A Southern Grace: tea ain't always sweet, ya'll

October 10, 2013

tea ain't always sweet, ya'll

Yum

Another pie so soon? Well, folks, pie season is nearly upon us. Best to gird your loins now and get prepared.

It's a custard curtsy.

What's the prevailing accent where you live? I'm so fascinated by the idiosyncrasies of our language; I could look at maps like these and these all day. There are people from my southwestern Virginia hometown with really strong Southern accents, but I've pretty much shed my true redneck twang (though some may beg to differ). Of course, my pronunciation of some words still lets people know exactly where I was raised and I can definitely turn on the drawl when needed.

I was recently in Connecticut for my little brother's wedding(!)* and while there, I stopped at a coffee shop and ordered a chai. The girl behind the counter looked at me really quizzically for a minute, then finally asked, "What did you want?" So I guess that's some solid proof that I still say a few words with that special Southern twist.

*I met my brother's delightful and accomplished new sisters-in-law at the wedding and guess what--they both have food blogs! Go visit Claire and Mary and show them a little love!


This pie is definitely for fans of the chai latte. The custardy filling is a basic pastry cream flavored with cinnamon, and frankly, I'm not sure I could name something more wholly satisfying. The unique topping is just whipped cream with some chai tea latte concentrate beaten into it; the taste of chai is unmistakable and a fitting partner for the flavor of the aromatic and creamy filling. I'm really excited about how this pie turned out and I reckon ya'll orta give 'er a try right quick.

Chiii Piii
Adapted from Great Pies & Tarts
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
Crust:
  • 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 3 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
  • 4 tablespoons (or more) ice water
Filling:
  • 1-1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided use
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
Directions:
To make the crust, blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening; cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Process just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill 1 hour.
Roll out dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to 14-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under. Crimp edges decoratively. Pierce bottom of crust all over with fork. Freeze crust 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 20 minutes. Remove weights and foil. Bake until golden and set, about 10 minutes. Cool. (Crust can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature.)
For the filling, bring milk, cream, and 1/4 cup sugar to simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. In a bowl, whisk remaining 1/4 cup sugar and yolks until light in color, about one minute. Whisk in flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return to same saucepan; cook until pastry cream thickens and boils, stirring constantly. Boil one minute, then remove from heat. Dot the top of the cream with butter and set aside for 15 minutes. Mix in vanilla extract. Transfer filling to crust, smooth the top, then refrigerate at least one hour.
To make the topping, using an electric mixer, beat cream, sugar, and chai concentrate in a medium bowl until peaks form. Spread or pipe whipped cream all over the top of that magical filling.

30 comments:

Alicia Foodycat said...

This sounds really good - and very original!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Divine! This pie looks particularly good.

Cheers,

Rosa

Joanne said...

You have a whole family of food bloggers now! Super cool.

My family all has very strong NYC/Brooklyn accents though I've pretty much eradicated mine. Or so I like to think. :P

Chai = fall = love this pie.

Angie's Recipes said...

So creamy and irresistible!

Erica said...

I live in CT and I would love to meet you!Next time you have to send me a message,Grace! Going to check their blogs!

Rosita Vargas said...

Riquísimo se ve irresistible me encanta,abrazos.

Pam said...

I've never thought of making a chai pie... I am loving this idea! It looks and sounds fantastic.

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

Whenever I hear "gird your loins" I always think of the movie The Devil Wears Prada :)

Mmmm pie...

Beth said...

I love chai tea, and I think a chai pie is a wonderful idea!

Juliana said...

Wow Grace, this pie looks so good, if only I could get my fork through the computer screen...just a bite...
Yum!
Hope you are having a great week :D

Gloria Baker said...

look amazing Grace always I love some
pie!!xo

~~louise~~ said...

Did someone say Pie season? I'm in! Your pie sounds incredibly delicious, Grace.

My give-away word is coffee. As soon as I ask for a cup of coffee in a public place, I'm a dead give-away for a New Yorker! I'm still not sure why though, lol...

Thanks for sharing, Grace...

P.S. My daughter is majoring in linguistics at Idaho State. Fascinating...

Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies said...

The maps won't load for me right now, but I will have to try again. I love southern accents! Did you ever see the movie Grumpy Old Men? That's pretty much how it is around here, but that movie was set just a little ways from here too.

scrambledhenfruit said...

Well now, y'all know there's nothing wrong with a little southern accent. :) The pie looks yummy too!

CQUEK said...

All of you treats look and taste delectable.

Amy (Savory Moments) said...

I LOVE PIE SEASON! Yay! This one looks really delicious. I do enjoy Chai spices, so I know I would enjoy this pie.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

I just came back from Texas and New Orleans and I was so fascinated by the accent. I became very accustomed to saying "ya'll"! :P

Anonymous said...

this pie looks gorgeous...pure bliss in every delicious and creamy slice....thanks for sharing :-)

Lisa-Marie said...

I LOVE CHAI it's like Christmas in drink form.. And I love creamy stuff. I'm totally sold.

(For my birthday, my freind made me a Chai cake (kind if like a ginger cake) with ginger and lemon icing. It was frickin amazing)

Rosita Vargas said...

Se ve riquísimo muy tentador encantadora combinación super estupendo,abrazos.

Blond Duck said...

It's a custard curtsy. How cute!

I Wilkerson said...

Great idea for a pie Grace! And love you phonetic spelling ;-)

lisa is cooking said...

A chai pie, that's fabulous! The Texas southern accent is a version all its own. After living here for so long, I might be picking it up a bit.

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Oh yum! I love chai :) I love this recipe!!

vanillasugarblog said...

what a gorgeous sounding pie!
I would love to try some chai in my pie.
Hey! That rhymes! lol

Lyndas recipe box said...

I'm so happy that pie season is hear. I love your creation here With chai-would be super yummy!

Nic said...

How funny that your new sisters-in-law both have food blogs!
I'm loving this pie, great and interesting flavors.

Unknown said...

I've been told that my accent makes me sound like I am singing. Trinidadians do speak with an up and down cadence. We also say ya'll alot but the ' a' isn't as broad as in the Southern US. It sounds more like 'yawl'

dessert girl said...

Oh, yum! I'm never seen a chai pie before, but I must try it...soon!

CQUEK said...

yummy i love 2 slices