Double-Chocolate Cream Pie

Ingredients

• Prepared pie crust or graham cracker crust, blind-baked
• 4 ounces 72% dark chocolate (3/4 cup; 115g), roughly chopped
• 1/4 ounces vanilla extract (1 1/2 teaspoons; 7g)
• 9 1/2 ounces sugar (1 1/3 cups; 270g)
• 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; use half as much if iodized
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 1/2 ounces Dutch cocoa powder (1/2 cup; 45g)
• 1 1/4 ounces cornstarch (1/3 cup; 35g)
• 5 ounces egg yolk (shy 1/2 cup; 140g), from about 8 large eggs
• 24 ounces milk (3 cups; 680g), any percentage will do
• Swiss meringue topping, one batch

Steps

Filling

1. Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl, add vanilla, and suspend a large, single-mesh sieve over the top.
2. Whisk sugar, salt, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and cornstarch together in a 3-quart stainless steel saucier.
3. Add egg yolks and roughly 1/2 cup of the milk and whisk until smooth before adding the rest of the milk.
4. Cook over medium-low, stirring gently with a whisk until hot to the touch; about 6 minutes.
5. Increase heat to medium and continue whisking gently until thick and bubbly, about 5 minutes (if it’s not bubbling by then, feel free to crank up the heat).
6. When you see that first bubble, set a timer and continue whisking exactly 90 seconds.
7. Immediately pour into the sieve, pressing with a flexible spatula until custard passes through.
8. Fold until chocolate has melted into the custard, and cover with a heavy towel.

Topping

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 375°F.
2. Prepare Swiss Meringue as directed.
3. Pour custard into the prepared crust, and dollop meringue over top.
4. Gently spread it edge to edge with the back of a fork, using the tines to sculpt it into a pretty design.
5. Place on a wire rack set inside a 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet and bake until well browned, about 15 minutes (this set-up minimizes heat transfer to the custard).

Serving

1. Cool 1 hour at room temperature, then cover loosely in plastic and refrigerate to an internal temperature of 60°F, about 3 1/2 hours.
2. Cut with a wet chef’s knife, rinsing the blade clean with cold water between each slice.
3. Wrapped in plastic, leftovers can be refrigerated up to a week.

Source

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/11/chocolate-cream-pie-meringue-recipe.html