Here is another chess pie I’ve developed to salve the South’s sweet tooth and not least, my own. Use a top-quality bittersweet chocolate for this pie, one that melts smoothly. Tip: I melt the chocolate and butter at the outset so they’ve time to cool a bit before being mixed with the other ingredients. If too hot, they may “cook” the eggs meaning lumps in a filling that should be jelly-smooth.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter, diced
- 3 squares (1 ounce each) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1⁄4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
How to Make It
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Melt butter and chocolate slowly in small heavy saucepan over lowest heat, stirring often.
- Meanwhile, combine both sugars, flour, and salt in medium-size bowl, pressing out any lumps with your fingers. Add eggs, cream, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Add melted butter and chocolate and again whisk until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell.
- Slide pie onto rimmed baking sheet and bake on middle oven shelf 50 to 55 minutes or just until top puffs and filling barely jiggles when you nudge pan.
- Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature before cutting.
- Cut into slim wedges and serve as is or top with whipped cream or ice cream vanilla, dulce de leche, butter pecan, or hazelnut gelato.