Chestnut Pie With Rum Cream Food

CHESTNUT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 100°C (approximately 210°F).
• For the meringue balls: Beat egg whites with powdered sugar and salt until stiff in a bowl set over (not in) a pot of hot water until a temperature of about 50°C (approximately 125°F) is reached. Remove from hot water and slowly beat egg whites until cold. Fill egg whites into a piping bag with a small tip and on a parchment paper lined baking sheet pipe about 50 small balls about 1.5 cm (approximately 3/4 inch). Let dry completely in preheated oven for about 2 hours. The door of the oven can be slightly ajar. Remove from baking sheet and leave to cool.
• Increase oven temperatire to 150°C (approximately 300°F).
• For the pie crust: Pile flour on a work surface, mix with sugar and salt and make a well in the center of the flour. Cut cold butter into small pieces and place around outside of flour. Add 1 egg yolk into well and add approximately 3 tablespoons of lukewarm water. Combine all ingredients with a knife and chop well into a crumble then knead quickly with hands into a dough. Shape into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to cool.
• Roll out dough on a floured surface about 1 cm (approximately 3/8 inch) thick and cut out a circle of about 22 cm (approximately 8 1/2 inches) and decorate around edge as desired (see photo). Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water and brush pastry with it. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown about 30 minutes in preheated oven. Carefully remove from oven and let cool.
• For the chestnut puree: Cut chestnuts crosswise and cover with hot water for about 40 minutes until soft. Drain, rinse with cold water, peel and skin. While still hot, press through a potato ricer. Combine milk, vanilla sugar, powdered sugar and rum with chestnuts so that a smooth puree is made. Use a little more or less milk as required. Allow to cool and squeeze chestnut puree back through a spaetzle press onto cake base. Decorate with meringue balls and serve.

CHESTNUT PIE WITH RUM CREAM

Steps:

• Make the crust: Place all crust ingredients in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about the size of peas. (To mix by hand, combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl, rubbing the dry ingredients together using your fingers.) Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and shape into a flattened disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm and cold, about 2 hours.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to an 11-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour; fit dough into a 9-inch metal pie plate, pressing firmly into bottom and sides; trim edges as necessary. Cover with plastic wrap; chill pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line pie dough with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Transfer to oven and bake until light brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment paper. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
• Make the filling: In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over low heat until it turns brown and has a nutty aroma. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and chestnuts and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Carefully add 1 tablespoon rum to deglaze skillet; transfer chestnuts to a baking sheet to cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together remaining 1/4 cup butter, chestnut puree, chestnut cream, and creme fraiche together until well combined. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, eggs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons rum. Add egg mixture to chestnut mixture and stir until filling is just combined.
• Sprinkle chestnuts over bottom of crust and top with filling mixture. Transfer pie to oven and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Make the rum cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk together heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, rum, and vanilla bean seeds until ribbons form, about 5 minutes. Transfer cream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip. Decoratively pipe cream in a clockwise fashion, starting from the outside and working toward the center, to cover. Garnish pie with candied chestnut strips and tuile.

CHESTNUT MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toast the fennel seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pulse the cookies in a food processor until finely ground. Add the fennel seeds and melted butter; pulse until moistened. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the side of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until lightly browned and set, about 8 minutes; let cool completely.
• Make the filling: Combine the chestnuts, sugar, 1 cup heavy cream and the vanilla seeds and pod in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cream is very thick and the chestnuts are softened, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook until it smells nutty and is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Discard the vanilla pod from the chestnut mixture; transfer the mixture to a food processor, add the browned butter and process until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the remaining 1½ cups heavy cream and the eggs; process until combined. Let stand until thickened and cooled, about 1 hour.
• Carefully pour the filling into the crust (it will be full). Bake at 350 degrees F until the filling is set, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
• Make the meringue: Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Whisk the sugar, cream of tartar, salt and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over the boiling water (don't let the bowl touch the water); continue whisking until the mixture is hot (135 degrees F) and the sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer; beat with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff, thick and glossy, 2 to 3 more minutes. Spread the meringue on top of the pie. Toast with a kitchen torch.

CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT TART WITH RUM WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: in the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Pulse in the butter, egg yolk and vanilla until dough just comes together. Form into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
• When you are ready to bake the crust, heat the oven to 325 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11-inch circle. Press into a 9-inch tart pan and trim the edges. Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork; chill for 20 minutes or until firm. Cover the dough with a sheet of aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until pastry is dry and firm, about 15 minutes longer. Cool completely.
• Make the filling: in a saucepan over medium heat, combine the chestnuts, milk, cream, sugar and a pinch of salt. Use the tip of a knife to scrape the vanilla seeds into the pot and then drop in the pod. Simmer until chestnuts are very soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool. Discard vanilla pod.
• Purée the filling in a food processor until very smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape into the tart shell and smooth the top.
• Make the whipped cream: whip the cream and confectioners' sugar until thickened. Whip in the rum. Spread the whipped cream over the chestnut filling. Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate curls over the top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

RUM CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Crumble the ginger snaps in a food processor and add the melted butter.
• Use this mixture to line a deep pie plate or spring form pan. Bake this at 325°F for 19 minutes.
• Beat the egg yolks well, and add the sugar. Soak the gelatin in the cold water and heat gently over low flame until fully dissolved.
• Pour over sugar and egg mixture, stirring briskly. Whip the cream until stiff. Fold in the egg mixture and flavor with the rum.
• Cool in the refrigerator until mixture begins to set and pour into the pie shell. Chill until firm and garnish with chocolate curls and chopped nuts.

BANANA RUM CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Stir together crumbs, butter, curry powder, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a bowl with a fork until combined well. Reserve 1 tablespoon crumb mixture for garnish and press remaining crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake crust 10 minutes, then cool completely in pie plate on a rack, about 20 minutes.
• Beat together cream cheese, zest, and remaining 6 tablespoons brown sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
• Beat cream with rum in another bowl with cleaned beaters at medium speed until it holds soft peaks. Gently stir one third of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly.
• Thinly slice bananas and arrange evenly over bottom of crust. Spread all of cream filling over bananas, then sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over top. Chill pie, loosely covered, 20 minutes.