Raspberries are all over the place now, and at a relatively decent price, so I opted this time to make a Raspberry Cream Pie, for the first time, ever.
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| Raspberry Cream Pie |
I have not had really great results most times I attempt a "cream" pie. To date, Coconut Cream has been a total disaster. Lemon Meringue Pie as well, the first two times, and though the Lemon part came out well on the third try, the meringue is still not up to my standards. I wasn't sure how this Raspberry Cream Pie would come out, but used the Lemon Curd recipe I have as a template recipe when making the Raspberry Curd part of this recipe. Some slight alterations were in order, since raspberries are nowhere near as tart as lemons, so less sugar, and also, a couple less egg yolks, since I wanted to use gelatin to assure a good texture that would hold its shape.
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| Raspberry Cream Pie |
Ever since I first mixed whipped cream with Mascarpone cream to make a very stable type of whipped topping, I have just been in love with it; both the flavor itself, and the fact that it will hold without weeping for days in the fridge. I wanted to have a whipped topping for the pie, but also wanted some to fold into the raspberry curd itself, for both lightness and volume. I like a 1:1 ratio of whipping cream and Mascarpone, and for this application, I used 1 cup (8 ounces) of heavy whipping cream and 8 ounces of Mascarpone. About ⅔ of the cream mixture went folded into the raspberry curd, and the remaining third was left to adorn the top of the pie.
Making these type of pies is always a bit finicky, what with having to make the curd, then mix in the gelatin while it's hot, then that delicate balance of having the resulting mixture cool enough to begin holding shape, not too hot, or the whipped cream would melt, but not set so much that the whipped cream mixture cannot be folded in smoothly. As it is, careful as I was, I still passed that line by a tiny smidgen, so there are a few noticeable streaks of raspberry curd bits that gelled in there. Not much, but just enough to make it imperfect.
There is NOTHING wrong with the flavor though, or the texture. It came out just the consistency I wanted. It held shape perfectly when being cut, came out cleanly and still held just find as the slices of pie sat waiting for us during supper.
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| Raspberry Cream Pie |
One thing that I dislike about making these kind of pies is the crust. Since the crust must be blind baked before filling, the pie shell will tend to shrink and not be nearly as pretty as a pie baked with a filling inside it. Oh well.
To start with, I wanted this to be a real fresh raspberry pie, and not something with raspberry flavored gelatin to make an artificial color or flavor. No artificial whipped cream either. In looking to see what others were doing with raspberry cream pies, I cannot begin to say how many started with precisely those two items: Raspberry Jello and Cool Whip! Yikes. That is so not me. So I started with 18 ounces of fresh raspberries and cooked them in a saucepan until very soft. I first put them through a food mill, which removed a lot of the seeds but not all, then passed the resultant puree through a strainer to catch any remaining seeds (as well as any egg that may have cooked beyond smooth thickening of the curd!). I wanted it smooth, and it was. The texture is dreamy!
Raspberry Cream Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie |
| Raspberry Cream Pie |
1 baked, 9-inch pie shell
RASPBERRY FILLING:
18 ounces fresh raspberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces), at soft room temperature, not melted
8 large egg yolks
Pinch salt
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1 packet unflavored gelatin
¼ cup water
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1 cup heavy whipping cream, well chilled
1 cup (8-ounces) Mascarpone cream, room temperature
2 - 3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
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fresh raspberries, to decorate
Have the pie shell baked and cooled, then set aside.
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| Food Mill |
While the berries are cooking, set the gelatin into the water and let bloom for at minimum 10 minutes; longer is fine, if needed while processing berries.
In a separate saucepan, stir together the egg yolks, granulated sugar, butter and pinch of salt until combined. Turn the burner on to low to medium low heat and whisk or stir constantly until the butter is melted and the yolks are well combined, then add in the raspberry puree. Continue stirring/whisking until the mixture thickens slightly and wisps of steam appear. If at any time it looks like the mixture is starting to simmer, remove from heat and stir briskly. Once slightly thickened, remove from heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin. Mix until gelatin is completely melted and combined. Set the mixture aside, stirring now and again to cool, or set over a bowl of ice cubes, stirring to cool. Do not allow the mixture to set!
Once the mixture is at room temperature, whip the heavy cream until very soft peaks form, then add in the confectioner's sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Add the Mascarpone all at once and beat only just to combine. Pour about ⅔ of the whipped cream mixture into the cooled raspberry mixture. Fold gently until there are no white streaks left. Chill the mixture until it will mound but is not completely set. Pour the mixture into the baked pie shell, mounding slightly in the center. Place the pie in a sealed container and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
When ready to serve, dollop the remaining whipped cream mixture over top, or pipe with a large open star tip. Decorate with fresh raspberries and a mint sprig, if desired.
My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.
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