Sugarless Pear-Cranberry Pie with Crumble Topping

This one was another flop, though it was an educational one. A friend sent a vague recipe by email; I decided to take that vague recipe and wing it and go with my gut and modify as I went. The consequences? Not-quite-right filling (with painfully tart cranberries) and a soggy, mushy bottom crust. However, I think I've learned some lessons from my errors, which is after all why I'm doing all this pie experimenting to begin with. 

Coffee-Hazelnut Custard Pie

This may look delicious, but it was actually sort of a flop. The custard didn't really set and the crust came out hard and a bit leathery. Not one of my better pies. However, the recipe's pretty appealing, and I think I'll try again.

Chocolate Custard Cream Cheese Pie

Maybe just because it was New Year's Eve and everyone who tasted it was a little drunk, but this pie is one of the most ridiculously delicious things I've ever tasted. And everyone who scarfed a slice seemed to agree.

It's chocolatey, with a cream-cheese bite, and a texture midway between cheesecake and gelato. Pretty amazing. And it wasn't too difficult to prepare.

Chocolate Brownie Pecan Pie

This combination was even better than it sounds, thanks to an extremely (accidentally) crispy crust and some bourbon-vanilla whipped cream (not pictured). I can say without false modesty that this is one of the most delicious pies I've tasted, let alone made.

Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin

A reprise of my earlier pumpkin pie from October, only this time I think it turned out even better. I used Carolyn's all-butter crust technique. What's interesting is, I made it in a hurry, late late late, and cut corners, and basically did all the stuff that would usually make for a piesaster. But in this case, somehow it turned out pretty great: the filling (which Suzanne did the hard work on, because I was in such a calamitous rush) was creamy and pumpkiny and custardly delicious; the crust was flaky and crispy and buttery and light. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of the bourbon-cinnamon-vanilla whipped cream that I served it with. That really took it the extra step.

Sugarless Apple-Blackberry Pie

Suzanne and I, hippies that we are, are working on drastically reducing our sugar intake; which, as you might imagine, creates some challenges in the pie-making department. However, there are options. This one, for instance, from Ken Haedrich's book Pie (in case you're wondering, it's a book about pie), uses apple juice as a sweetener, and is pretty delicious (though next time around I think I'll slip some honey in there just to make it deliciouser).

Dueling Caramel Apple Pies

While we were gallivanting around celebrating Thanksgiving, some excellent neighbors fed and entertained our gluttonous, attention-starved cats. As a reward, I promised each of them a pie. (The neighbors, not the cats). I originally intended to customize the pie-making to individual preference, but wound up getting lazy and making the same type of pie for each: caramel apple. It's a hard, cruel, world. They don't seem too upset though.