Black Forest Pie Recipes

BLACK FOREST PIE

Steps:

• In a food processor, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt together. Pulse until combined.
• Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Run the food processor and add the yolk, then slowly add the water. Stop at 1/4 cup and test the mixture. It should look like wet sand, but come together when pressed. Add another tablespoon as needed.
• Turn the pie crust dough onto plastic wrap and form into a disc. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• Melt the chocolate for the ganache, if using. Stir in the heavy cream until it is well combined. Set aside until needed.
• Take out the dough and roll out into a circle 1/4 inch thick. Place in a pie pan fold in the edges under the dough so it is flush with the lip of the pan. Decorate as desired. Cover and freeze for 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• While the crust is freezing, mix together all the ingredients for the filling into a pan and heat on medium high. Cook until the cherries soften and juices have thickened considerably. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Remove the pie crust and cover with parchment paper, then fill with pie weights or dried beans or rice. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and discard the parchment and weights. Bake for another 5 - 8 minutes.
• Set aside to cool to room temperature. Brush the bottom of the pie with the ganache. Pour the cherries into the pie crust. Chill in the refrigerator.
• Beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and kirsch until iit forms stiff peaks.
• Top the pie with the whipped cream, then top with the shaved chocolate and fresh cherries.
• Best stored chilled in an air tight container.

BLACK FOREST PIE

Steps:

• Pie crust: In a food processor, add flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt and pulse to combine. Add cold butter, cut into 1 inch pieces, and pulse until you have pea size chunks of butter. Add vinegar and water and pulse until the dough starts to come together. Place on floured surface and knead until all flour is incorporated, it won't be smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough out and place in a pie pan, poke with a fork all over and let it chill while the oven preheats to 425º. Place a piece of parchment paper or foil covering the pie crust and add pie weights or dried beans etc. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the pie weights and parchment and continue to bake for 2-3 minutes until it is golden brown and looks dry. Cool completely.
• Ganache: Place the cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 15 seconds, then gently stir until it is smooth. Pour the warm ganache into the cooled pie crust and spread it evenly over the bottom. Let this cool for 15 minutes before adding the pie filling.
• Chocolate filling: In a saucepan, heat the milk and cream over medium heat until it simmers. Add chocolate and stir until melted. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt together then whisk in the egg yolks. Pour about a quarter of the hot chocolate into the egg mixture a tablespoon or so at a time, whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it is very thick and large bubbles form. 3-5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Pour on top of the ganache in the pie crust and cover with plastic wrap, with the wrap pressing directly onto the warm surface. Place in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes.
• Cherry Topping: In a saucepan, add cherries and lemon juice. In a small bowl stir surge and cornstarch together and add to the cherry mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the cherries are soft, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and bitters and spread out onto a cookie sheet to cool. Once cool, remove the plastic wrap from the chocolate pie filling and add the cherry mixture on top, spreading it evenly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Serve with whipped cream. (to make whipped cream combine a cup of heavy cream with 1/4 cup sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla and beat until medium peaks form.)

BLACK FOREST PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare pie crust according to package directions for filled 1-crust pie, using 1 tsp flour.
• In a saucepan combine sugar, cocoa and 2 tbs flour, then add butter and milk.
• Cook until mixture begins to boil, stirring constantly; remove from heat.
• Add a small amount of the hot mixture to the eggs and then return the mixture to the pan.
• Fold half the can of pie filling into the mixture in the pan.
• Pour into the crust.
• Bake 35-45 minutes or until center is set but still shiny.
• Cool and then chill at least one hour.
• Combine 2 cups of Cool Whip with the grated chocolate and spread over the cooled pie.
• Top with the remaining pie filling and then the remaining Cool Whip.
• Chill 1/2 hour.

BLACK FOREST MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• For the filling: Place the cherries and 1/3 cup of the sugar in a large pot and stir well to combine. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the cherries begin to soften and become juicy, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Whisk the remaining 2/3 cup sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the cherries and mix well to combine. Continue to cook until the mixture comes to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch pan to cool.
• For the pie crust: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is a circle about 1/4 inch thick and about 2 inches wider than the widest part of a 9-inch pie plate. Gently transfer the dough to the pie pan, lifting it at the edges to nudge it into the base and corners of the pie plate. If necessary, use scissors to trim off any excess dough so there's no more than about 1 inch all the way around the outer edge of the pie plate.
• Tuck the excess dough under the outer edge of the plate, then crimp the edge of the dough as desired. Dock the base and sides of the dough all over by pricking it with the tines of a fork, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place the pie crust on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a circle slightly larger than the pie plate and place it over the crust. Fill with pie weights to the top edge of the pie plate. Bake until the crust just starts to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and return the crust to the oven until the bottom appears dry and set, 2 to 3 minutes. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small pot, bring the cream to a boil over medium heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let sit for 15 seconds undisturbed, then stir to combine-the ganache should be thick and smooth.
• Pour the ganache into the base of the cooled pie crust and spread into an even layer. Pour the cooled cherry filling on top of the chocolate and spread into an even layer. Transfer the pie to the oven and bake until the filling bubbles and the crust is deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely.
• Shortly before you're ready to serve the pie, make the meringue: Bring a medium pot with about 2 inches of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place a medium heatproof bowl on top of the pot. Whisk the egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar, salt and vanilla together in the bowl. Continue to heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F on a thermometer. You can use an electric hand mixer to whisk it while it's heating (this is faster), or you can transfer the heated mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Whip the mixture on medium-high speed until it reaches medium-firm peaks, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Pile the meringue on top of the cooled pie; spread some meringue to the edges, but keep it piled a bit higher in the middle. If desired, toast the meringue with a kitchen torch.