I was recently binging in some late night TV over the weekend, when there were quite a few mentions of NATIONAL S'MORES DAY. Trust me, I had no clue that there was a day dedicated to this popular sweet treat. So I made up my mind, that there had to be a commemorative Post in and around the day in question. August 10 is celebrated as NATIONAL S'MORES DAY in North America.
I know we live in a global world today and local food traditions are re-created in every part of the globe with equal flair. I did not grow up in North America for example, but when I made this country my home, I fell in love with so many things. Its no surprise that S'mores were on that list.
As Wikipedia explains it, S'MORES are a popular Campfire Sweet Treat, in United States and Canada. It starts off with roasting your marshmallow on a stick or skewer over the camp fire. Then you sandwich the soft gooey roasted marshmallow in between a piece of chocolate and two graham crackers. As we love barbecues and camping so much, S'mores became a part of our Midwestern Summers for all the years, we made North America our home.
But I had wanted to re-create S'mores at home, where there were no campfires. Then I came across a recipe of S'mores Pie on Cooking Channel. I wanted to surprise our friends Aryadeep and Garbita for their anniversary,and it seemed like the perfect dessert, rather than a heavy cake. You can always squeeze in a candle , right.
The idea is to take the essential elements of S'MORES and try to re-imagine them as a pie. The chocolate, was replaced by a chocolate pudding. While the original recipe had called for a chocolate custard to be made from scratch, I used Jello-O which I cooked till it was thick. The Graham Cracker pieces,which sandwich the roasted marshmallow and chocolate, became the base of the Pie, in a crumbled form, with some butter for company. Almost like a Cheesecake Crust. Finally , it was the turn of the Marshmallow, which became the pie topper. Yes, they did finish off under the broiler to get the lovely roasted charred tops.
Recipe Inspiration: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/kelsey-nixon/smores-pudding-pie.html
Ingredients:
Chocolate Jell-O: 2 packets (I used the cooking variety and not the instant ones)
Whole Milk(to cook the Jell-O)
Brown Sugar: 2 tbsp
Graham Crackers: 10
Butter: 1 stick(Melted)
Marshmallows: 9 to 10 (large ones) : I used the square ones, which are meant for S'mores
Procedure:
Cut the Marshmallows in triangles . Every Marshmallow should give you two triangles. Keep them aside.
THE CRUST:
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
For the crust, take the graham crackers in a gallon sized zip lock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. Or you could also crush them in a food processor.
In large bowl. mix in the melted butter, brown sugar and graham cracker crumbs. It should resemble wet sand.
Grease a 9 inch by 9 inch spring form pan and lay the crust flat, like a Cheesecake crust. It should rise along the sides for at least an inch. Make sure the crust is evenly thick all around.
Bake the crust in a pre-heated oven at 350F for around 15 minutes or till its crisp and golden. Take it out of the oven, and let it cool completely.
THE CUSTARD:
Follow package instructions and cook the Jell-O with whole milk. Dont skimp on it please. Whole milk lends it that velvety smoothness.
When its cooked , then pour it into the cooled crust(in the baking pan) and lay a cling film on top. The cling film prevents a thick skin forming on the custard.
Let it chill in fridge till the custard has set.
FINAL ASSEMBLY:
Before serving, remove the cling film. Then decorate the top with the marshmallows.
Brown the Marshmallows under a pre-heated broiler or with a torch. keep an eye, so that the marshmallows don't melt away. We just need a color on it
Remove the spring form pan from the sides, by running a spatula all round, to release the pudding.
Enjoy !! Bon Appetit !!!
