Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Battle of the Pies: Butterscotch Cream vs. Lemon Chess

For some reason, my friends and family have the idea that I love desserts, particularly pies. Two years ago, I received my first pie cook book from a good friend for my birthday. That book, the
Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book  by the Elsen sisters, inspired me to make and write about pies. I received another cook book for pies from my stepson and his wife on my recent birthday. The title of the book is First Prize Pies, and was written by Allison Kave, who also has a pie shop in Brooklyn! I must admit that this new book was one of my favorite birthday gifts this year - another way to get pie recipes and make pies! So I decided to make a pie from each book, and invite my sister-in-law and a friend over to try these out and compare pies from different pie experts.

From the new cook book, First Prize Pies, I decided on the Butterscotch Cream pie, and from my old standard Elsen sisters book, I chose the Lemon Chess pie. Since I have talked about the Lemon Chess pie before, I will describe the new pie, the butterscotch, in today's blog. The butterscotch cream used a regular butter, prebaked  crust. The creamy filling consisted of whole milk, sea salt,cornstarch, eggs, butter, dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, and Scotch whisky. The whipped cream topping had the usual heavy cream and powdered sugar, but used Scotch whisky instead of vanilla extract! The filling was cooked over the stove, with ingredients added in stages. Once the pie shell is filled, it is put in the fridge for about 5 hours, to set up. The whipped topping is spread on top before serving.

Fortunately, this cream pie set up beautifully in the fridge. Once I added the topping, I enjoyed the creamy texture. The butterscotch was a different cream pie flavor that was refreshing, and surprisingly light. This pie is also very aesthetically pleasing. It is a pie that would get one's attention in a pie shop! It was also relatively easy to prepare, and not a difficult or time consuming pie. I liked the fact that you can make it in advance, and then add the topping when ready to serve.

So tonight my sister-in-law, who considers herself to be a pie expert, and another friend, came over to sample these pies. They loved both pies, but I needed them to commit to butterscotch or lemon chess. The verdict:  my pie taster sister-in-law chose the Elsen sisters' lemon chess, while my friend preferred the butterscotch cream of Allison Kave ! So in the showdown between pies from two different pie shops, it was a dead heat! However, if I had to give my vote, I would vote for the Lemon Chess. Stay tuned for further pie reviews from both books - let the fun begin!!




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