Wake Up and Smell the Coffee Pie

For a dessert this Easter, I decide to make a coffee pie from my Waitress cookbook. It has a graham cracker crust, a chiffon filling (light and airy filling), and Kahlùa whipped cream on top. The combination of these three things makes this a masterpiece. It is fantastic for breakfast and dessert; I've had it for both. Because of the cooking of the egg yolks, be very careful and I suggest getting extra ingredients when making the filling. I messed up once, so I had to make the whole filling again. I hope when you make this, everything goes just right. Happy baking!

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee Pie

Recipe from the Waitress the Musical pie cookbook.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 16 sheets of crackers)

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

1/4 cup water

1 (.25 oz) envelope of unflavored gelatin

4 large egg yolks, beaten*

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brewed espresso, at room temp.

4 large egg whites

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

2 tablespoons Kahlùa or other coffee liqueur

A handful of chocolate-covered coffee beans for garnish

*Note: When cooking a cream filling or custard that contains egg yolks, press the yolks through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, using a rubber spatula to press them through the mesh, leaving behind any egg white clinging to the yolks. This helps reduce the chance that the filling will curdle. 

Instructions

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

For the filling: Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin. Stir the mix into the water and make sure there are no clumps; let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Whisk together the egg yolks, salt, 3/4 cup of sugar, and the espresso until smooth in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes stirring with a whisk, or until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spatula. Whisk in the softened gelatin. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 10 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly. 

Beat the egg whites until frothy in a clean glass or metal bowl with a mixer on low speed. Increase to high speed and beat to soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Stir the espresso mixture slightly before folding the egg whites into the espresso mixture. Spoon into the cooled pie shell and refrigerate for 3 hours, or until firm. 

For the topping: Beat the cream and Kahlùa to firm peaks in a chilled medium bowl with a mixer on high speed. Spread over the chilled pie. Decorate with the chocolate-covered coffee beans.