I’ve been admiring moody food photography at Half Baked Harvest and White On Rice Couple for a while now… but it was only after getting a few tips and tricks from Diane and Todd at the Food Blog Forum earlier this month in Orlando that I finally decided to try my take on them. Believe me, I’m nowhere close to the amazing photographers mentioned above, but I’m kinda happy with the results, especially because it was my first attempt! What do you guys think? Yay or Nay? Dark and moody or bright and colorful? I absolutely don’t want to put myself in a box here. I’m only beginning my journey through food photography (a big passion of mine!) but it is kinda fun to try different styles. I also believe in letting each particular food or dish dictate the mood. This Chocolate Covered Cream Pie was asking for a dark, melancholic and somewhat sophisticated feel. Almost like a “I’m craving chocolate at midnight” kinda feel!
Oh, are you still confused about the title? I know, I know! I apologize. It is indeed confusing. Brazilian Dutch Pie? I explain: In Brazil we call this pie “Torta Holandesa”, which translates to “Dutch Pie”. However, after a little research, I found out that this pie is not even a little bit Dutch. You won’t find anything similar in the Netherlands or anywhere in Europe… Say what?!?!?
“But why do you crazy Brazilians call it Dutch Pie, then?” Well, this dessert was created in 1991 in Campinas (São Paulo) by a chef called Sílvia Leite. She named it Dutch Pie because of the good times she had when traveling through Europe. I mean… Couldn’t Sílvia celebrate her European good times by making an authentic Dutch Pie? I suppose she could… But then the world – or, at least us Brazilians – wouldn’t have had the opportunity to eat this delicious pie. So, after all that, I decided to name this dessert Brazilian Dutch Pie. But then I thought it would be extremely confusing and ended up naming it “Chocolate Covered Cream Pie”, which is nowhere as fun as “Brazilian Dutch Pie”, I know…
But less about photography and crazy titles and more about delicious chocolate-y pie! Yes, Ma’am! In fact, while I’m writing this post, I’m savoring yet another piece of this decadent dessert. I have a feeling my face is all covered with chocolate, but who cares?!? There are definitely worse things in life to be worried about. (If you see a crazy woman walking through the streets of Manhattan with chocolate on her face, please say hi to me!) I’m thinking I’ll be making this pie once again for Easter. It would have been the third time in less than a month… Can you blame me? It’s so tasty! I don’t know about you, but Easter for me is all about the chocolate. I mean, there’s the whole Jesus thing and all, and bunnies… and flowers… but… CHOCOLATE! I rest my case. And can we please talk about the digestive cookies in this pie? Insanely delicious cookies, covered in chocolate! I think I’ve bought the whole stock of my local grocery store. I kept asking Tim to buy more on his way home from work, because I needed them for the pie, but I kept snacking on them. Until the day he sent me a picture from the store’s shelf, showing one single lonely pack of digestive cookies. I think it was his delicate way of telling me to stop eating them or there would be no pie to shoot and post on the blog.
Now, go make this! You won’t regret it and your friends and family will love you forever. And also, you now have an interesting story about the title of this pie to tell your guests. :) You’re welcome! A few considerations about this recipe:
- Don’t skip the chilling steps or you will end up with a very liquidy pie that won’t hold its shape!
- Don’t be intimidated by this recipe just because it has 3 layers. It is VERY easy to make. I almost wanna call it foolproof! I would be curious to know if something goes wrong. So please, tell me! Also, tell me if you made it and it turned out great. Pictures are much appreciated! :) 3) I recently learned a cool trick to cut the slices without making a huge mess: dental floss! Unflavored, of course. Heating your knife under hot water (and then drying it off) also works. Wanna keep in touch? Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest to stay up to date with my posts! If you end up making one of my recipes, I would love to see it! Just take a photo and post it on your preferred Social Media and tag me or use the hashtag #oliviascuisine! :)
