Chocolate Cream Pie
CATEGORIES
Pie 
INGREDIENTS
  • For crust
  • 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • For filling
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 5 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • For topping
  • 3/4 cup chilled heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, for dusting
DIRECTIONS
  1. Make crust:
  2. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
  4. Stir together crumbs, butter, sugar and cinnamon and press on bottom and up side of a 9-inch pie plate (1-quart capacity). Bake until crisp, about 15 minutes, and cool on a rack.
  7. Make filling:
  8. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and yolks in a 3-quart heavy saucepan until combined well, then add milk in a stream, whisking. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking, 1 minute (filling will be thick).
  10. Force filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in chocolates, butter, and vanilla, stirring until the chocolate and butter is melted. Cover surface of filling with a buttered round of wax paper and cool completely, about 2 hours.
  12. Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.
  15. Make topping:
  16. Just before serving, beat cream with sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks, then spoon on top of pie.
  18. Place cocoa powder into a fine mesh strainer and sift the powder over the whipped cream. Serve chilled.
  21. Cooks’ note:
  22. Pie (without topping) can be chilled up to 1 day.
RECIPE BACKSTORY
The Kitchen Sink - Gourmet