Chocolate Cream Pie
Our chocolate pudding makes a great dessert whether it is simply scooped into a bowl or scooped into a pie shell and topped with sweet whipped cream. It is rich enough to satisfy a chocolate craving and sweet enough to appease the kid in you.
Prepare one recipe of Chocolate Pudding (see below).
Pre-bake a 9 or 10-inch pie shell (see pie dough recipe below). Let cool completely.
In a glass bowl, microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring each time, until melted:
1 to 2 ounces semisweet chocolate
Spread the melted chocolate evenly into the pie shell. This will prevent the crust from getting soggy.
Prepare whipped cream.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip until stiff:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Scoop the pudding into the prepared pie shell and smooth out with a spatula.
Scoop the whipped cream on top of the chocolate pudding and spread with a spatula to evenly cover. Alternatively, place the whipped cream in a pastry bag with a large star tip. Pipe stars to cover the entire surface. Optional: sprinkle chocolate shavings on top.
Chocolate Pudding
In a medium-size bowl, whisk until smooth:
3 large eggs
1/3 cup cocoa powder
5 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup milk
In a medium-size saucepan, bring to a boil:
4 ¼ cups milk
1 cup granulated sugar
A pinch of salt
Slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over a low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Do not let the mixture boil. Remove from the heat.
Whisk in until smooth:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
9 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pour the pudding into a bowl. Cover the top of the pudding with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. Refrigerate until completely cooled, a few hours or overnight.
Serve as is or to make Chocolate Cream Pie, see above.
Pie Dough
I’ve been using this pie dough recipe for over 30 years. It is rich, buttery, with a touch of flakiness. It is the perfect shell for classic apple pie, lattice top blueberry pie, or our chocolate cream pie (see Chocolate Cream Pie recipe).
-KH
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Have ready one 9 or 10-inch pie pan.
In a food processor, pulse, just to mix:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
Add:
6 tablespoons COLD unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Pulse until the butter is pea-sized
Transfer the mixture to a medium sized bowl.
Add, mixing with your hands or a wooden spoon:
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
Add just enough to be able to form the dough into a ball.
Wrap the dough in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or overnight).
On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out to a 1/8-inch thickness and approximately 12-inches in diameter. To get a circular shape, turn the dough a quarter turn after each couple of passes with the rolling pin. Once you have the desired size and shape, fold the dough in half and then in quarters. Fit the dough into a 9 or 10-inch pie pan, with point in the center of the pan, and unfold. Lift the edges of the dough to allow it to naturally fit the contour of the pan. Pressing gently, if needed, shape the dough to the sides and bottom of the pan. About 1-inch of dough should hang over the edge. Roll this dough over onto itself so that it is even with the lip of the pan. Crimp this edge. Press the thumb and index finger of one hand into the dough’s inner edge and press the index finger and thumb of the other hand into the dough’s outer edge, so that the thumb of one finger lines up between the thumb and index finger of the other. Continue around the entire edge of the pie crust. Alternatively, simply press a fork into the dough to flatten it and leave a decorative indentation.
Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork a few times. Chill the pie shell again for 30 minutes (or overnight). This will help the crimping keep its shape and prevent shrinkage.
Line the inside of the pie shell with tinfoil and fill with approximately 2 cups of rice. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and rice and continue baking until nicely browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
Yield: one bottom crust for a 9 or 10-inch pie shell
