This is the 7th entry in our Month of Pie. Pie Month is a celebration of things we love. Because life is hard, and there should always be more pie. Have a look at the other entries. Really.
Pie #1 - Lemon Cream Icebox Pie
Pie #2 - Malted Crisp Tart
Pie #4 - Peanut Butter Cream Pie with Chocolate Whipped Cream
Pie #5 - Butterscotch Cream Pie with Gingersnap Crust and Cashew Brittle
Pie #6 - Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Chip Cookie CrustThis pie saved us this week.
Our lives are not hard, no matter what we say or think. But there comes a time in everyone’s life, maybe, where things aren’t quite sticking together the way they did, like the sides of a pullup diaper that’s been pulled up and down and sideways a few too many times. It’s just not holding its shape quite the same way it did or it should. We are sick (as we always are this time of year), and tired, and snow has canceled school for our son once already, and we’re bound to be stuck inside tomorrow when it snows again, and how can you be getting another cold when you didn’t get over your last one which was your third consecutive cold in a row, and for the love of all that is good and holy, could we just get off whatever messed up, coked up ride we are on and stop for a blasted second? And think. And be. And just stop.
And then there is pie. A perfect pie to be eaten on the couch. Or over the sink. And it has just enough booze in it to kick your mouth into gear, to get your spirit tapping its foot again, to say to your wife, “Oh, now this. THIS is good.” To not share it with the neighbors, because we need this pie all for ourselves. To go back for a second piece because you are eating your emotions, and your emotions are delicious. And you need more. Really.
This pie, this blessed pie, is from our hero, Matt Lewis, he of Baked fame. If you read our blog, you know we
and Baked Explorations, your life has no meaning. But if you’re truly a regular reader of The Peche, you know our love for Matt started a long time ago with Chocolate Bar, his chocolate store and cookbook
. It’s amazing when someone is creating food that is so perfect to begin, and you watch it grow and deepen and just get better. (Have you seen Baked’s brownie mixes at Williams-Sonoma? Beautiful.)
So make this Chocolate Kahlua Pie from Chocolate Bar when life is spinning out of control, when it all seems too much, and when you need to catch a break and no break is in sight. This pie heals everything. And Matt has left extra room in the crust for an obscene amount of Kahlua Whipped Cream, because he knew you needed some extra love.
recipe | Chocolate Kahlua Pie via Matt Lewis and Chocolate Bar
Crust
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ cups finely ground chocolate wafers (find them in the cookie aisle)
Turn the oven to 325. Pull out a 9-inch pie plate.
Melt the butter and then add in the sugar. Stir. Place the cookie crumbs into a medium bowl. Drizzle the butter over the crumbs until everything is evenly coated. Dump the butter and crumb mixture into the pie plate. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Bake around 10-12 minutes until it looks done. They’re dark chocolate, so use your best judgment. Pull it out and let it cool completely while you make the filling.
Chocolate Kahlua Filling
- 3 ½ ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup sugar (divided)
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons Kahlua
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (for garnish)
Take the chopped chocolate and place in a medium mixing bowl. Put a fine-mesh strainer on top of the bowl. You’ll need it later.
Put the milk, cream, and ¼ cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil.
Either sift the cornstarch into a small bowl or whisk it up to break up any clumps. Whisk in ½ cup of the sugar.
Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until they start to lighten in color a bit. Add in the cornstarch mixture and whisk it (it’s going to be thick). Whisk in the vanilla.
Once the milk has boiled, stream ⅓ of it into the egg mixture and whisk like crazy. Whisk in another ⅓ of the milk. Then dump all of the eggy milk back into the pan with the remaining milk. Reduce the heat under the pan to medium and whisk until it starts to boil and thicken. Once it starts to boil, whisk for three minutes and turn off the heat.
Pour the mixture through the fine-mesh strainer so that it falls over the chocolate. Whisk the mixture carefully until the chocolate melts and everything is evenly mixed together. Add the Kahlua and whisk.
Let the mixture sit there for 10 minutes. Pour the Kahlua chocolate into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap, placing the plastic directly on top of the chocolate. Chill for at least 4 hours.
Kahlua Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ confectioners sugar
- 3 teaspoons Kahlua
Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and Kahlua into the cream. Whip until the mixture has doubled in volume with soft peaks. Pour over the Kahlua chocolate. Top with sprinkled cocoa powder.