I didn’t think it was possible. But I actually managed to find something that surpassed crack pie in the amazingness stakes. No really.
Yes, I give you BLONDIE PIE!
I’m a big fan of the blondie anyway, and it heartens me to know a few of my friends use my white chocolate and apricot blondie recipe a lot. But then, sticking it in wibbly pie form, with a salty digestive crust and a ton of peanut brittle running through it. Well, that really does just make everything better. And of course anything as trash dessert good as this has to come from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook.
Remnants of tasty pie
I cannot overstate how tasty this is. I took it to a BBQ and it got polished off very quickly (almost as quickly as the ridiculously awesome aged beef that was also proffered).
This also benefits from actually being easier and quicker to make than crack pie. No freaking out about using a handheld electric whisk when the recipe says you shouldn’t. And no freezing either. Brilliant.
The recipe specifies that cashew brittle pairs best with this. But I have a bit of weirdness about cashews in sweet things (all that waxy fatness – weird with sugar). No such weirdness about peanut brittle though. I love the stuff. So in it went.
So, blondie pie. Christina Tosi, you are a genius.
Blondie pie – taken from Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi
Fills a 20cm wide tart dish (I reduced original quantities to 3/4 of the amount in order to fill my tart dish)
For the base:
143g crushed digestives
15g skimmed milk powder
19g caster sugar
1/2tsp salt
41g butter, melted
41g double cream
The filling:
160g white chocolate
55g butter
2 egg yolks
40g caster sugar
120ml double cream
52g plain flour
1/2 quantity of peanut brittle (see below)
1tsp fine salt
Peanut brittle:
1 cup/225g caster sugar
1/2 cup / approx. 70g skinned peanuts
To make the peanut brittle:
1. Line a baking tray with a silicon baking sheet or oiled parchment if you don’t have one (I won’t pretend this will result in your brittle coming away easily – you may end up with bits stuck to your tray).
2. Heat the sugar in a heavy-bottomed small saucepan (the heavy bit is important – it helps to ensure the sugar melts evenly). As soon as it starts melting, use a heatproof spatula to stir it constantly until it has all melted. Cook and stir continuously until the caramel is a deep amber colour – this should take around 3-5 minutes.
3. As soon as it is the colour you want, take the pan off the heat and stir in the peanuts, making sure they are all completely covered in the caramel. Then spread the contents of the pan on your baking tray, trying to ensure it is spread as thinly as possible. As the brittle hardens very quickly, try to spread it out quickly (I’m rubbish at this).
4. Once completely cooled, place the brittle in a plastic bag and smash into as small pieces as you can with a rolling pin. Alternatively, pulse in a food processor until the pieces look like very small rubble.
To make the base:
1. Stir the dry ingredients together until well combined. Whisk the butter and cream together and then add to the dry ingredients until well combined.
2. The mixture should look like a bowl of small digestive clusters and should hold its shape if you squeeze it in your hand. Add a touch more melted butter if it feels too dry.
To make the filling:
1. Combine the butter and white chocolate together in a bowl and melt by placing over a pan of barely simmering water (ensuring the bowl does not touch the base of the pan). It really helps to ensure the butter is cubed and the chocolate is broken into small squares in order to aid even melting. Once melted, leave to cool for a few minutes.
2. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Pour in the chocolate – butter mixture and whisk further to combine. Slowly pour in the cream and whisk again until all combined.
3. Toss the half quantity of peanut brittle, flour and salt together in a small bowl until well mixed and then fold this into the blondie filling.
To put it all together:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 170 degrees C.
2. Place the digestive crust into your tart/pie tin. Using your hands, press the crust firmly into the tin, ensuring the bottom and sides are evenly covered, with no gaps or cracks.
3. Place the tin on a baking tray and pour in the blondie filling. Bake for 30 minutes, or until it feels slightly set in the centre and a darker colour at the edges.
4. Once you want to eat, spread the rest of the brittle over the top of your pie.
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