When No. 1 son comes
to visit and help out here at the O-P abode (he is a SUPERB pantry organizer), he knows he’s always going to get
something wonderful to eat. I’ll show
you the main dish tomorrow, but today, you have to get a look at this delicious
dessert. As I’ve done in the past, I
continue to sing the praises of The
Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook
. I have yet to try a recipe from this book
that isn‘t absolutely fantastic. If I
ever want to see any member of my family, all I have to do is say the magic word,
“pie” and they come
running. This pie was so yummy as to
make their eyes roll back in their heads. The meringue is extra special and unlike anything I've tasted before; it truly does taste like marshmallow. No. 2 son, between gobbled bites, wanted to know just how I managed to get marshmallow fluff to form into peaks like this. Magic.
Serve this to your family, and you'll be crowned queen!
S'mores Pie
Ingredients:
5 large egg yolks
6 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch, sifted
¼ tsp. fine sea salt
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 ½ tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
1 Graham Cracker Crust, prebaked
For the marshmallow topping:
6 large egg whites
½ tsp. cream of tartar
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Preparation:
To make the filling: Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together
in a heatproof bowl until thick and pale in color. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle boil. Whisk about ½ cup of the hot milk into the egg yolks to temper them, so they won’t curdle, then,
continuing to whisk, add the remainder of the milk in a steady stream.
Set the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bottom
of the bowl touch the water) and cook the egg-milk mixture, whisking
constantly, until thick and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes. (I found that this took
closer to 10 minutes.)
Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and melted chocolate
until well combined. Let the filling mixture sit for 2 minutes to cool
slightly, then whisk in the butter until the custard is smooth and silky. Place
a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the chocolate filling so that a skin
does not form and let cool for 30 minutes, or until it reaches room
temperature.
When the filling has cooled, pour it into the prepared crust. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
To make the marshmallow topping: Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar in a large heatproof bowl, set the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water), and whisk constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the egg whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture will appear pale and opaque. Rub a little of the mixture between your fingers to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or leave in the same bowl if using a handheld mixture). Add the vanilla and, starting on low speed, whip the egg whites, gradually increasing the speed to high, until the marshmallow topping is glossy and forms stiff peaks, 5 to 7 minutes.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip with the marshmallow topping and pipe it over the entire surface of the pie, making sure it touches the crust all around. Then loosely pile the rest of the marshmallow topping on top and use a spatula to spread it in big, luscious swirls. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can do both steps using a spatula.) Toast the topping lightly with a kitchen blowtorch (if desired).
The pie is best served the same day, but it can be covered with plastic wrap
and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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