Kentucky Derby Pie ft. Shireshack's Salted Caramel Ice Cream

So I know this guy. He makes ice cream. It's called Shireshack. Not this kind of ice cream. I used to think that was ice cream, until I had Shireshack's ice cream. Right now, Shireshack creates a unique flavor every weekend and sells them by the pint from their home. I made the best decision when I bought one for the first time. I was hooked immediately. Now I have a completely different understanding of ice cream. Ice cream is no longer just the midnight treat I sneak when my parents are asleep. I can't just go into a Dairy Queen and order a sugar cone with vanilla ice cream anymore. I turn my head in revulsion when I pass by the freezers in the grocery stores filled with Ben&Jerry's, Breyer's, and Edy's. Shireshack ice cream has shed a whole new light on what ice cream is and can be, and it's all I eat when it comes to ice cream (and I'm afraid that it might become all I eat when it comes to food soon.)

Shireshack ice cream and Apron Afternoons have wanted to join our culinary forces for awhile now, and it finally happened. We weren't sure what to make for our first collaboration, but we knew that we wanted to start with a combination that has never been done before. We decided on a classic pie and ice cream combo. Apron Afternoons made the pie and Shireshack made the ice cream. Sure, you can find pie and ice cream at any restaurant or diner down the street, but all those pie and ice cream combinations are neither new or exciting. Again, we wanted to do something never done before. But taking a classic combination like pie and ice cream and transforming it into something new is a near impossible feat. Or so I was convinced. I'd say we managed to take both an ice cream and pie flavor that are not often made or put together and create a dessert that shocked people when they tasted what they thought was just another plate of pie and ice cream.

You have heard of a Kentucky Derby pie, but what ice cream usually accompanies this kind of pie? Vanilla, right? Wrong, wrong, wrong, on so  many levels. I want you to step out a little and decide not to top every pie with vanilla ice cream. It has taken me a while not to revert back to plain ol', plain ol' vanilla ice cream when I want to top off my thick slice of pie, but instead find an interesting flavor that will compliment my pie in a new and amazing way. This leads me to the ice cream that we dolloped on top of our Kentucky Derby pie....wait for it...are you ready?...you aren't so I will let you wait a little longer....almost ready....okay...I think you are ready...we topped the pie with Shireshack's very own salted caramel ice cream. Talk about stepping out of the vanilla ice cream routine. We didn't linger around the idea of using something other than vanilla ice cream but stepped out of the routine in a major way. 

              

Salted caramel ice cream is not for the faint of heart. You are probably wondering why Shireshack would venture to put salt in ice cream. We put salt in practically everything else we eat so why not add it to some ice cream? Is it as simple as throwing salt into ice cream though? Not quite. This ice cream flavor is carefully thought out and requires the right kind and amount of salt to add to the caramel ice cream base and create that sweet&salty flavor we love. You can't forget about the caramel either (not that you will when you eat this). The carmel almsot has a ripple effect to it: one bite you get a light, softer caramel flavor whereas the next bite has a deep, almost burnt caramel flavor. You thought you were just getting yourself into another scoop of ice cream, but the salt brings an unexpected element to the ice cream and helps balance the sweetness of the caramel. It's perfection. 

Luckily, Shireshack's ice cream is available to you if you are located in the Tuscaloosa area. Unfortunately, you might have to wait a while for this pie to become available to you. Freshman year in college and college dorms are not to best situation to be in to start making pies for everyone. Fortunately, the recipe for this pie and what I think to be the best pie crust I have made is included in this post so that you can enjoy it as much as I did. I opted to forgo the bourbon in my pie but if you wanna add a little kick to your pie, you should throw that bourbon in there. This pie crust, oh this pie crust. I have struggled with finding a go to pie crust recipe ,but I think I have done it. I would advise pre-baking it with pie weights to ensure a crust that is, well, crusty. I didn't pre-bake my crust because I did not have pie weights. The crust still turned out great despite not pre-baking it, but the bottom was a little too soggy than I would have liked. Pre-baking will help prevent a soggy crust. If you can get your hands on a pint of Shireshack's salted caramel ice cream, I would strongly advise you to do so because this pie is not complete without it. 

Happy eating. 

Kentucky Derby Pie

From:Martha Stewart

Pie Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1/2 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 4 to 4 Tbsp ice water

Pie Filling:

- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup bourbon whiskey

Directions for Crust:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix.  Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter.

If you don't have a food processor, you cant use your hands or a fork to combine.

2. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing (or mixing) until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again. 

3. Remove dough from machine or bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. 

4. Knead the mixture with heel of your hand a couple times to evenly distribute the butter. This will help flatten the butter into layers between the flour which will help the resulting crust be flaky.

5. Gently shape the dough mixture into a disk. Work the dough just enough to form the disk, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. 

6. Sprinkle a little flour around the disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.

7.  Remove crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. 

8. When rolling dough, make sure to always roll in the same direction and rotate the dough to prevent it from sticking to the surface. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. 

9. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. This can be accomplished by loosely rolling the dough onto the rolling pin and unrolling ti into the pie plate.

10. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.

11. For pre-baking, place pie dough in fridge for 30 minutes before baking. Remove from fridge and prick bottom of dough all over with fork. Line pie dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust begins to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and remove parchment paper and pie weights. Return to oven until golden all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool slightly. 

Directions for filling:
1. Keep oven at 350. In a large bowl, mix together eggs and butter. Add sugar and flour; mix until well combined. 

2. Stir in pecans, chocolate chips, and bourbon. Pour into prepared pie shell.

3. Bake pie until set. About 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before serving. 

-Sarah-