| Method
To prepare pastry
shell: Set out a 9-inch pie plate. In a food
processor fitted with a steel blade, combine
flour and salt. Process a few seconds to blend.
Sprinkle butter and shortening over flour. Process
in on/off pulses until fat is cut into flour
and mixture resembles coarse meal. Processing
in on/off pulses, add 1 tbs cold water through
feed tube, processing only until evenly incorporated
and particles begin to hold together. If mixture
is crumbly, sprinkle over a little more water,
a teaspoon or two at a time, and continue processing
in on/off pulses until mixture holds together
and is smooth; be careful not to overprocess.
Alternatively:
in a medium bowl, using a pastry blender, forks,
or your fingertips, cut butter and shortening
into flour and salt, until mixture is consistency
of coarse meal. Add 1 tbs water to flour mixture,
blending with a fork just until particles hold
together. If necessary, add a little more water,
1 tsp at a time, to moisten pastry enough to
hold together.
Gather pastry into
a ball. Working between two sheets of wax paper,
roll pastry into a 12-inch round of even thickness,
checking underside of dough frequently and smoothing
out any wrinkles that form. Peel off one sheet
of paper. Lay pastry, dough-side down, loosely
in pie plate. With top sheet of wax paper still
in place, refrigerate dough for 25 - 30 minutes.
Let dough soften at room temperature for a few
minutes. Peel off and discard paper. Smooth
dough firmly into bottom and sides of pie plate,
patching any tears. Trim overlapping dough to
1 inch. Press and crimp to form decorative edge,
keeping edge evenly thick. Prick pastry all
over with a fork. Neatly line pastry with heavy-duty
aluminum foil, wrapping excess foil over pan
edges so pastry is completely covered. Return
to refrigerator to chill for at least 20 minutes
and up to 8 hours, if desired.
Position a rack
in center of oven and preheat to 400ºF/200ºC.
Bake foil-covered shell for 15 minutes. Carefully
remove foil and continue baking until tinged
with brown, 6 - 10 minutes longer. Transfer
pie plate to wire rack and let stand until completely
cooled. Use immediately or store, wrapped airtight,
for up to 24 hours (or freeze for up to a week).
To prepare filling:
In a small, deep bowl, beat together egg and
egg yolks, cream, and half of the sugar with
a whisk or fork, until well blended; set aside.
In a 4-quart or larger heavy, non-aluminum saucepan,
bring 2 cups milk just to a boil on high heat.
Remove from heat. In a small, deep bowl, stir
together remaining half of sugar, cocoa powder,
flour, cornstarch, and salt, until well blended
and smooth. Gradually stir or whisk remaining
1 cup cold milk into cocoa mixture, until mixture
is completely smooth. Briskly stir cocoa mixture
into hot milk until blended. Return mixture
to burner over medium heat and cook, whisking
vigorously and scraping pan bottom, until mixture
comes to a boil, about 2 - 3 minutes.
Boil mixture, stirring
vigorously, for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove pan from
heat, stirring 30 seconds longer. Whisking,
add about a third of cocoa mixture to reserved
egg mixture, until well blended. Whisk egg mixture
back into saucepan. Return to burner over medium
heat, stirring vigorously. Cook until mixture
returns to boiling and boil for 1 minute. Immediately
remove from heat and stir in chocolate, butter,
and vanilla, until completely melted and smooth.
Strain filling through a fine sieve into a non-aluminum
storage bowl. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on
surface of filling. Refrigerate filling for
20 - 30 minutes, until it cools and thickens
just slightly. Stir well, then spoon into pie
shell. Cover and refrigerate pie for at least
4 hours, and preferably longer, until set.
Just before serving,
pipe, swirl, or spread whipped cream over entire
surface of pie (or over each slice). Garnish
generously with chocolate curls or shavings
or grated chocolate, if desired. Ungarnished
pie will keep, covered and refrigerated, for
3 or 4 days. Enjoy!
Bella
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