White Chocolate Mousse Cherry Pie

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! November has been a very busy month at our household, let me tell ya! Between birthdays and Thanksgiving, most weekends had something special planned with family and friends. I am not complaining though! It's a wonderful thing to celebrate special events with those you love. :)
One of them is my dear husband's birthday! I had been asking for a while what he wanted on his birthday... he will eat anything dessert-y that I make, but when it comes to that special treat, he had to think for a bit. Then I brought this magazine home:

And he was sold by the cover picture! White Chocolate Mousse Cherry Pie. Wow! Just the title made my mouth water (not to mention the picture itself). 
So here is the recipe for this bad boy, because I know I'll have to make it again someday. Birthday boy enjoyed it!!!

Ingredients:
CRUST:
-16 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (aka Oreos)
-3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
-2 Tbsp butter, melted
FILLING:
-1 Tbsp cornstarch
-2 Tbsp water
-1 can (21oz) cherry pie filling
-1/2 tsp almond extract
WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:
-1 cup cold milk
-1 package (3.3oz) instant white chocolate pudding mix
-1 envelope unflavored gelatin
-3 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
-1/4 cup sugar
-1/4 tsp almond extract
GARNISH:
-chocolate curls and drizzle, optional

Directions:
CRUST: 
1. Preheat oven to 350F.  In a food processor, combine the cookies and nuts; cover and process until cookies are finely chopped. Add butter; cover and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Press onto bottom and up the sides of ungreased 9-in deep dish pie plate. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool completely on wire rack.
FILLING:
1. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small saucepan until smooth. Stir in pie filling. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for one minute or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in the extract. Cool completely.
MOUSSE:
1. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set; set aside. In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cream; let stand for one minute. Heat over low heat; stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat.
2. In a large bowl, beat remaining cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and extract; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in gelatin mixture. Fold into pudding. Refrigerate until slightly firm, about 30 minutes.
ASSEMBLY:
Spread cooled filling onto crust; top with mousse. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Garnish with chocolate curls and drizzle if desired.

Recipe from Taste of Home (Special Editions) - Cooking School Cookbook, Fall 2012

Que? Lime Pie

Like the name for my pie? I have been watching “The Next FoodNetwork Star” show, and in one of the episodes, a team of chefs wanted to make a key lime pie, but could not find any key limes, so they made a regular lime pie, but added the “Que?” as in “What?” in Spanish. I know, I know… it’s a bit corny, but I love silly jokes! I’m one who laughs her head off at the silly jokes on Laffy Taffy candy wrappers… *head slumps down in embarrassment*

Anyways, back to the pie. I made this pie for this year’s 4^th of July gathering at my mother-in-law’s house. Both my husband and his mom love key lime pie, so I thought I would attempt making one. The key limes at the store weren’t looking so hot, so when I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks, I knew I had to make it! I modified it a little bit by decreasing the amount of crust that it originally calls for, and I also added the meringue topping, as my husband INSISTED on a meringue topping. Now if you know my husband, you can attest that he is very laid back and doesn’t put his foot down for much (usually that’s my job), so when he was so adamant about the meringue topping, I just had to oblige. And I must say it was a good change! The meringue topping recipe is from Paula Deen’s lemon meringue pie recipe.

I want to try this same recipe one day and actually make it with lemons instead, to see how it turns out. I think you could make it with either key limes, limes, or lemons and it would be wonderful. Bom apetite!

A half eaten pie was all I could get in my camera, sorry!

“Que?” Lime Pie

Ingredients:

Crust

·         1 1/2 cup Graham Cracker crumbs

·         ¼ cup sugar

·         6 Tbsp unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted

·         One 9-inch pie plate (I used a glass one)

Filling

·         4 whole egg yolks, room temperature
·         3/4 cup lime juice (~ 3 limes juiced)
·         1 Tbsp lime zest

·         1 can (14 Oz) sweetened condensed milk
·         1/3 cup heavy cream

Meringue Topping

·         4 egg whites, room temperature

·         1/2 tsp cream of tartar

·         6 Tbsp superfine sugar (if not available, process regular sugar until fine in a food processor)
·         1/2 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust:
Crush crackers in a food processor or Ziploc bag. Pour them into a bowl and stir in sugar and melted butter with a fork. Press mixture into bottom and sides of pie plate and bake for 5 minutes or until golden and set. Remove from oven and set aside to cool to room temperature before adding the filling.

For the filling:
Beat egg yolks in a mixing bowl until smooth and slightly lighter in color. Add in lime juice, lime zest, condensed milk and heavy cream and mix on high until smooth and thick. Pour mixture into crust and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly before adding the topping.

For the meringue topping:

Mix sugar and cornstarch together; set aside. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar mixture until stiff peaks form. Spread over filling; seal to edge of crust. Set oven to broil mode and bake for 1 minute or so (don't take your eyes off; it browns very fast!) Alternatively, bake for 10 minutes on 350 degrees F or until meringue is golden brown.

Remove from oven, allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour—more if possible.

Recipe adapted from the following recipes:

Pioneer Woman Cooks

Food Network – Paula Deen