Chocolate Pudding lovers take notice. This Chocolate Pie recipe takes a velvety smooth chocolate pudding and combines it with a sweet and grainy graham cracker crust. And if that weren't enough, it is garnished with lightly sweetened whipped cream. Absolutely delicious and the ultimate in comfort food.

So let's start with the crust. There are many types of crusts that would go wonderfully with this chocolate filling, but my favorite is a graham cracker crust. An added bonus, besides its great flavor and texture, is that it is the simplest of all the pie crusts to make. All you do is stir together graham cracker crumbs, a little sugar, and melted butter. Then, press it into a pie pan and place it in the refrigerator to chill.

While the crust is chilling, the chocolate filling is made. This filling uses both Dutch-processed cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate, which gives it a deep chocolate flavor. It is really a pudding, which is like making a 'cooked' custard. The only real difference between this chocolate filling and a custard is that you add cornstarch (corn flour) and this is done to make it nice and thick. The danger zone is cooking it over too high a heat causing lumps or even worse, scorching. To avoid these pitfalls use a heavy bottomed saucepan and cook it over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a large heatproof rubber spatula. Make sure when stirring you reach the bottom, sides and corners of the saucepan to prevent the filling from sticking and scorching. As you cook the filling it may look lumpy but if you stir quickly the lumps should smooth out. Once the filling has become thick, like mayonnaise, remove immediately from the heat. Straining the filling will help get rid of any lumps that may have formed. Once you have added the chopped chocolate, vanilla and butter avoid over mixing the ingredients as the filling is quite fragile at this stage. The filling needs to be cooled to room temperature, and then it is poured into the graham cracker crust, covered, and chilled overnight.

The next day the whipped cream topping is added and it is ready to serve. If not serving immediately, cover and store in the refrigerator. I prefer whipped cream which is made from the cream (fat) that rises to the top of whole milk. It has a smooth, satiny texture and is labeled according to its butterfat content (heavy to light). The best cream to use for this pie is "Heavy" Cream or Heavy "Whipping" Cream which means it has a 36 - 40% butterfat that will double in volume when whipped and hold its form. Because of its superior flavor, I recommend using an organic brand of heavy whipping cream.

Graham Cracker Crust: Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a well greased 9 inch (23 cm) pie or tart pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.

Chocolate Filling: In a large heatproof bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt. Then whisk in 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk until you have a thick paste. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, whisking to blend into the cocoa paste mixture. Set aside while you heat the milk and cream. Have a fine medium-sized strainer and bowl ready near the stove as you will need to strain the filling after it is cooked.

First, rinse a medium-sized heavy saucepan with cold water and then shake out the excess water. (This prevents the milk from scorching.) Then pour in the remaining 2 cups (480 ml) milk and the cream. Bring this mixture just to a boil and then remove from heat. (The milk will foam up to the top of pan when done, so watch carefully.) Gradually pour the milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the filling to a clean large, heavy bottomed saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise (about 3 - 5 minutes). Remove from heat and pour through the strainer to remove any lumps that may have formed during cooking.

Add the finely chopped chocolate, vanilla extract, and butter, stirring gently with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, to prevent a skin from forming, and let cool to room temperature. Pour into the graham cracker crust, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Topping: In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Either pipe or place mounds of whipping cream on top of the filling. Garnish with grated chocolate if you like. Refrigerate, if not serving immediately.

Makes 1 - 9 inch (23 cm) pie or tart.

Sources:

Daley, Regan. in the Sweet Kitchen. Random House Canada, 2000.

Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Grigson, Jane. English Food. London: Penguin Books, 1974.

Mariani, John F. The Dictionary of American Food & Drink, New Haven and New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1983.

Pence, Caprial and Carey, Melissa. Caprial's Desserts. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2001.

Rombauer, Irma S., Rombauer Becker, Marion & Becker, Ethan. The Joy of Cooking. New York: Scribner, 1997.

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 1/4 cup (125 grams) graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated white sugar

5 - 6 tablespoons (70 - 85 grams) unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Filling:

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

3 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch (corn flour)

1/3 cup (30 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups (600 ml) milk

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

4 large egg yolks

4 ounces (120 grams) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature (cut into small pieces)

Topping:

1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated white sugar

Garnish:

Grated or shaved chocolate

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