S'Mores Pie

As dessert after our double-date, we came back to our place to enjoy a special S'Mores pie Dan made just for the occasion. He found the recipe on Gourmet Magazine's web site, and I played sous chef for him and helped with advice along the way. We started with a homemade graham cracker crust (graham crackers, sugar, and butter), using a recipe from American Home Cooking by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison, then made the chocolate filling (cream, chocolate and egg), baked it in the shell, then let it come to room temperatures. Then, we whipped up the marshmallow layer (sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, water and vanilla), poured it into the shell and then chilled it. Just before serving, we popped it under the broiler to give the marshmallow layer a golden brown crust - just like a real s'more. Everyone really enjoyed the pie, and I think we'll be making this one again - and using the recipe as a jumping off point for other pie ideas, such as replacing the marshmallow layer with a peanut butter layer. Yum!



Smore's Pie
1 1/4 cups graham crackers (about 16-18 crackers)
2 Tbspn granulated sugar
3 Tbpsn unsalted butter, melted
7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not more than 70% cacao; not unsweetened), finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg, at room temperature for 30 mins
1 tspn unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-oz package)
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tspn vanilla
Vegetable oil for greasing

For Graham Cracker Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch pie pan. Place the crackers in a food processor and pulse until they become crumbs. Move crumbs to a large bowl, and mix in 2 Tbpsn sugar. Pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir until well combined. Press the crust mixture into the pie pan, then bake for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

For chocolate cream filling:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350ºF. Put chocolate in a large bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, then pour hot cream over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then gently whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Gently whisk in egg and a pinch of salt until combined and pour into graham cracker crumb crust (crust will be about half full). Cover edge of pie with a pie shield or foil and bake until filling is softly set and trembles slightly in center when gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Cool pie to room temperature on a rack (filling will firm as it cools), about 1 hour.

Make marshmallow topping:
Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a large deep heatproof bowl and let stand until softened, about 1 minute. Stir together sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and remaining 1/4 cup water in cleaned 1- to 1 1/4-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until thermometer registers 260ºF, about 6 minutes. Begin beating water and gelatin mixture with an electric mixer at medium speed, then carefully pour in hot syrup in a slow stream, beating (avoid beaters and side of bowl). When all of syrup is added, increase speed to high and continue beating until mixture is tripled in volume and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined, then immediately spoon topping onto center of pie filling; it will slowly spread to cover top of pie. Chill, uncovered, 1 hour, then cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap (oiled side down) and chill 3 hours more.



Brown topping:
Preheat broiler. Transfer pie to a baking sheet. Cover edge of pie with pie shield or foil and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat, rotating pie as necessary, until marshmallow topping is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Cool pie on a rack 10 minutes. Slice pie with a large heavy knife dipped in hot water and then dried with a towel before cutting each slice.