Whiskeyed's Reviews
2 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 2Sort by: Title 
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The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
Chocolate Pecan Blasts : page 313
A show stopping, individually portioned, wonderful dessert that has four components -- so beware that it is labour intensive. However, it can be frozen so it needn't be prepared the same day it will be served (an added bonus if it will be the dessert for a dinner party!).
The description of the recipe is bang-on as it is not overly sweet but has the subtle nuances of mocha, pecans, caramel and chocolate -- and all of the wonderful textures from a cookie crust, mousse, caramel, nuts and ganache. Plan to make this over a couple of days, as some components require chilling prior to assembly. None of the components are particularly difficult to make, but a good thermometer is useful for the mousse.
I have made this recipe only once, several years ago, but I've still got vivid memories of it. It is not a dessert that will be made often, but it will be remembered for a long time. (My pics are still of the film era!)
useful (2)
Great Pumpkin Pie : page 198
This is an excellent pumpkin pie from the crust to the filling. The gingersnap/pecan crumble is wonderful and adds a nice contrast to the silky filling. On a positive, Rose recommends the use of canned pumpkin due to its consistent puree -- so no cooking of pumpkin. Instead of using the food processor to puree the filling, I've used an immersion blender with good results and fewer dishes.
The checkerboard crust design is cute and a neat one to use on a pie such as this.
useful (4)