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Triple Chocolate Custard Pie Easy as Chocolate Pie In ancient Greece, custards were thought to be suitable only for women and children. Fortunately, that attitude didn't last. Today we enjoy a host of desserts made from eggs, a sweetener and milk. If you've never before baked custard, among the easiest is a custard pie. The Chocolate Custard Pie here is flavored with chocolate, three times over. The first chocolate is a ready-made cookie-crumb crust which eliminates the fuss of making a pastry crust. The second, chocolate syrup, doesn't require delicate melting as chocolate squares or morsels often do. Third is chocolate whipped cream which comes ready to use in a spray can. What could be handier? Options Classic cup custard and simple custard pie are often enhanced by a dash of nutmeg. Comforting custard also takes well to fruit flavors. Depending on season, you can use almost any fruit - fresh, drained canned, dried or candied, even fruit preserves - with the exception of raw pineapple, figs, papaya, kiwi, honeydew and ginger. These fruits all contain an enzyme that breaks down protein and prevents a custard from setting. The same enzyme prevents gelatin from gelling. Custards can also be flavored with cocoa, flaked coconut, spices or an extract. You can also use nuts, except for pecans and walnuts which color a custard an odd brownish-purple wherever they touch. To sweeten a custard, instead of white or brown sugar, you can use a syrup. With a syrup, though, you need to use less milk to make up for the added liquid. A colored syrup, such as a fruit-flavored syrup, will color the custard. Hints Baking just enough but no more is the secret to a successful baked custard. The milk-and-egg mixture of baked custard is quite delicate. If the custard is baked at too high a heat or for too long at any heat setting, the liquid will be forced out of the egg protein bonds that set the custard. This makes the custard 'weep', causing liquid to separate from the custard. If your custard is overcooked, you'll have a soggy crust or you'll see water at the bottom of the dish and there will be holes in the custard where the water was forced out. To keep custard from overcooking, bake it at a moderate heat and insulate it from direct oven heat. The crust serves as an insulator in a custard pie and so does the bread in bread pudding. Other baked custard recipes often call for a water bath (much like a steamtable tray) which promotes even, slow baking. To make a water bath, simply place the dessert dish in a bigger pan or dish. Then add hot water - the insulator - to the bigger pan. Time the baking carefully. Too short a time and the custard won't set; too long a time and it will curdle. To test for doneness, insert a knife into the custard near, but not at, the center. The knife will come out clean when the custard is done. In this recipe, heating the chocolate syrup, milk and sugar together cuts down on baking time. When you stir the heated mixture into the eggs and vanilla, be sure to pour slowly. If you pour too much hot stuff onto eggs all at once, the eggs will form curds like scrambled eggs and your custard pie will be lumpy instead of smooth and silky.  Triple Chocolate Custard Pie 6 servings
Bake in preheated 350° F oven until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or refrigerate and chill thoroughly to serve cold. Garnish with whipped cream and mint leaves, if desired, just before serving. |
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