The Best Chocolate Pie Ever

I have used pieloveyou.blogspot.com so many times for this particular pie that I now need it to be eternally in my own recipe archives.  Just in case.

Adapted from http://pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/02/chocolate-cream-pie-7.html

The Basic Gist
1. Make wafers.
2. While wafers dry/rest/get sampled in your mouth (they are so good!), make pudding.
3. When pudding is set and/or being sampled in your mouth (the pudding is outrageously delicious!), crumble wafers and make pie crust.
4. After crust cools, put pudding in crust.
5. Make whipped cream.
6. Put on top of pie.
7. Eat and die in bliss.

1. Chocolate Wafers:

(adapted from Bubby's Homemade Pies)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa

11/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Shape the dough into a 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap it well and chill completely—at least two hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Slice the dough into 1/8-inch slices and place them 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake them for 8 to 10 minutes, until they smell good and remain firm when lifted with a spatula. 

Cool the cookies on a wire rack, uncovered, overnight or until they are completely dry and wafer-like.

Us a food processor to crumb the cookies or put the cookies in a resealable plastic bag and press the air out before sealing. Roll over the bag of cookies with a rolling pin until they form fine crumbs. 

2. Chocolate Filling

(Adapted from Gourmet Magazine 2004)
 

2/3 cup sugar (feel free to sub maple syrup for some or all of this--it's delicious)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
3 cups whole milk
5 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

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).

Force filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in chocolates, butter, and vanilla. The pudding should still be warm hot enough to melt the chocolate. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap (make sure there are no air bubbles between the pudding and the plastic wrap) and cool completely, about 2 hours.

3. Pie Crust

2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together crumbs, chocolate, and sugar. Pour hot melted butter over the top and combine (The butter will melt the chocolate). Firmly press onto the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes and before cooling on rack, use the back of a spoon to press the hot crust back up the sides of the pan. Cool completely.

4. Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.

5 and 6. Just before serving, beat cream in a bowl using an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks add vanilla and sugar and spoon on top of pie.

Sprinkle chocolate flakes on top of pie (optional).

7. Eat and die in bliss.