La Tarte de Crème de chocolat / Chocolate Cream Pie

La Tarte de Crème de chocolat or
Chocolate Cream Pie

God gave the angels wings and gave the humans chocolate.

- Author Unknown

Ooooh luscious.  I love chocolate.  Chocolate cream pie should be creamy, you know?  Smooth, cold and thick.   The taste needs to be rich and bold and stand up to a knife.  With cream pies, most people think "light and fluffy".  After all, it's a cream pie, not a cheesecake.  I like them rich and dense, regardless.  I'm here to tell you that if you're using an instant pudding to make your cream pies, you are missing out.  Take your time and do it like your grandma used to do it.  Chocolate cream pie doesn't get any better than this.

La Tarte de Crème de chocolat
 Ingredients
Crust
8 oz chocolate wafer cookies, crushed
4 1/2 T. melted butter
2 T. sugar

Filling
1 C. milk
1 C. cream
1/2 C. Sugar
3 egg yolks
1/4 C. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
8 oz. chocolate chips
1/4 C. unsweetened cocoa

Whipped Cream
3/4 C. heavy whipped cream
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix the cookie crumbs with the butter and sugar and pour into prepared glass pie plate.  Press crust to bottom and sides of the pie plate until uniform and smooth.  Place in oven and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and place on counter to cool.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1/4 C. of sugar together.  Add the salt and mix until combined.  In a separate saucepan over medium heat add milk and remaining 1/4 C. sugar and heat until bubbly stirring occassionally.   Turn off heat.  Slowly add a spoonful of the milk mixture to the egg mixture to temper your eggs and stir.  You are bringing your egg mixture up to temperature.  Pouring too much hot milk liquid too fast into your egg mixture will result in scrambling your eggs.  Again, add another spoonful of the hot milk mixture to the eggs and stir.  Finally, add you egg mixture into the saucepan with the milk and stir swiftly until combined.  Add chocolate chips and cocoa powder and mix well. Pour mixture into your prepared cookie crust and spread to edges, smoothing with a rubber spatula.  Place a piece of cling wrap directly on surface of chocolate mixture.  Refrigerate for at least three hours to set. 

To prepare your whipping cream, pour heavy cream into a bowl, add vanilla and sugar and beat until soft peaks form.  If you want thicker whipped cream, beat until desired consistentcy.  When you remove pie from the fridge, spoon out whipped cream and spread on top, mounding it in the middle and garnish with chocolate shavings, or drizzled chocolate topping or fresh raspberries.  Bon Appetit!