pie

Make the crust

• Use a food processor to pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the shortening and butter to form coarse crumbs. Add the vinegar and the minimum 6 tablespoons water. [Note that the vinegar may smell quite strong but that will bake away.] Pulse repeatedly. If the dough doesn’t start to come together, drizzle in more water and pulse more but don’t overwork.
• Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and press together into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Chill in fridge for at least an hour, or up to a few days.
• Line jelly roll pan with a large piece of foil that covers bottom and up all four sides. Apply nonstick spray.
• Roll out the dough to create a very large rectangle, about 13×18, and use the rolling pin to lift it into the pan. Press crust in, folding over excess dough and crimping. Chill pan in fridge, uncovered, for at least an hour.
• Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Line the interior of the crust with foil. Fill up with pie weights or dried beans.
• Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes, until turning golden at edges. Carefully use the foil to lift the pie weights onto another pan to cool completely.
• Return the crust to the oven to bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until golden across the bottom. Transfer to a rack to cool.
• Reduce oven temperature 325 degrees.

Make the filling

• Place butter and chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between each pass, until melted and smooth.
• Mix the sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt into the chocolate. Follow up with the half & half, vanilla, whole eggs, and yolks until smooth without any streaks of egg.
• Pour filling into the cooled crust. Bake until pie is set with only a slight jiggle to the middle, 25 to 35 minutes.
• Transfer to a rack to cool. A bench knife will be easier to cut the pie within the pan, but regular sharp knife will also do. Serve warm or at room temperature. It is best with ice cream, Cool Whip, canned dairy cream, etc.

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Make crust

• Place the butter, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and heat on medium until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is fully melted.
• In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the butter mixture to thoroughly moisten.
• Place tart pan on a cookie sheet. Press crumbs evenly across the base and sides of the tart pan. Use the cookie sheet to place pan in fridge for at least 1 hour, or freeze for 15 minutes.

Make filling

• In a medium saucepan, bring the heavy cream and espresso powder to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chocolate and butter; let them stand for 2 minutes, then stir until glossy and smooth. Pour the ganache into the crust and smooth out with an uneven spatula.
• Chill tart in fridge until it’s starting to set, about 20 minutes, then sprinkle flaked sea salt over top.
• Put back in fridge to chill until completely set, at least an hour. Carefully pop the tart pan's outer ring off. Place base onto a cake plate or other serving dish. Cut off slices to serve. Serve with a drizzle of caramel on top, or use honey or fruit preserves. Would also be great with ice cream.
• Cover tart with foil to store in fridge. Will keep well for at least 6 days.

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Make the pie crust

• Combine flour and salt. Cut in the cold butter until crumbly. Gradually add in ice water, pausing to mix with hands every so often. Stop adding water when the dough comes together. Shape into a disk and encase in plastic wrap to chill for at least an hour or for a day.

Shape crust

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
• Lightly flour a clean, flat surface. Roll out dough to roughly fit the pan (hold the pan over the dough to gauge the correct shape). Press dough into pan so that it goes evenly across bottom and up all four sides. Pinch off excess dough and use that to patch and extend elsewhere. It doesn’t need to be pretty, as it will largely be covered by filling.
• Place crust in fridge to chill.

Make filling

• Melt the two sticks of butter in microwave or on stovetop. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, and salt, scraping bottom to incorporate. Stir in flour, melted butter, and vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Pour filling into chilled crust. Sprinkle pecans all over top.
• Cover top loosely with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil. Bake another 30 minutes. Check for doneness; the pie is done when the top is golden and a butter knife tip inserted in the middle comes out clean. Pie may need as much as 15 more minutes to finish baking, meaning the total baking time can range from 50 to 105 minutes.
• Cool in pan on wire rack, then place in fridge to fully set and chill. Use foil to lift pie onto a cutting board to slice into bars.
• Store bars in sealed container in fridge. Best eaten within a few days.

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Make the dough

• Stir together the flour and salt. Use a knife to dice up butter. Use a fork and fingers to break the butter down to small pieces, coated in flour.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of the water and stir in. Add tiny increments, mixing between each addition, just until the dough can form clumps when pressed. Form into a cohesive ball.
• Place down two long pieces of plastic wrap. Use the food scale to divide dough in half. Compress each lump into a small disk. Encase each in plastic wrap and chill until firm, for at least 30 minutes or as long as a day or two.

Make filling

• Begin by preparing the apple or apples. Peel, core, and halve. Cut one half into thin slices. Transfer these slices to a bowl and toss with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Reduce the other half of the apple(s) to small pieces by either finely dicing or grating on the large holes of a box grater. Place pieces in bowl. Toss with other 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Stir in the flour, pumpkin spice, and salt.
• On a lightly-floured piece of parchment, roll each chilled dough disk into a rounds about 6-inches in diameter. Divide the diced/grated apple mixture between the rounds; this will be about 1/4 cup in each. Spread out apple bits to form even layers in the center, leaving a 1-inch ring of bare dough around the edge.
• Arrange apple slices on top of the grated apple, overlapping in circles.
• Cut 1-inch slits in dough edge, each about 2-inches apart. Fold flaps in toward center, overlapping them. Press lightly to seal.
• Use the parchment to move galettes onto a baking sheet. Chill uncovered for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Start preheating oven at 425.

Add topping

• Crack egg into small bowl. Lightly beat in half & half, milk, or water. Use a pastry brush to coat the folded-over dough crust on each galette. Sprinkle the maple or turbinado sugar over the crust.
• Bake the apple tarts for about 20 to 25 minutes. If desired, drizzle caramel over the apple center of each galette. Place back in oven to bake another 5 minutes. Apple slices in center will be fork-tender when the tarts are done.
• Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve.

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Make the crust

• Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Use a food processor to process the graham crackers to fine crumbs; there should be about 1 1/3 cups. Pulse in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse to combine. (Wipe out the food processor–no need for a deep clean yet.)
• Transfer everything to a 9-inch pie plate. Press crumbs evenly up the sides and along the bottom of the pan.
• Bake until the crust is set and the edges have just started to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Make the filling

• Transfer the dulce de leche to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring, until softened just enough to stir easily. This will take about 1 minute. Set aside 3 tablespoons dulce de leche for topping.
• Into the food processor, add the majority of the dulce de leche, pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Process just until smooth–don’t overdo.
• Pour into the crust. Place the crust on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is just set with a slight wobble in the very center, 35 to 45 minutes.
• As the pie finishes up baking, warm the reserved dulce de leche in the microwave until you can drizzle it. As soon as the pie comes out of the oven, drizzle with the dulce de leche.
• Let cool completely. Serve with Cool Whip or canned cream. Store pie covered in fridge; it keeps for at least 4 days.

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Preparing the crust

• Let pie dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out dough into a 14-inch round. Wrap it around the rolling pin to transfer it to a pie dish. Shape it into pan, cutting back overhang and crimping edges as desired.
• Set on a rimmed baking sheet and prick bottom and sides all over with fork tines. Freeze for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven with a rack in the lower third of oven. Line the frozen pie crust with parchment paper and filled to brim with pie weights. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes; check part way and cover edges with foil if they brown too quickly. At the end, the edges should look set and dry.
• Use parchment to lift out the pie weights onto another cookie sheet to cool. Put pie back in oven for another 20 to 25 minutes, monitoring it. If the crust puffs, use a flat metal measuring cup or similar device to press crust down. By the end, the bottom crust should look golden and dry. Let crust cool on baking sheet.

Assembling pie

• Reduce oven temperature to 350-degrees.
• Place pecans on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes to roast, stirring halfway through. They should be dark and fragrant.
• Place 5 ounces dates and 1/2 cup boiling water in food processor. Let sit for 10 minutes. Process until smooth, about a minute. Add eggs, brown sugar, bourbon, butter, kosher salt, vanilla bean paste/extract, and cinnamon. Process until smooth, about a minute.
• Remove bowl and blade from food processor. Stir in pecans and remaining dates. Scrape the filling into the crust.
• Bake pie for 45 to 55 minutes, rotating halfway through. If the crust is getting too dark, protect edges with foil. At the end, the filling should no longer look shiny but be dry and set. Cool pie on wire rack and then chill at least 2 hours.
• Store covered with foil in fridge. Keeps well for days.

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