Chocolate Fudge Pie
Instead of sharing something I’ve made recently, I am posting a recipe I cooked a while ago and set aside for (literally) a rainy day.
This is the ultimate dessert for those of you who wish to have a pie and a brownie all in the same bite. The pie crust is super flakey and buttery. The fudge filling is chocolatey and gooey. To make this pie even more sinful, it is topped with a layer of homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
I was very intimidated by pie crusts when I first started baking. I found out the key to making good pie crust is to work gently and keep everything very cold. You want to be gentle, so the dough doesn’t get tough. You want to keep the dough cold, so the bits of butter will melt in the oven (as opposed to before baking), creating pockets of steam, which lends a light flakey crust.
This recipe is in no way figure-friendly. All that butter, sugar, chocolate and whipped cream is so bad, but oh so good. Can you think of a better way to start off a cold rainy season?
Chocolate Fudge Pie
Adapted from Real Simple, November 2009
For pie crust:
- All-purpose flour, 1 1/4 cups plus more for rolling out the dough
- Cold unsalted butter, 1/2 cup (1 stick), cut into small cubes
- Sugar, 1 tablespoon
- Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
- Ice water, 3 to 5 tablespoons
For filling:
- Semisweet chocolate chops, 6 ounces
- Room temperature unsalted butter, 1 stick (1/2 cup)
- Eggs, 3 large
- Salt, 1/8 teaspoon
- Granulated sugar, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons, separated
- Whipping cream, 1 1/4 cups
To make the crust:
In a food processor pulse the flour, sugar and salt until mixed, about 3 pulses. Add in the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size clumps of butter remaining.
Add 2 tablespoons of the water. Pulse until the mixture hold together when squeezed but is still crumbly, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time as necessary. Avoid over processing, which will make the dough tough.
Place the crumbly mixture on a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape it into a 1-inch-thick disk, using he plastic wrap to help tighten to crumbs. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Place the disk of dough on a floured piece of parchment or wax paper. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 11-inch circle. Rotate the dough as you roll, so it doesn’t stick to the working surface.
Loosely roll the dough around your rolling pin. Transfer it to the pie dish and unroll the dough into the dish. Fit the dough into the dish (avoid stretching). Trim the dough to a 1-inch over-hang and tick it under itself to create a thick trim.
With the index finger of one hand, press the dough against the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand; continue around the perimeter of the crust. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days before using.
To make the pie:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prick the pie crust with a fork and line with foil. Fill the top with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weigh and bake until just golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
In a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, salt and 1/2 cup of the sugar until pale yellow and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Fold a third of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder.
Pour the combined mixture into the crust and bake until puffed and slightly cracked around the perimeter, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 1 hour then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days if covered with plastic wrap.
Beat the cream with the remaining sugar in a mixer until soft peaks form. Spread over the pie and sprinkle with shaved chocolate. Pie can be refrigerated for up to 6 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Serves 8.