Easy Fresh Berry Brownie Pie

 Every single day I bake pies. I know. It's awesome!   At Bistro 'a la mode, they change every single day as the pie Du jour so I have the chance to come out with remarkably delicious concoctions. It's an Evil Think Tank every day of the week. I wish you all could be there with me! One of the pies from this week was the fresh berry brownie pie. Usually we serve the Black Forrest Brownie Pie where there is a full enshrinement of flaky buttery crust around the brownie and pie filling. Usually people freak-out and cry tears of joy at the warm brownie and tart cherry filling with nuances of citrus and amaretto. I always, always get asked how I bake a brownie inside a crust like that. It's top secret my darlings. 

This week I just baked the brownie in the pie shell open so I could top it with gobs of ridiculous dark chocolate orange truffle ganache and bury luscious fresh berries in the gooey ridiculousness.   It was quite successful. 

 The top secret trick? Bake your brownies first.  I use my  Tried and True Evil Brownies topped with the ganache from the original recipe on the blog. They are always moist and remarkable. When chilled, they cut up perfectly and the ganache has its own distinct layer of love. See?

My Chef Tess Brownies
1 1/4 cup butter
4 cups sugar
1T vanilla,
2 tsp rum extract
1 T cinnamon
1 T orange zest
1/2 tsp ground Cayenne pepper
8 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1 T salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream the butter,sugar, eggs, vanilla, and spice until light. Add the flour, cocoa, and salt, mixing 2 minutes. Pour int a lightly greased bar pan (at least 9inch by 13inch by 3) Bake 40-45 minutes--slightly under-cooked is better than overdone and dry. Cover with ganache and toasted almonds:

Ganache
16 oz. high quality chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp almond extract 

Directions: Boil cream with the zest and almond extract. Place chocolate in a metal bowl and pour hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Stir with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over brownies when they are cool. Allow to cool...if you can wait that long and cut into squares.

For the pie, cut into squares and strips and mold them into the bottom of an unbaked pie shell. See: My perfect pie crust recipe there's also a tutorial there on how to make my crust. 

 Bake at 375 degrees for 17-20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the brownie ganache has melted. The brownie will appear to have been baked in the shell. 

 Top with fresh berries of your choice.  I used fresh strawberries, rasberries, and blackberries and then I drizzled them with Melba sauce. 

That's it! Easy and delicious!

Have an amazing Memorial Day weekend my darlings!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess