Neal sent me this recipe for PUMPKIN PIE BARS . . .
. . . which calls for a 5"x5" baking pan;
a size I'd never heard of.
So, I'm doubling the recipe and adding
a layer of STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM.
Simply doubling this recipe and using a larger baking pan
can be tricky, because the NOTES state:
To accommodate a larger batch of pumpkin pie bars,
simply double the ingredients. For baking, you can choose either
two 5"x5" dishes or a single dish of similar total area,
such as a 6.5"x6.5" or a 6"x8" dish.
The ideal dish size should have a base area between 40 to 50 square inches.
The right dish size is crucial because it guarantees the perfect balance
between crust & filling, while also eliminating the risk of overbaking or underbaking.
Avoid using a dish that's either larger or smaller than recommended.
The baking time may change a little bit because of the baking dish size.
An 8"x8" baking pan equals 64 square inches,
but that's as close as I can get. Anyway, I see recipes
as suggestions, not commandments.
Back brace on: Check.
Two ibuprofens ingested: Check.
All systems go!
Mixing station . . .
The FIRST thing I did was what I always warn against doing:
NEVER measure above the mixing bowl.
I did this with the salt; I THINK I stopped the overflow,
but just in case I didn't, I eliminated salt
from the pie mixture. Something tells me that
disaster is in the offing, but I persevered.
Crust mixture into too-large pan . . .
I could see that the base was going to be very thin,
so I reduced the baking time. Not necessary;
it still went the full 15 minutes.
Base out of the oven, cooling . . .
The pumpkin filling mixture . . .
I could see that there would be a problem
with the one edge of the pan,
so I cut a piece of parchment paper
and inserted it along the front edge of the pan,
making a dam of sorts.
After 55 minutes of baking . . .
Looks like my "dam" wasn't necessary.
This now has to cool for two hours
before I can add the STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM,
as it's important to let pumpkin anything cool to let the mixture set,
or you'll have a real mess on your hands.
Meanwhile, here is what the dogs were doing
instead of pestering me in the kitchen
(despite the wonderful smells throughout the house).
Emmie is sleeping (and dreaming) on HER chair . . .
SweeTea is sleeping on/next to HER pillow.
She has fully recovered from her seven extractions
and is again eating kibble and bullying Gipsy.
Gipsy is sleeping in her favorite position,
in her favorite spot . . .
. . . next to her favorite person.
Two hours later . . .
When it comes to pie & whipped cream,
Neal's mantra is Give me some pie with the whipped cream
and that's what he's getting here . . .
Did I mention that I tossed in a handful of chocolate chips?
They all sank to the bottom, of course,
so that is the dark layer you see here . . .
We weren't overly thrilled with this;
I think the base layer was too thin, as was predicted,
so didn't add much to the overall flavor of the bars.
| 
