Sugar
>
>What about standard sugar? Why 'Superfine'?

Superfine gives it a nicer texture, a little less grainy. It also tends to
distribute more evenly. Standard sugar would be OK, but it's worth looking
for superfine.

>> 1 Vanilla bean
>
>Can you use Vanilla extract?

I recommend against it. Vanilla extract will give it a slightly harsh
flavour. In addition, 1 vanilla bean is very strong, enough to equal a LOT
of extract, so much that in addition to being very boozy, the amount of
liquid would seriously alter the dough texture. You need a good strong
vanilla flavour to cut through all that chocolate, so trying to get by with
less probably will mean you might just as well have done without. I tend to
avoid vanilla extract in general, because you can never completely
eliminate the taste of alcohol.

In this recipe, though, the vanilla is very much a tweak. When I was
creating it, the first batch I made without vanilla, and I thought it was
very good, just "missing" something in a very vague, subtle, indescribable
kind of way. I had a pro baker friend try it and his comment was: "Yeah. It
needs a little vanilla". So I'd call the vanilla optional in some ways,
required if you're looking for absolute perfection but unless you're baking
for incredibly picky and refined tastes, probably most people will never
notice it's missing.

>> Mix it the flour, stirring until the
>> resulting mixture is in pea-sized balls. Mix in the cocoa, stirring
>> intil the mixture changes from a sandy consistency to a more clumping
>> consistency (be patient. The may take a while.)
>
>Do you have to hand stir or can you use beaters?

When you make it, you'll see that beaters don't make sense in this
situation. Everything in the bowl will be dry, so beaters would simply
scatter everything round the kitchen. Consider the effect of putting
beaters in sand. A wooden spoon is the best instrument because you can get
some good pressure without melting the butter.

>
>>...[For pie crust you'll want
>> to roll it out about 1/4" thick then drape in the dish]
>
>So you place it into the pie plate and then place the pie plate into the
>oven?

Yes.

>
>> ... Bake
>> for 20 minutes and allow to cool long enough that the shortbread is
>> not too fragile (10 minutes should do it) then transfer to a plate or
>> wax paper and allow to cool completely.
>
>I assume that since it is already in the pie place (or is it?), this
>step is irrelevent.

Of course. This is only applicable if you're making the cookies.

--
Alex Rast

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