Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (for crust)
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 4 tablespoons ice water
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch processed preferred)
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (for filling)
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (for filling)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for filling)
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for topping)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional stabilizer)

Instructions:

  1. Combine flour and salt. Cut in the ice-cold butter until you have pea-sized crumbles. Drizzle in the ice water slowly, mixing only until the dough just comes together. Form a flat disc, wrap it up tight, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Roll the dough out and fit it into your 9-inch pie dish. Prick the bottom all over with a fork (docking). Freezing the docked shell for 15 minutes before baking is critical for preventing the crust from slumping.
  3. Blind-bake at 375°F (190°C) with pie weights for 15 minutes. Remove the weights, and let it bake for another 8–10 minutes until it’s lightly golden brown. Cool completely before filling. (If using a store-bought graham cracker crust, skip to the next step.)
  4. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt. Make sure there are no clumps.
  5. Heat the whole milk in a separate pot until steaming, but not boiling. While whisking your egg yolks constantly, slowly stream about 1 cup of the warm milk into the yolks. This tempering step prevents the yolks from scrambling.
  6. Pour the tempered yolk mixture and the remaining milk into the saucepan with the dry ingredients. Whisk continuously over medium heat. Continue whisking until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken significantly. Bring it to a full, rolling boil and let it bubble vigorously for 60 seconds to fully activate the cornstarch.
  7. Remove the mixture immediately from the heat. Stir in the chopped semi-sweet chocolate, 2 tablespoons of butter, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until the mixture is glossy and smooth.
  8. Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling to prevent a rubbery skin from forming. Refrigerate for a minimum of 5 hours until completely firm.
  9. Beat the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and cream of tartar (if using) until stiff peaks form.
  10. Spread or pipe the whipped topping over the set chocolate filling. Garnish with chocolate shavings or coarse sea salt flakes before slicing and serving.