Pi Day: Triple Chocolate Truffle Pie

As most of you know, yesterday was Pi Day. To celebrate, I made a Triple Chocolate Truffle Pie. 

The pie was phenomenal. When I cut it into pieces, it did not collapse and it stuck together very well. It was rich but less filling than I expected. The filling was not sweet since there was no sugar, but the whipped cream had enough sugar to sweeten the pie but not overpower it. Overall, this was a decadent pie and I would definitely make it again.

Triple Chocolate Truffle Pie

This recipe is from the "Waitress" cookbook that has all the recipes for the pies in the musical Waitress and more. 

Ingredients

Chocolate Cookie Pie Shell

1 3/4 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 36 cookies)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups half and half

2 large eggs

Chocolate Whipped Cream Topping

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Chocolate Curls

1 (2-ounce) block of dark chocolate

1(2-ounce) block of white chocolate

Instructions

For the pie shell: Preheat the oven to 350F. Toss together the crumbs and butter in a medium bowl to moisten. (I used a food processor to make the cookie crumbs and mix the crumbs and butter.) Press the mixture onto the bottom and up sides of a 9 1/2 inch deep-dish pie pan. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to firm up the butter. Bake in the center of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until just set and fragrant. Place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. 

For the filling: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Warm the half and half in a small saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edge. Pour over the chocolate and let stand for 1 minute to soften, then whisk until smooth. 

Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until whites and yolks are well combined. Whisking continuously, add the warm chocolate mixture to the eggs in 1/4 cup increments. Pour into the pie shell. 

Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, or until the filling is nearly set in the center and puffs sightly. When gently shaken, the center should jiggle slightly, but no longer slosh or ripple, and a toothpick inserted 3 inches from the center should come out clean. The center of the pie will firm up as it cools. Place the pie on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

For the topping: Whisk together the cream, vanilla, confectioners' sugar, and cocoa powder in a large chilled bowl until the dry ingredients mix into the cream. Beat to firm peaks with a mixer at high speed. Spread over the filling, or pipe onto the pie in a decorative fashion using a large star tip. 

For the chocolate curls: Soften the dark chocolate in the microwave at 50 percent power in 10-second intervals until it is slightly warmer than room temperature but not melting or soft enough to show fingerprints. For wide curls, slowly draw the blade of a vegetable peeler along the broad side of the softened chocolate to create curls. For narrow curls, use the side of the block. Repeat with the white chocolate. (I just used dark chocolate, but it would probably be just as good with dark, milk, or white chocolate shavings.)

Use the curls immediately or arrange them in a single layer on a sheet of parchment paper in an airtight storage container. Refrigerate the curls until ready to use. Chilled curls shatter easily, so handle them gently.