Triple chocolate cream pie - country living

10 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Cookie Crust (recipe follows)
1 cup Half-and-half
½ cup Granulated sugar
⅓ cup Cornstarch
¼ teaspoon Salt
2 cups Milk
3 1-oz squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 teaspoons Vanilla extract
Chocolate Curls (recipe follows)
½ cup Heavy cream
2 teaspoons Confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Prepare Cookie Crust.

2. Heat oven to 350'F. Lightly grease 9 inch pie plate and small baking sheet. Between 2 sheets of floured waxed paper, roll out cookie crust to 12-inch round. Remove top sheet of paper and invert crust into greased pie plate. Remove remaining sheet of waxed paper.

Trim crust edge even with rim of pie plate; reserve scraps. ams; Reroll scraps to ¼-inch thickness and cut out as many stars as possible (see Note). Place half of stars on baking sheet. With water, moisten rim of crust; press remaining stars randomly onto rim of crust. With fork, pierce bottom and all around side of crust to prevent shrinkage. Line crust with aluminum foil and fill with uncooked dried beans or pie weights.

3. Bake cookie crust 15 minutes; remove foil with beans and bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until edge of crust darkens slightly. Bake stars on baking sheet 5 minutes or until edges darken slightly. Cool crust in pan on wire rack; remove stars from baking pan to wire rack.

4. Meanwhile, prepare chocolate filling: In small bowl, with wire whisk, beat half and-half, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth. In 2-quart saucepan, heat milk and chocolate to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Slowly add cornstarch mixture and return to boiling, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook 1 minute more until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 2 t vanilla.

5. Immediately spoon chocolate filling into pie shell. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Meanwhile, prepare Chocolate Curls.

6. Just before serving, in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, beat heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and remaining 1 t vanilla until soft peaks form.

7. Spoon whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with large star tip; pipe 3 evenly spaced concentric circles on top of pie and a 1-inch dot in center. Gently score top of pie into quarters. Arrange Chocolate Curls on top of whipped cream on 2 opposite quarters, hiding the scored lines. Place reserved stars on top of remaining 2 quarters of pie. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cookie Crust: In small bowl, combine 1¼ C unsifted all purpose flour and ¼ C unsweetened cocoa powder. In large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat ½ C (1 stick) butter, softened, ½ C sugar, and ¼ t salt until combined. Add 1 large egg and ½ t vanilla extract; beat on high speed until smooth and well blended. Reduce speed to very low. Add flour mixture; beat on very low speed until manageable dough forms.

Chocolate Curls: Soften one 6-oz bar semisweet or bittersweet chocolate in warm place (80' to 85'F) for several hours or microwave on high (100%) power 10 seconds. To form curls, hold softened chocolate in one hand; using sharp vegetable peeler, dig blade into edge or side of chocolate and bring peeler toward you; chocolate should come off in curls. If chocolate is too cold it will splinter; if it is too warm, it will not curl. Place curls on oiled plate and refrigerate.

Note: Use ¼-inch star cookie cutter or cut pattern for ¾-inch star from clean cardboard. If cardboard pattern is used, place floured pattern directly on dough and cut around pattern with sharp knife.

Country Living/Oct/94 Scanned & edited by Di Pahl & <gg>

Related recipes