Yeah, now I'm just making names up. The problem is, I've made so many variations of chocolate cream pie that it is becoming difficult to keep them apart in my mind (never mind the archives).
The problem for me, is that they all taste good, but I've yet to make a chocolate pie I thought was fantastic. Truthfully, it is probably me. I get these ideas in my mind about how wonderful chocolate pie should be, without having anything to aim for. It isn't like I'm trying to recreate something cherished from childhood. What if this is just what chocolate pie is supposed to be like? *shudder*.
For part of the chocolate filling (3 ounces anyway) I used a single source Venezuelan chocolate bar with a 91% cacao content. It was just too intense for me to enjoy eating straight (anything over 70% is too strong for my Cadbury conditioned tastebuds to comprehend)but was excellent in pie filling. I have a half dozen of those bars left (of different bean sources) and while I would happily invite local readers over for a wine and chocolate tasting, let's face facts-it won't pair nicely with Mogen David and that's the only wine I routinely have in the house. Besides, there's a pandemic and we're all going to be quarantined indefinitely-I'm going to want baking chocolate.
"...and there in the wood, a piggy-wig stood with a...*" OMG! We're all going to die!!!!!"
(sorry, I lost myself for a moment there...what were we talking about? Oh yeah, stocking up on emergency chocolate. OMG! We're all going to die!!!!!. Crap, I did it again, didn't I?)
Still, a multi-step pie that came together without catastrophe is always worth posting.
*You remember the piggy-wig with the ring at the end of his nose in The Owl and the Pussycat-don't you? Just by way of helpful advice, no matter how badly you need a ring to get married, do NOT under any circumstances pull it from a pig's nose-at least not now. Sure, the pork producers are sayin' it's OK to eat pigs, but no one is going out on a limb reassuring the public it is OK to give your beloved a ring out of a pig's snout. Be safe-and wash your hands.
Oh what, you're first figuring out what a weirdo I am? Sheesh. Fine, here are the recipes:
For The Crust:
For a 9 inch pie with 1 crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons cold water
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in butter until fine crumbed. Add water slowly a tablespoon at a time until dough comes together. You may need more. Let stand a few minutes before rolling out and fitting into dish.
Pierce surface and bake in a 450 degree F oven for about 10 minutes. Cool completely before using.
For The Chocolate Filling:
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces sweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks and chocolates in a heavy saucepan. Add the milk slowly whisking as you go. Over medium heat, keep whisking contantly. When mixture comes to a boil, cook another minute or until thickened. Remove from heat, beat in butter and transfer to a bowl. Cover with cling wrap, poke a few holes in the surface and chill half an hour. Give it a stir and continue chilling until cold. Pour into prepared crust and chill again. While that sets, make the cream cheese topping.
Cream Cheese Topping:
5 ounces softened full-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whipped cream
Wipe cream and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until light. Add the whipped cream and continue beating until quite smooth. Place in a pastry bag and pipe neatly onto chocolate pie. Chill a couple hours until set. Garnish with additional melted chocolate if desired.
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