A couple of years ago, I really got into pie. I mean really. I started to obsess (yes, surprising) about the different types of pies which can be made. Apple Pie – which my mum makes a pretty exceptional one, Cherry Pie, Lemon Meringue, Coconut Cream Pie, Banana Cream Pie and of course Chocolate Cream Pie. Yum!

I have had a few attempts with this one over the last couple of years and I finally feel like I got it to where I wanted. Clearly, lots of testing has been done over this time. Different ratios and types of chocolate, and cream or milk. (I am still working on my dairy-free version.) Once I had that all sorted, I was still struggling with the crust. I tried a few different versions, until one day, when I was buying ingredients for my Ice-Cream Pie (yes, I do need to make this and post it for this summer!!) I wondered why I wasn’t using this for my chocolate cream pie recipe! It seems silly, to have taken so long to figure this out.

So here it is, in all its glory. One of my favourite summer time desserts for barbecues and alfresco eating – which is what I love to do all summer long. This has a biscuit crumb base with a chocolate custard filling and is topped with a lightly sweetened whipped cream and shavings of chocolate. It really is one of the best ways to enjoy chocolate in the summer time.

You will need to allow for the setting of the custard when making this. It takes roughly 6 hours to set in the fridge and it is best served the day it is made. However, you can make this a day in advance, just reserve the whipped cream topping until the day you are serving it, to enjoy it at its best.

Serves 8

23cm (9 inches) Pie Dish

CRUST

• 16 Oreos or Bourbon Cream biscuits
• 3 Tbsp Butter, plus a little butter to line the dish
• Pinch of Sea Salt

FILLING

• 2/3 cup (130g) Caster Sugar
• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp or 33g) Cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 4 Egg Yolks
• 3 cups (675g) Whole Milk
• 5 ozs (150g) Dark Chocolate (I use 70%), melted
• 5 Tbsp Cocoa
• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) Butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla Paste

TOPPING

• 3/4 cup (180ml) Double Cream (Whipping Cream)
• 1 Tbsp Caster Sugar

 

Begin with making the crust. Add the biscuits with the butter and salt into a food processor and blend until the mix comes to a fine crumb and starts to clump together. (alternatively you could crush them in a freezer bag with a rolling pin and mix together with the pinch of salt and melted butter.) Pour the mix into your pie plate, gently shake it to get the mixture across the bottom evenly and press it gently into the bottom and up the sides of the dish with your hands. Set it aside in the fridge to firm up whilst you prepare the filling.

Melt the chocolate over a double boil. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, blend together the sugar, cornstarch, salt and egg yolks until you have a smooth paste. Slowly stir the milk in and continue stirring as you bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce the heat so the mixture simmers for one minute, until thickened.

Place a fine sieve over a bowl and press the pudding mixture through the sieve with a wooden spoon. Add the melted chocolate , sifted cocoa, butter and vanilla to the pudding and whisk until smooth. Cover the surface with a layer of cling film or a piece of damp crumpled parchment, and allow the pudding to cool completely at room temperature. (If you are pressed for time, which happens to the best of us, you can also set your bowl into a sink filled with cold water and ice, and whisk your pudding until it is has cooled).

Once the pudding has cooled, pour it into the prepared pie crust and chill for 6 hrs, or overnight, until it has set.

When you are ready to serve it, whisk together the cream and sugar until it is you have soft peaks. Place the whipped cream over the set pudding and grate some chocolate shavings over the top, or sift some cocoa overtop, to decorate.

Keep chilled until ready to serve, and cover any leftovers with cling film and keep in the refrigerator.