Anniversary Chocolate Pie

A lot can happen in a year. And sometimes that same amount of stuff will happen in six months. That’s where we, (Aaron and I) find ourselves today on our sixth-month wedding anniversary.

I can hardly believe it either. I’ve been married for six months to one pretty spectacular guy. In that same time span Aaron finally got on active duty in the USAF, we moved from Philadelphia to West Texas, I started a job as a librarian, we got a dog, a car, and a Le Creuset Dutch oven. All very significant life accomplishments if I do say myself.

Of course the one thing that has remained constant is our trust in each other. Without Aaron I’d probably still be living in beautiful Philadelphia working minimum wage at a museum and coffee shop simultaneously and be completely miserable. Despite the ups and downs of moving “half cross country,” I know we couldn’t have done any of it without each other and I guess that’s the point of this marriage thing after all.

And even with all the massive life changes, often it’s the little things that count the most. Like when Aaron surprises me with flowers on a Wednesday or hug after a particularly hard day or this chocolate pie.

This is his favorite. Alright, a close tie with carrot cake, but since he got that for his groom’s cake I thought I would try something different.

While not discounting all the help and opportunities we’ve had so far, starting out isn’t easy. We’ve limited our spending and especially our “going out” money so we can pay for that bachelor’s degree of mine, the car, the dog, and the Le Creuset Dutch oven. So instead of going out and dropping $60-100 on an (sixth month) anniversary dinner, I’m surprising him with (small) rib-eye steak, mashed potatoes, peas, homemade bread, and of course: THIS PIE. 

Yes, it’s a Monday, but you’re only in your first month of marriage once. And yes I mean once, America. So might as well enjoy it while you can, embracing the poorness and the Southern specialties. Where good steak is cheaper than chicken and a lot more plentiful.

I made this pie from scratch: meaning homemade filling, fresh whipped cream, and homemade crust. It is honestly the best way to make it and the homemade crust really makes the difference, especially for a special occasion. If you’d rather, you can substitute for the roll-out store bought option which is good in a hurry but a little pricier than the really stuff which costs about $90.

Because this is the Southern baked version versus a Chocolate silk pie, the top gets perfectly caramelized, the inside is smooth, and it doesn’t even need the whipped cream. Either way you cannot get better than this. I wanted an extra chocolately pie without being sickly sweet. I hope you agree-- anniversary or not.

Anniversary Chocolate Pie with Fresh Whipped Cream

(Filling recipe adapted from Food and Wine and crust recipe from The Working Class Foodies Cookbook by Rebecca Lando)

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for working

1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 egg yolk

2-½ tsp. milk

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

For the Filling:

2/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup good quality dark chocolate chips, finely chopped into shavings (about 2-3 tbsp. of the whole chips)

4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs lightly beaten

1 tsp. good quality vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

For the Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Garnish:

Dark chocolate chips or bar chopped or made into shavings with a vegetable peeler

Variation:
For a sweeter pie, add 1/4 cup more sugar in the filling and another tablespoon cream.

Directions:

For the crust, whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl or stand mixer. Work in cubed better with your hands or on medium speed with the mixer making coarse crumbs of the flour and butter.

In a small bowl beat the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla together. Mix wet ingredients into the flour mixture until dough just forms.

Take dough out of the bowl, then gently and quickly knead it on a clean, floured surface, forming a ball. Over-kneading will melt the butter.

Wrap dough completely in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Once ready to use, let dough rest on the counter for 15 minutes before rolling out.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Roll pie dough out on your floured surface evenly to make an 11-inch circle. Let rest for a minute, then carefully place in a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges of the dough with a fork to the lip of the plate. Press firmly all around the crust so it doesn’t slid when prebaking. Prick the bottom of the crust lightly with a fork.  Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and let it slightly cool for a minute.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the sugar with the cocoa powder, chocolate butter, eggs, and ¾ cup whipping cream, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Stir until chocolate shavings melt. (This may take a couple minutes so let sit while crust is prebaking.)

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a little loose in the center when jiggled. Cover the crust with strips of foil halfway through baking.

Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. (Pie shown above has only been cooled, for a more set filling, refrigerate at least one hour before serving and texture will vastly improve.)

For the Whipped Cream: Once ready to serve pie, add whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla into a chilled metal bowl. Beat with an electric or stand mixer that have whisk attachments (or by hand with a whisk,) until stiff peaks form in the cream, the whipped cream should be thick enough that when put on a spoon and tipped up side down it shouldn’t drop.

Refrigerate the rest of the pie and only top with whipped cream once ready to serve so the pie doesn’t get soggy.

Enjoy!

P.s. Happy Anniversary, honey.