It’s 2 o’clock Somewhere
If coconut is my husband’s greatest enemy, then coffee is his greatest ally. Besides his morning cup (extra dark, no sugar, powdered Coffee Mate), he looks forward every day to his afternoon cup at 2:00pm. I was 24 when I met him and before then, I’d never had a cup of coffee in my life. I’m still a tea drinker at heart, but now and then, I enjoy a steaming mug (extra light, flavored, no sugar, whatever dairy you’ve got).
When I came across this recipe in my Grandmother’s pie cookbook, I knew I had to try it. Coffee and Cream Pie is a single crust pie with a fluffy coffee filling. It’s dessert and drink all in one! Fellow java lovers, this one’s for you!
Baking Up Memories
Like I said, until the age of 24, I’d never had a cup of coffee in my life. Why? No interest. It was bitter. It was strong. And for the most part, I was able to get along without a hit of caffeine in the morning, even if I stayed up late the night before. It’s a pretty useful quirk…unless you’re my grandparents.
Let me explain.
Every summer as a kid, my parents would bring me to Pennsylvania for a week to visit my grandparents. It was just me and them, and I LOVED it! Our little adventures had me buzzing all day…and all night. When the moon rose, so did I. I’d wander into their room a little after midnight ready to talk, play, jump around. Generously, they’d entertain this for a little while. But it wasn’t long before my grandma burned out. (Who could blame her?) So my grandfather wrapped himself in his robe and herded me downstairs. We sat in the family room, him in his arm chair, and me in my grandma’s. He’d put a tape in the VCR (Disney or Don Bluth), and turned the volume down low. We’d fast forward to whichever musical number was my favorite and I gleefully watched. When it ended, I begged him to rewind the tape so we could watch it again…and again…and again, as the sun slowly crept through the window. Despite the lack of sleep, and the absolute mind-numbing repetition, my grandfather indulged my request every time, patiently hitting the rewind button, and sipping a hot cup of coffee.
The Result
Success!!!! Just look at the crust for this pie! This is the first time I’ve blind baked a crust without it shrinking!
The filling was insanely easy to make—basically coffee flavored whipped cream with unflavored gelatin folded into it to create a stable, mousse-y texture. Although the flavor was great, visually it was a bit, well…beige and boring. So I added some whipped cream florets, a dusting of cocoa powder, and some toasted slivered almonds. I think this pie could use a little more texture. So next time I would consider folding pieces of toffee into the filling for some crunch. Yum! Would definitely make this pie again!
