S'more Pie #25

The best part of sitting around a fire is making s'mores. I have the patience to roast a whole bag of marshmallows and I'm not afraid to admit that I have the stomach to eat at least half of them too. So, you might guess that I've been excited to make a s'more pie sometime this summer. It just seems like a very summery pie--in a camping-out-under-the-stars sort of way.

Also, I don't get much s'more activity here in the city--but don't think I haven't tried. In fact, once I made this awful graham-cracker-chocolate-marshmallow mess for my friend, Lisa. It's quit possibly one of the worst experiments I've ever made. 

But since it was her birthday (and because I've always hoped that my marshmallow roasting abilities would amount to something), I thought it might be the right time to feed her some chocolate and hopefully redeem myself as well. And while I can't confirm that she's the biggest s'more lover, she is the biggest chocolate lover I know, and I can think of no better way to consume chocolate in the summertime than eating it sandwiched between graham crackers and toasted marshmallows.

Quote from Lisa while eating this last night: "It's not that I only like chocolate desserts, it's just a more calorie efficient dessert since I'm going to eat chocolate one way or another. "

The reviews for this pie were all-around pretty positive. Not surprisingly, Lisa said she liked the chocolate to marshmallow ratio. A few people commented on how they liked the crispy browned surface of the marshmallow layer. Personally, I thought it was delicious. I was happy with the texture of the chocolate, the cinnamon in the crust, and the brulee-like surface of the marshmallow topping. It might be the best graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow creation I've made--but I'm willing to do some further testing on my next camp-out.

S'more Pie

Crust:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (find the graham cracker recipe here)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Chocolate Filling:

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate (finely chopped)

1 cup heavy cream

2 large eggs whisked (and at room temperature for 30 minutes)

Pinch of salt

Marshmallow Topping:

1/2 teaspoon butter

2 cups mini marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie pan. Stir together cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour melted butter over the top and stir until crumbs are evenly coated. Pour into butter pie pan and press evenly on the bottom and all sides of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

While crust is baking, chop the chocolate and pour into mixing bowl. Heat the cream in a heavy saucepan, bringing it just to a boil (be careful not to burn it). Pour hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it stand for about 1 minute. Gently whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Slowly whisk in egg and a pinch of salt until combined and smooth. Pour chocolate mixture into graham cracker crust (crust should be about 1/2 way full).

Cover edge of pie with a pie shield or foil so the edges of the crust are covered. Bake until filling is softly set and jiggles slightly in the center when shaken (about 25 minutes). Cool pie to room temperature on a rack for about 1 hour.

Marshmallow Topping:

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add the marshmallows just as the butter finishes melting and stir continuously with spatula until marshmallows have melted.

Note: don't over-melt the marshmallows. It's better to have one or two not completely melted than to burn the topping.

Act quickly and pour the melted marshmallows on top of the cooked pie. Smooth marshmallows across the surface and get as close to the edge as possible (however, it's okay if you don't actually touch the crust to the topping since it will puff during baking). As the topping begins to harden, it may be easier to grease the back of a spoon or your fingers and use them to manipulate the topping.

Turn the oven onto hi broil and place the pie under the broiler on the uppermost rack (keep the foil guard on the pie crust for this step). Watch the pie carefully because it can burn rather quickly. Remove when topping is golden brown. Let the pie rest about 10 minutes before serving.

Slice pie with warm knife.