Black Bottom Pie

Black Bottom Pie

Brian:  Sorry for the delay, as we have never waited an entire week to put out a blogpost, but we will try to get back to our more disciplined ways.  :)

A multi-layered treat

Angie:  We were running a bit behind from the snow delays of the previous week, and just settling back in to our routine as the kids returned to school.  On a good note, this pie is delicious, and it really is the most complex pie we have made.  Hopefully this will be worth the wait!  :)

Whole milk and heavy cream

Brian:   This was all Angie's idea, and she wanted to make a Black Bottom Pie.  I must tell you, I thought that this would refer to the crust being of some type of chocolate variety.  However, it is more about the first pie layer on top of the crust that gives it the unique name.  Now, you can have a chocolate crust, regular crust, gingersnap, etc, but we did choose to go with a ready made Oreo crust for this particular pie.

A great way to start a pie

Angie:  The steps of this pie aren't necessarily difficult to do, you just have quite a few balls in the air at one time.  If you can have somebody help you with this pie, it makes it much easier, so we did this as a team.  You start by placing 2 Tbs. of water in a bowl and sprinkling your gelatin on top.  You just want to let it soften, so allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

Gelatin

Brian:  Meanwhile, you want to start heating your milk and heavy cream until it comes to a simmer.

Stir until it simmers

Angie: Next whisk your egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract and salt.  

Whisking together ingredients

Brian:  You will then need to temper your egg mixture.  Take 1/2 Cup of the simmering milk/cream and slowly add it to the egg mixture whisking vigorously.  Once you have that combined well, you can add the egg mixture into the saucepan with your milk/cream that is at a simmer.

Tempering 

Angie:  Now add in your softened gelatin.  By the way, this all sounds much easier than doing it, because there really is quite a bit going on.  :)

Adding the softened gelatin

Brian:  Next you want to just simmer on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens.  That is however, unless you are me, and tell your wife to add in the mascarpone cheese.  Mascarpone cheese has a consistency of butter, and runs counter to thickening anything.  Because of my blunder, we had to add in some extra cornstarch and heat a bit longer.  Doh!

Mascarpone cheese

Angie:  We were worried for a bit that we were going to have to start over, but fortunately it turned out just fine.  But what you should do here, is wait until after the mixture has thickened, remove from heat and add your mascarpone cheese.

Adding mascarone cheese to mixture

Brian:  Take one cup of the custard and place it in a bowl.  Add your chocolate chips and lightly stir.  Let sit for 2-3 minutes, and then stir the chocolate until smooth.

Adding glorious chocolate chips!

Angie:  Add your chocolate ganache to your pie crust, and smooth the top.

Chocolate on chocolate

Brian:  Chill the pie for 30 minutes while allowing the custard mixture to cool at room temperature.  Poor the remaining vanilla custard over the chocolate layer.

Adding the custard layer

Angie:  Smooth the topping without mixing the layers together, and chill for one hour.

Smoothing without blending layers

Brian: Next you work on the topping.  Use an electric mixer and beat the cream and powdered sugar until it starts to thicken.  Add the vanilla and then mix on high until stiff peaks start to form.

Creating the whipped cream topping

Angie:  Spread the whipped cream over the custard and then dust with cocoa powder.

Some cocoa powder for decoration

Brian:  This pie was among the best we have ever made.  The multiple layers gave the pie many different tastes and textures woven into one.  I am glad that most of the pies we make aren't so stressful, but it was delicious!  

Emilee giving her seal of approval

Angie:  I thought this pie was amazing.  I would like to try it another time with the gingersnap crust.  There are also variations with butterscotch and banana cream, but I really like the chocolate vanilla flavors best.  The whipped topping?  Also amazing!

Pie Recipients of the Week

Jamie and Debbie

Our pie recipients of the week are Debbie and Jamie.  We sit next to them in church all the time, and just realized by way of pie delivery, that Jamie lives in our neighborhood.  They are frequently involved in helping others, with organizations like Project A.N.G.E.L., and it is always great to serve the servants.

Recipe

Ingredients

For the custard:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin powder

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon rum extract, optional

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

5 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

For the topping:

1 cup chilled heavy cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Natural unsweetened cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS

For the custard, in a small bowl, pour 2 tablespoons water and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let the mixture stand until the gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the milk and cream in a large saucepan over medium heat until mixture just comes to a simmer.

In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, rum extract (if using), cornstarch, vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Whisking vigorously, pour 1/2 cup or so of the hot milk into the egg mixture and rapidly combine. Pour the tempered egg mixture into the pot of hot milk, whisking quickly the entire time. Whisk in the softened gelatin. Place the pan over medium-low heat and whisk the mixture constantly until thick, about 5 minutes.

Remove the vanilla custard from the heat and stir in the mascarpone (if desired, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps or cooked bits of egg). Measure out 1 cup of the custard and place it in a medium bowl. Add the chopped chocolate and lightly stir. Let the mixture sit for 2-3 minutes then stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the chocolate custard into the cooled crust; smooth the top. Chill the pie until set, about 30 minutes, while letting the vanilla custard stand at room temperature. If the vanilla custard starts to form a skin, lightly press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface.

Gently pour the remaining vanilla custard over the chilled chocolate layer. Pour slowly so the chocolate layer doesn't get messed up. Smooth the top; chill until set, about 1 hour, or keep covered up to 1 day.

When ready to serve, use an electric mixer at medium speed and beat the cream and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until the cream begins to thicken. Add the rum extract and vanilla; increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over custard. Dust with cocoa powder. Cut into slices and serve (the topped pie can be made 4 hours ahead - chill uncovered).

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