10 Weeks ~ 10 Pies ~ 10 People ~ 10 Virtues

There’s no sweeter way to honor those who have impacted my life with virtue than by baking pie.  For the next 10 weeks, I will be spotlighting a pie each week that represents a special person in my life that has passed on one of life’s important virtues to me.

Week Four

Forgiveness, the greatest and most powerful of all the virtues, means to free or pardon someone from blame or resentment.  True forgiveness is rare and many never experience it due to the difficulty of restoring peace after being hurt or wronged.  Anger and resentment bring heaviness to the heart and it takes an immense amount of courage and compassion to release it.  To experience forgiveness is freeing and restores the heart to a wholeness, allowing it to love stronger and more deeply.  Research studies have shown that those who are able to forgive are more likely to be happier and healthier, experiencing less illness than those who hold on to resentment.

My own experience with forgiveness is a very personal one that I have shared with few.  It happened slowly over time and yet all at once which is a strange way to put it, but nothing so powerful is ever easy to explain, is it?  With empathy and understanding came the ability to appreciate that no two people see through the same lens or walk in the same pair of shoes.  We make the best choices we can for ourselves in the moment and the beauty emerges when we later learn how we’ve grown because looking back, we realize we would have done things differently.

The capacity to love is much greater when one offers forgiveness to another and my fiancé, Kevin has been the catalyst for me experiencing this powerful, rare virtue in my life.  Our paths, though separate and distinct for 12 years, united again 6 years ago to create a full circle, offering a second chance at love and giving us the opportunity to love with whole hearts now filled with peace.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Wafers Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Forgiveness is sweet and no two ingredients go together better than chocolate and peanut butter.  This Chocolate – Peanut Butter Pie represents the perfect counterpart I’ve found in Kevin.  Not only can he finish my sentences, but he’s also pretty talented at reading my mind as well.  He may not be every girl’s dream but he’s definitely mine.  My love for him couldn’t be more sweet and rich.  The chocolate wafer crumb crust and the warm mocha sauce on top hold in the sweet creamy peanut butter center sending you to heaven in one bite. 

An American author said, “There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.”  Through forgiveness, I have found so much more than love.  I’m so blessed to be one of the few to experience this powerful release, granting myself a joyful heart and grace to another.  This deliciously sweet pie was the perfect reminder of the rich gift we’ve been given, one that will never be forgotten.  Happy Birthday, Love!

Chocolate - Peanut Butter Pie with Warm Mocha Sauce

Chocolate Wafer Crumb Crust
Ingredients:
30 chocolate wafers
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Big pinch of salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°.  Lightly butter your pie pan.  Combine the wafers, brown sugar, flour and salt in a food processor. Using long pulses, grind the wafers to a very fine texture.  They should be both slightly gritty and floury.  Dump the crumbs into a large bowl and add the butter. Mix, first with a fork, then with your hands, rubbing thoroughly to blend.  If the mixture still seems a little crumbly, drizzle on ½ teaspoon water and rub again.  Spread the crumbs evenly in the pie pan, pressing them into the bottom and up the side.  Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes.  Place on the center oven rack and bake for 6 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack before filling. 

Chocolate – Peanut Butter Pie
Ingredients for filling:
1 ¼ cups smooth peanut butter
One 8 – ounce package full-fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups cold heavy or whipping cream
Instructions:
Cream the peanut butter, cream cheese, and ½ cup of the confectioners’ sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer.  Blend in the vanilla.  Wash and dry the beaters.  Using a chilled medium-size bowl and chilled beaters, beat the heavy cream with the mixer until it holds soft peaks.  Add the remaining ½ cup confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until stiff but not grainy.  Add about one-third of the whipped cream to the peanut butter mixture.  Blend with the mixer until smooth and creamy.  Fold in the remaining whipped cream until the filling is smooth and evenly mixed.  Spoon the filling into the chilled pie shell and smooth the top with a spoon.  Cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate for a t least 3 hours or overnight.  When the filling is good and firm, prepare the mocha sauce.  When the sauce has cooled somewhat but is still pourable, pour it over the pie, tilting the pie to spread the sauce up to the edge.  Set aside to cool.  Re-cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Warm Mocha Sauce
Ingredients:
½ cup heavy or whipping cream
1 tablespoon instant espresso or coffee granules
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
Bring the cream, coffee, and butter to a simmer in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisking to dissolve the coffee.  Remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips.  Let the mixture stand for 2 minutes, then whisk to smooth.  Whisk in the corn syrup and vanilla.  If you aren’t using the sauce right away, transfer to a small bowl and let cool.  The sauce will thicken as it cools.  I like to use it while it is still slightly warm, once it has thickened a bit.  If you’re not using it right away, cover and refrigerate, then reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat.