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The first recipe in Martha’s Pies & Tarts cookbook is for chocolate cream pie. Since no fruits are really in season right now, I thought it was the perfect time to make this pie. I had some leftover Milk Thistle cream which I knew would be amazing for the cream topping and it was. The crust in the book is made of chocolate wafers which my grocery store didn’t have so I used my go-to pie crust recipe. That’s the odd thing about NYC, you can find anything you could possibly need but your local grocery will pigs feet but no cheddar cheese.

Another great recipe from Martha!

Chocolate Cream Pie

This needs to chill 4 hours to 1 day

Ingredients:

Half recipe pie crust

2 1/2 cups milk

4 oz bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin

2 tablespoons cold water

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 confectioners sugar

Directions:

The pie crust recipe makes enough for a double crust pie. I put 1 disc into the freezer so I will have it handy for the next pie I make. It will keep for 3 months.

Roll out the pie crust and place it in the bottom of a pie pan. Trim off the excess, pierce the crust all over with a fork and chill in the refrigerator. This is called docking, it allows the steam to escape so the crust doesn’t puff up. Bake in a 400F oven for about 30 minutes until golden. Let cool completely.

My crust didn’t turn out too pretty.

Make the filling. In a medium saucepan, heat milk and chocolate over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate is melted. In a small bowl whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add a cup of the milk mixture and mix until smooth. Add this back to the saucepan, whisk to combine. Cook until bubbling and thick, about 4-5 minutes.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let stand until softened 5 minutes. I’ve never used gelatin before and it was fun!

Two eggs are from the grocery store and 2 are from the farmers market, can you tell?

In a medium bowl whisk egg yolks. Whisk in a cup of the chocolate mixture into the eggs. Add this back to the saucepan, stirring constantly until custard is thick and bubbling, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in gelatin until dissolved. Stir in vanilla. Let cool 10 minutes whisking occasionally.

Pour custard into cooled pie crust. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and refrigerate until firm, 4 hours or up to 1 day.

Make the topping. In the bowl of a mixer, whisk cream on medium high-speed until soft peaks form. I went a little too far and my cream got lumpy. Add confectioners sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Spread cream over pie. Garnish with grated chocolate.