Recipe: Chocolate Blackout Pie by Holly Ricciardi
I made a mistake when I chose Magpie to cook from this month. I cannot make pies – never have been able, never will be able. But the book, a collection of recipes from Philadelphia’s Magpie Artisan Pie Boutique, looked so appealing, I was convinced I could.
The notion of making my own pie crust was scary, but I went for it. I definitely rolled it too thick, and despite baking it longer than instructed, it still wasn’t fully cooked. But the crust wasn’t the reason my Chocolate Blackout Pie didn’t work. The filling of milk, Valhrona cocoa powder (which I couldn’t find), egg yolks, espresso powder, sugar and cornstarch lacked the expected rich depth of flavor. It reminded me of Swiss Miss chocolate pudding – nothing wrong with that, but not the “chocolate knockout” I hoped for. Not even the chocolate cake crumb topping could deliver on such a promise. I guess I’ll continue to leave the pie baking to the experts.
The Rundown
Skill level: Moderate.
This book is for: Pie lovers with the experience to make them.
Other recipes to try: I doubt I’ll make a pie any time soon, but the herb-goat cheese quiche could tempt me. Maybe.
Chocolate Blackout Pie
1 9-inch pie
½ recipe Magpie Dough for flaky pie crust, chilled overnight (Recipe follows.)
2½ cups whole milk
6 Tbsp. Valrhona cocoa powder
2 tsp. instant coffee or espresso powder
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp. fine salt
4 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1¼ cups crumbled chocolate cake (Recipe follows.)
Lightly sweetened freshly whipped cream, for serving
• Roll, pan and flute the dough as directed in the pie crust recipe. Then fully prebake the crust. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the shell cool to room temperature while you make the filling
• Whisk the milk, cocoa, and powdered coffee together in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Keep warm over very low heat.
• Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a bowl. Add the yolks and whisk until smooth and pale. Immediately measure out 1 cup of the hot milk mixture and slowly add it to the yolk mixture, pouring in a thin stream and whisking constantly.
• Turn the heat under the saucepan back up to medium. Slowly add the tempered yolks into the pan, pouring in a thin stream and whisking constantly. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a pudding consistency and a few large bubbles rise to the surface, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Let cool until slightly warm, about 5 minutes, stirring often. (Don’t cool it all the way or it will begin to set – if this happens, gently rewarm to remedy.)
• Scoop the filling into the prepared pie shell, spreading evenly and smoothing the top. Top with the crumbled cake, pressing gently into the surface of the filling Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight (at least 12 hours and up to 3 days) before slicing and serving. Serve with whipped cream.
Magpie Dough for Flaky Pie Crust
2 9-inch pie crusts
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. fine salt
¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes and frozen
¼ cup vegetable shortening, preferably in baking stick form, frozen cut into ¼ inch pieces, and put back in the freezer
½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. ice cold water
• Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse the machine 3 times to blend. Scatter the frozen butter cubes over the flour mixture. Pulse the machine 5 to 7 times, holding each pulse for 5 full seconds to cut all the butter into pea-size pieces. Scatter the pieces of frozen shortening over the flour-and-butter mixture. Pulse the machine 4 more 1-second pulses to blend the shortening with the flour. The mixture will resemble coarse cornmeal, but will be a bit more floury and riddled with pale butter bits.
• Turn the mixture out into a large mixing bowl and make a small well in the center. If you find a few butter clumps that are closer to marble size than pea size, carefully pick them out and give them a quick smoosh with your fingers. Pour the cold water into the well. Use a curved bowl scraper to lightly scoop the flour mixture up and over the water, covering the water to help get the absorption started. Continue mixing by scraping the flour up from the sides and bottom of the bowl into the center, rotating the bowl as you mix and occasionally pausing to clean off the scraper with your finger or the side of the bowl, until the mixture begins to gather into clumps but is still very crumbly.
• Lightly gather the clumps with your fingers and use your palm to fold over and press the dough a few times, until it just begins to come together into a single large mass. It will be a raggedy wad, moist but not damp, that barely holds together; this is exactly as it should be – all it needs is a good night’s rest in the fridge.
• Divide in two to make two single crust pies.
• No ifs, ands, or buts, the dough must have its beauty sleep. That means 8 hours in the refrigerator at the very least. Extra rest is just fine; feel free to let the wrapped dough sit in the fridge for up to 3 days before rolling.
• To prebake the shell, chill the panned, fluted piecrust in the freezer until firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 with a rack in the center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut an additional 13-by-13-inch square of parchment.
• Set the pan on the lined baking sheet. Set the square of parchment in the pie shell and gently smooth it into place, pleating as needed to fit it up against the bottom and sides of the shell. The edges of the paper will project beyond the rim of the pan; just leave them standing straight up.
• Fill the shell to the top with the dried beans. Gently stir the beans around with your fingers to ensure that there are no air pockets. Top up with more beans as needed to come level with the top of the fluted edge of the piecrust.
• Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the shell for 25 minutes.
• Set out a wire rack and alongside it a mixing bowl. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and set it on the rack; bring together the points of parchment and carefully lift out the beans and transfer them to the bowl.
• Slide the baking sheet back into the oven and bake the crust another 10 minutes for fully prebaked. Cool on a wire rack.
Chocolate Cake
1 8-inch square cake
¼ cup unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing baking dish
¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for flouring baking dish
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. fine salt
6 Tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ cup brewed coffee
½ cup whole milk
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
• Preheat the oven to 325 with a rack in the center. Butter and flour an 8 x8-inch baking dish.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the cocoa and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the coffee, milk and sugars, mixing until dissolved and combined. Whisk in the egg and vanilla, then slowly whisk in the flour mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepped pan and bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert on to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
• The cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap, placed in a freezer bag, and frozen up to 1 month.
Reprinted with permission from Running Press Book Publishers
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