Chocolate Cream Pie

Chocolate silk pie and  tomato, basil and mozzarella panini sandwiches and macaroni and cheese... what do these have in common? Nothing, really!! But they made for one hysterical, fun, funny, crazy, flour filled day of baking. My friend Mo and I deiced to have a baking day marathon and this was are menu. We also made theses awesome cinnamon rolls.

This chocolate cream pie is rich and dark, creamy and oh so awesome! This is a classic R. family recipe. This is the chocolate cream pie page in their copy of Baking Illustrated. It is a very loved recipe! One of the things that makes this pie very delicious is the dark and rich chocolates.

Chocolate Cream Pie
Serves 8 to 10

For the best chocolate flavor and texture, we recommend either Callebaut semisweet and unsweetened chocolates or Hershey's Special Dark and Hershey's unsweetened chocolates. Do not combine the yolks and sugar in advance of making the filling - the sugar will begin to break down the yolks, and the finished cream will be pitted.

Chocolate Cookie Crumb Crust:

16 Oreo cookies with filling, broken into rough pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. For the crust: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350˚ degrees. In a food processor, process the cookies with fifteen 1-second pulses, then let the machine run until the crumbs are uniformly fine, about 15 seconds. (Alternatively, place the cookies in a large zipper-lock plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.) Transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl, drizzle with the butter, and use your fingers to combine until the butter is evenly distributed.

2. Transfer the crumbs to a 9-inch glass pie plate. Use  the bottom of a 1/2 cup measuring cup to process crumbs into the bottom and up the sides, forming a crust. Refrigerate the lined plate 20 minutes to firm the crumbs, then bake until the crumbs are fragrant and set, about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack while preparing the filling.

Chocolate Cream Filling:

2  1/2  cups half-and-half

pinch salt

1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

6 large egg yolks, at room temperature

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold butter, cut into 6 pieces

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Cream Topping:

1  1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled

1  1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3. For the filling:  Bring the half-and-half, salt, and about 3 tablespoons of the sugar to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk the yolks thoroughly in a medium bowl until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the cornstarch mixture over the yolks and whisk, scraping down sides of the bowl, if necessary, until the mixture is glossy and the sugar has begun to dissolve, about 1 minute.  When the half-and-half reaches a full simmer, drizzle about 1/2 cup hot half-and -half over the yolks, whisking constantly to temper; then whisk the egg yolk mixture into the simmering half-and-half (the mixture should thicken in about 30 seconds).  Return to a simmer, whisking constantly, until 3 or 4 bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 15 seconds longer.

4.  Off the heat, whisk in butter until incorporated; add chocolate and whisk until melted, scraping the pan bottom with a rubber spatula to fully incorporate. Stir in vanilla, then immediately pour filling through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl.  Using a spatula, scrape the strained filling into the baked and cooled curst. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling and refrigerate the pie until the filling is cold and firm, about 3  to 3  1/2 hours.

5.  For topping: When ready to serve, beat the cream and sugar in the chilled bowl of an electric mixer and medium speed to soft peaks; add the vanilla.  Continue to beat to barely stiff peaks. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the chilled filling. Serve immediately.