Pie Party

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place bottom crust in a shallow, nine-inch pie pan, and then refrigerate both crusts. Melt chocolate in a double boiler and stir in cream. Cool to room temperature, then brush onto the bottom crust. Chill a few minutes while you prepare pie filling. Combine sugar with tapioca starch or corn starch and toss with berries. Fill pie dish with berry mixture and top with other crust. Crimp edges and cut a few vent holes. Place on rack in the bottom third of oven and reduce heat to 400°F. After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 375°F. Bake for 30 more minutes, or until filling bubbles and crust is medium-brown. (If you use corn starch, the pie must bubble for three minutes in the center before it’s done.) Protect crust with foil if it starts to brown too quickly. Let cool for at least four hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place vegetables in casserole dish. Drizzle with peanut oil and roast 15 to 20 minutes in oven. (Keep in mind some vegetables roast more quickly.)

Heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot over medium heat. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add chicken to pot; sauté about three minutes on each side until lightly browned, adding more peanut oil as needed. Remove chicken and let sit. Separate cooking juices and discard oil. Return chicken and juices to pot, then add broth and orange juice. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes until chicken is just cooked through.

While chicken cooks, heat one and a half tablespoons of peanut oil in a large, thick-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until golden brown. Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles, and tear into one-inch pieces, then rinse. Add almonds, garlic, cumin, and coriander, and reduce heat slightly. Sauté until nuts and garlic begin to color, about two minutes. Stir in chiles and cook for about two minutes until they begin to soften.

Transfer chicken to large bowl and coarsely shred it, removing bones. Pour broth mixture into saucepan with onion mixture. Stir in raisins, orange zest, and oregano. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in chocolate, honey, and cinnamon. Let stand until chocolate melts and sauce mixture cools slightly, about 15 minutes.

Working in small batches, transfer sauce mixture to blender and puree, blending in up to a half cup of flour to thicken molé sauce. Return to reserved pot, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place unbaked crust in lightly buttered, 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Add a layer of molé, then chicken. Follow with another layer of molé, then vegetables, and repeat layering until the pie is full, topping it with molé sauce. Cover with crust. Crimp edges, and trim excess dough. Cut slits in top. Garnish with okra and tomato or bell pepper slices. Bake for 45 minutes, until the crust is golden and filling bubbles. If necessary, cover edge with foil to prevent burning. Remove from oven and allow to cool for one hour. Serve topped with crumbled goat cheese and cilantro.
 

Place pie crust in nine-inch pie pan, crimp edges to decorate, and chill in refrigerator. In a bowl, toss apples with sugar. In a large pan over medium heat, cook apples for about five minutes until just barely soft and beginning to release juices. Remove apples with slotted spoon. Add bourbon to juices and continue cooking. Reduce juice to about a third cup, then toss with apples. Sprinkle flour over apple mixture, stir, and set aside. In frying pan, cook bacon strips until some of the fat is released, but don’t brown. Keep strips flat and drain on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Fill crust with apples, and then weave bacon strips like a lattice crust. Cut strips at the inside rim of pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes. If the crust or bacon begins to brown, loosely cover with foil. Reduce heat to 375°F and continue baking for 30 minutes, until filling bubbles.

In a bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut half of butter into flour with your fingers or a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in remaining butter with pastry cutter until it is the size of peas. (In food processor, pulse 10 times.) Squirt lemon juice into water and add to flour gradually, tossing quickly with a fork until a bit of pastry holds together when squeezed in your hand. Form two patties. Do not overwork dough. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, but preferably overnight.

Crust
In a bowl, blend ingredients and form into walnut-size balls. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. On a lightly floured cutting board, roll each ball into an oval shape.

Filling
Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a bowl, beat egg and mix in cheese and parsley. Place one to two teaspoons filling in each oval crust. Fold, crimp edges, and brush tops with egg yolk. Bake on a sheet pan for 15 to 20 minutes, or until brown.