Ingredients
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon coffee grounds, finely ground
- 1 star anise
- 2 cups heavy cream, plus 1 cup
- 1 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for cream
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/4 cups Scharffen Berger cocoa powder, plus some for sprinkling
- 2 ounces Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate (70 percent), chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1-ounce Grand Marnier
- 1-ounce Scharffen Berger semisweet chocolate (62 percent) finely chopped
- 1 (9-inch) blind baked pie shell (made with all butter is best), recipe follows
Directions
Put the half-and-half in a saucepan with the coffee and star anise. Heat to scalding, remove from heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes to infuse the flavors. Strain mixture into clean saucepan. Add 2 cups heavy cream and set aside.
In a separate bowl mix 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add egg yolks and combine with sugar mixture (a fork does a good job) until well blended (the sugar mixture is completely yellow). Loosely mix in Scharffen Berger cocoa powder. Add mixture to infused half-and-half mixture and heat slowly stirring continuously. When mixture is hot and just starting to thicken add Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate. Continue heating until thick. Mix in vanilla, butter, and Grand Marnier. Pour directly into prepared pie shell (strain to remove lumps if desired). Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator overnight.
Mix 1 cup heavy cream with 1 teaspoon of sugar and whip. Whip in semisweet chocolate. Cover pie with whipped cream. Lightly sprinkle the top with cocoa powder. Eat it quick or it won't last. If you are generous you can share. I get 4 pieces out of it but you could get more.
Pate Brisee (Pie Dough):
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together. If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide dough into 2 equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.
Yield: 2 pie crusts
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