Home of Economy-Herald pie recipes: Handford's 'Passion Fruit, Mango and Chocolate Pie' an exotic entry
Dec. 6—At first glance, it was impossible to correctly predict the flavor of Mallory Handford's entry into the Home of Economy-Grand Forks Herald Pie Bake-off earlier this year.
With that rich yellow hue, it had to be lemon, right?
Nope. Handford's creation was "Passion Fruit, Mango and Chocolate Pie," a creation that tested the visual perception of even the most keen pie connoisseur. With its multiple flavors and varied ingredients, it probably was the most exotic of all of the pies submitted in the four-week tournament, which included 16 bakers and 30 pies overall.
Following is Handford's recipe for "Passion Fruit, Mango and Chocolate Pie." During the holiday season, the Herald will be publishing the recipes of all 30 pies entered in this year's Home of Economy-Grand Forks Herald Pie Bake-off.
Recipes will variously publish in print, e-editions and online and will be compiled on the Herald's website.
Baker: Mallory Handford
Hometown: Grand Forks
Business sponsor: American Crystal Sugar Co.
Pie Crust
20 chocolate sandwich cookies
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp white sugar
Directions:
* Preheat oven to 350° F
* In a food processor, grind the chocolate sandwich cookies into fine crumbs
* Add melted butter and sugar, pulse to combine
* Put the mixture into a pie plate and, using your hands or bottom of a glass, firmly press the crumbs until you have an even layer across the bottom and sides
* Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes, then remove from the oven and cool completely
Ganache
1 cup heavy cream
12 oz dark chocolate, chopped
4 Tbsp butter, room temp, cut into small pieces
Directions:
* Heat the cream to just barely a simmer
* Combine the chocolate and butter in a bowl
* Pour warmed cream over chocolate, ensuring everything is below the surface of the cream. Cover immediately with plastic wrap.
*
Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir briefly. If there are any significant number of unmelted pieces still, re-cover and let sit for another few minutes
Stir the ganache only as much as needed to make a glossy, smooth mixture; over stirring can break the ganache
* Once fully combined, pour into the cooled pie crust and chill until set, approximately 1-2 hours
Passion Fruit Curd
1 cut Passion fruit juice
* Medley is ok; pineapple is a good substitute
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
* Skip if using pineapple
6 Tbsp butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/2 packet gelatin
Directions:
* Put the passion fruit juice into a small pot and reduce over medium heat until roughly 1/3 cup remains
* Add gelatin when reduction is almost complete
* While juice is reducing, whisk together yolks, sugar, salt and lemon juice in a bowl until mixture is light yellow and fluffy
* Once the juice is done reducing, temper it into the yolk mixture
* While whisking, pour in a very small amount of the juice, whisk, repeat until all liquid is added
* Return the juice mixture to the pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick. Remove immediately and strain using a fine mesh sieve.
* Add butter slowly until completely incorporated into strained mixture
* Pour the curd on top of the cooled ganache layer, spread evenly
* Place a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the curd, to prevent skin from forming and refrigerate until cold
Mango Coulis
800 g (1.8 lbs) mango, fresh or frozen
2 small or 1 large lime, juiced
60 g (3 Tbsp) caster sugar
1/2 packet gelatine
Directions:
* Peel and slice the mango into small cubes and place them into a small pot
* Add the caster sugar and lime juice, and stir to combine
* Cook on low-medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until the fruit is very soft and starts to fall apart
* Stir occasionally to prevent burning
* Remove from stove and leave to cool for roughly 5 minutes
* Using an immersion blender, add gelatin and blend the cooked fruits until very smooth. It will take a few minutes to get a very smooth, thick sauce
* Once blended, taste the coulis and adjust the sweetness/acidity with a little bit more sugar or lime juice if needed
* Strain the coulis through a fine mesh sieve to remove any fibers or unblended fruit
* Pour coulis on top of curd, spread evenly and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming
* Cool in refrigerator
Remove an hour or two before serving. Enjoy.
