Food Challenge featuring Milk Bar pie: Pecan pie without pecans

Copycat Milk Bar (formerly known as Crack) pie

A childhood friend recently celebrated her milestone birthday with a large order from Milk Bar consisting of birthday cake and cookies,  packed thoughtfully in to-go boxes for guests. Happy that I attended the virtual Zoom party with mutual friends but bummed that I couldn't greet her in person while recovering from a bug (not the 'rona), I felt that FOMO feeling. So I went on the Milk Bar site to consider placing a modest order for myself, but the cost and logistics of it all made me feel like I really shouldn't. However, what I should do, I told myself, is to at least make something off the website.*

I've made Milk Bar's Cornflake Chocolate Chip cookies before and despite accidentally adding too much salt, they still tasted great. When I saw the recipe for Milk Bar (formerly known as Crack) pie, I said to myself, "I can do that."

I don't have a stand mixer recommended by Milk Bar's official online recipe, so I used this great copycat recipe from If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen: 


On my day off, I went to the grocery store with my list of missing ingredients. When project ideas come into my head, I get into work mode. It's weird: If I don't do what I picture in my mind, I overanalyze and obsess over it until it's accomplished. I guess that's a good thing. 

So I postponed my GoT bingewatching to get this done. On the surface, it looks simple enough until you actually start following the recipe. There are just so many steps! And so much waiting, including a 2-hour oven rack cooldown followed by an overnight chill in the refrigerator.

Finally, today, after saving my appetite, I take the chilled pie out from the refrigerator for its ceremonial dusting and first-piece cutting. 

All the recipe posts are right: It's gooey. It's thick. It's dense. I pierced the pie with my sharpest paring knife and watched it remain stuck at an angle against the surface, resembling a sun dial from school books.

After slicing myself a not-so-precise eighth of pie, I take a bite. 

It tastes like ... pecan pie without the pecans. It's also rich and seriously sweet. I felt full but also a little guilty from eating it, because my sweet tooth has softened over time. It would pair excellently, though, with vanilla ice cream or some black coffee. 

I portioned out the rest of the slices into sandwich bags and containers to store long-term in the freezer, with a couple of slices in the refrigerator. 

I'm glad I didn't order this online and made it myself! Would I make this again?

I would, but not for me to eat alone! I would take this to a party whenever social distancing ends.

*[I appreciate Ms. Tosi for doing this. Whereas many in the world of food circles both big and small fiercely protect their recipes, Milk Bar provides them on their website, much like open-source software.]

Montage


Not so precise


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