PIE #4 - SUPREME CHOCOLATE CREAM

It’s February already! Time flies when you’re eating pie! Because February is National Chocolate Month, the pies I tackle the next four weeks will feature chocolate. I’ll have plenty of inspiration – Valentine’s Day is approaching and grocery store shelves are loaded with chocolate goodies galore!

CHOCOLATE FUN FACTS:

• Chocolate was the top Valentine gift in 2023 claiming 57% of sales. It beat out flowers by 20% and dinner out by 25%!
• The global chocolate industry is worth 127.9 billion dollars!
• The average American eats chocolate three times a week. I aim to boost that statistic!

CHOCOLATE FUNNY FACT:
My husband's surname COCO has a sweet backstory. The family name is actually COCA, but Joe’s grandfather decided to change it when he opened a confectionery in Louisiana. It’s not a far-fetched assumption I married Joe because of his chocolatey-sounding last name. I will admit that I was relieved to ditch my oft-misspelled maiden name. But hilariously, COCO is often misspelled as COCOA. I can’t win but I won’t complain!

So in celebration of my sweet married name and to tickle the taste buds of my chocolate-loving hubby, I debut the classic, crowd-pleasing chocolate cream pie. This pie also happens to be one of the custard variations in Miss Miranda's 1974 cooking class packet, the mimeographed one I featured in a previous blog entry. Miss Miranda's recipe calls for 2 ounces of chocolate. Other recipes I've seen call for 3 ounces of chocolate. But any Coco worth their name knows that when it comes to chocolate, more is better. My recipe boasts 3.5 ounces of chocolate. You can use any unsweetened chocolate, but if you really want to go for the gusto, use a 3.5 ounce bar of Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa Dark Chocolate.

Lindt, by the way, is a famous Swiss chocolate brand. The Swiss lead the world in chocolate consumption, a whopping 25.5 pounds per person annually. Twenty years ago I visited Switzerland and can attest to that devour rate! I spotted chocolatiers around every corner. Grocery stores had designated chocolate departments devoted to every chocolate product imaginable. I strolled those aisles, marveling at the chocolate variety which had a strong Lindt presence. I guess you could call me a Swiss Miss Coco! And is it not a sweet coincidence that my name, Linda Coco, is just one letter off from Lindt Coco? 

Things that make you go hmmm...

SUPREME CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

CRUST:
3 cups Oreo cookies (about 20 cookies)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2-3 teaspoons milk
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the Oreo cookies and cinnamon in a ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin to make fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl. Add the butter and mix well. Add the milk and mix until crumbs clump together when pressed between your fingers. Transfer the crumbs to a 9 1/2 inch deep dish pie pan, pressing them into the bottom and halfway up the side. Refrigerate for 10 minutes then place on the center rack of oven and bake for 6 minutes. Cool thoroughly.

FILLING:
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3.5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped OR 3.5 ounce Lindt 90% Cocoa Bar

TOPPING:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Chocolate shavings or Oreo cookie crumbs, optional

Combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Whisk to mix thoroughly. Whisk in milk and egg yolks. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking continuously, until it start to boil and thicken, 5-7 minutes. Cook for 1 minute more, whisking briskly. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and the vanilla. Whisk in the chocolate until smooth and fully melted. Slowly pour the filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth the top with a spoon. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Cool the pie to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, make the topping. Using a chilled mixer bowl and chilled beaters, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the confectioner's sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the pie. Garnish with chocolate shavings or Oreo crumbs, if desired.