Mock Apple Pie

When you've been out of the kitchen and away for such a long time, it seems that cooking again can be daunting. During my travels I so much enjoyed having every delicious bite laid out for me, that the prospect of making anything myself seemed like a thing of the past. Now that I have returned home and settled in, I suddenly got the urge again, the desire to make something new and different. So I made something new and different, something I have never heard of before, Mock Apple Pie.

If anyone knows about this I would be curious to find out where and how they learned about it. When I saw this recipe I was immediately inspired to make it because it seemed so foreign for a riff on an All-American classic. You might wonder what it is if the apples in this really are 'mock.' Well, believe it or not, this crust is chock-full of a ritz cracker filling that has absorbed a mixture of cream of tartar, lemon juice and cinnamon. The original pictures fooled me and I imagine based on these pictures, you may have a hard time believing me too.

So, about the taste. When my mom tasted it she looked at me, slightly confused, and said, "wait, so what kind of apples did you use?" There is no doubt that this pie tastes like apples with a delicious hint of cinnamon.

Chocolate Pretzel Pie

There are some food combinations that just make sense, and others that make me wonder about people's mental states. Doritos and peanut butter? No thank you. Orange jello and vanilla pudding? Ditto. I shouldn't be so quick to judge because I enjoy certain things that most people would have the same reaction to: I dip cookies in water, peanut butter and cream cheese do go well together, and although I haven't tried it yet, I wholeheartedly believe that a french fry dipped in a milkshake must be pretty good. I guess everyone has their own tastes and preferences when it comes to bizarre flavor combinations, but some more unusual hybrids always garner cheers and a few "oh my god, I love those." It seems, that chocolate and pretzels actually are meant to be. A modern classic, I wouldn't call this combination weird, so much as unexpected. It is my belief that the success of this pairing just proves that these two are a match made in heaven; crunchy, smooth, sweet and salty, together they offer every possible type of texture and flavor you could want. The combination is ridiculously satisfying and dangerously addictive, it hits the spot no matter what you're craving.

This pie takes the chocolate covered pretzel to another level. I usually steer clear of recipes like this one, knowing that the beauty of a food is often in its simplicity. The way I see it, why mess with the chocolate covered pretzel when it is perfect as-is? However, something about this recipe inspired me. Maybe because I had already had it at the restaurant in New York where it was created, so I knew how good it would be. Maybe because I am scared of tempering chocolate so I would never make my own chocolate-covered pretzels. Whatever it was, this pie was good enough to make twice so far, and I have no doubt that a third time is on the way.

Despite a pretzel crust and a pretzel layer in the ganache, this pie has a much higher chocolate to pretzel ratio than the classic. Chocolate lovers will love this. I, however, don't love chocolate that much. What I love is the contrast of flavors and textures, so the second time I made this I increased the pretzel layer in the ganache.

Heaven on Earth/Crack Pie

This recipe was published in the LA Times on February 11th and I made it on February 12th. I am surprised I even managed to hold out that long, but somehow I waited patiently until I had enough time to devote to what was nothing short of a ritual experience. The Momofuku restaurants in New York have been my favorites for the past few years; in other words, since I discovered them. Every meal I have had there has been superlative and although I would give you a rundown of every delicious bite, that's not what this post is about. You see, first there were the restaurants, but then came the Milk Bar. At first I was intrigued by their signature cereal milk, but when I finally managed to get down there I learned that this bakery was so much more than a Milk Bar. As a living person, it seemed more or less like heaven on earth.

Corn cookies (now retired, but I still miss them deeply), Banana Cake with hazelnut crunch, cinnamon bun pie; all of these have graced the Milk Bar's menu. I assure you that anything that leaves the ovens of this bakery is sure to be outstanding. Excessive? Yes. Startling sweet? Yes. Buttery and rich? Yes and Yes. For this reason, going there is not a day-to-day occurrence but an occasion and a treat. And a treat it is, every single time I go. Every visitor I have had in New York gets to taste their delicacies and I am pretty sure everyone I know has heard me rave about it at least once. And finally, on February 12th I had the chance to recreate some of the exquisite deliciousness that exemplifies the Momofuku Milk Bar. Crack pie is one of their signature dishes, yet one of the few things I have never tasted en place. Well, from 300 miles north it tasted pretty unbelievable and I have a whole group of friends who still have the sugar high to prove it.

So why 'crack pie'? Because it's addictive and so good, like crack. The "cracki-ness" comes from the slightly salty toasted oatmeal cookie crust. It also comes from the luscious, buttery and sugary center and from the way part of the crust absorbs the filling creating a chewy marriage of flavors and textures that is more or less indescribable.