Bridezilla Bakes

Hello everyone! I feel terrible that it’s been an entire week since I’ve posted, but I have a really good story to explain that. Ready?

It begins like this: I forgot.

And it ends like this: The End.

Great! I’m such an entertaining writer. Patting myself on the back as we speak

Ok yes… that was lame. You know what’s not lame? This:

Yeah, that totally makes up for the lame-lack-of-posting-made-worse-by-the-lame-jokes… right? Meet my Mocha Cream Pie, a recipe that I developed as an experiment that turned out amazingly — and surprisingly — delightful. I say surprisingly not only because it was an experiment that turned out a wonderfully well-balanced, decadent pie on the first attempt, but also because I learned a little something about cream pie fillings along the way.

If you’ve never made a cream pie before, read on, because while I am not going to explore the intricacies of pastry creams, custards, and puddings, there are some things in this post that are good to know before you try to make any of the above and shove them in a pie. Many of you readers who are more experienced cooks and bakers are going to giggle a little when I say this, but, um… I didn’t really know that my cream filling was going to thicken while I cooked it on the stovetop. I thought that it would thicken in the fridge as the pie “set up,” or something equally illogical, so I was hugely surprised when I was whisking the cream filling and it began to develop a pudding-like texture. This was a shocking but very welcome development, since the rich texture of the cream filling was the perfect canvas for the deep mocha flavor. And, if the filling had stayed liquid, well… it would have been a mocha puddle, not a mocha pie.

I have to say, though, that the real winner in this pie might have been the coffee whipped cream. Simple but effective… and addictive. The coffee-flavored whipped cream was another experiment (I think it was the first time I’ve actually ever made real whipped cream before) but WOW! It was like frappuccino-flavored air. Yes. Dreamy.

All told, this Mocha Cream Pie was a win. Buttery graham cracker crust, surprise-pudding filling, and coffee whipped cream that I wanted to swim in. Worth waiting a week for? You tell me

Mocha Cream Pie

Adapted from this recipe in Gourmet, also inspired by this recipe.

For graham cracker crust:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (from about twelve 5-by 2 1/2-inch crackers)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For mocha cream filling:

• 6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, divided
• 2 whole large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 cups whole milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ½ stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For coffee whipped cream:

• 1 ¼ cups chilled heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules dissolved in (an additional) ¼ cup heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Make crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Stir together all crust ingredients. Press over bottom and up side of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes, then cool.

Make filling:

Melt chocolate and instant coffee granules in a large bowl (use the microwave in intervals of 30 seconds, or a double boiler).

Stir together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a small bowl.

Whisk together whole eggs and yolks in another bowl, then whisk in cornstarch mixture.

Stir together milk, cream, salt, and remaining brown sugar in a heavy medium saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium heat. Pour half of milk mixture into egg mixture in a slow stream, whisking, then pour egg mixture into remaining milk mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking, 1 minute. The mixture will thicken as it cooks, and then boils (!). Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into melted chocolate and whisk to combine.

Transfer hot filling to crust and chill, its surface covered with parchment (or plastic wrap, as I did), until it’s cold, about 3 hours.

FYI… the reason you pour the milk into the eggs and then add the mixture back into the pan is to heat the eggs slowly so that you don’t cook & scramble them. The reason for the straining (which some people find annoying) is that some eggs may scramble anyway, so you just need to strain them out before adding them to the pie.

Make coffee whipped cream:

Beat cream, coffee cream, and confectioners sugar using an electric mixer until it holds stiff peaks. Spoon over chilled filling.

Tags: chocolate, dessert, pie