Shelly's Recipe

BLACK BOTTOM VANILLA CREAM PIE

Category: Pies - Cream and Custard

Crust:
22 gingersnaps (about 5.5 oz)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter, melted
Cooking spray

3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups milk
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp confectioners sugar

To prepare the crust, place the cookies in a food processor, and process until finely ground (to yield about 1 cup). Add the granulated sugar and butter, and pulse 8 times or until combined. Press crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake for 6 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

Then combine first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan, whisking well to blend. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.

Place chopped chocolate in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave at medium power for 1 minute. Stir and repeat. Stir and cook the chocolate 30 seconds more if necessary, or until smooth.

Remove 1 cup of custard from saucepan and stir into melted chocolate. Spread chocolate custard evenly in bottom of pie shell. Spoon remaining vanilla custard on top. Cover top of tart with a sheet of wax paper to prevent skin from forming. Chill vanilla cream pie at least 3 hours or overnight.

To serve, whip cream and confectioners sugar until stiff. Spoon or decoratively pipe whipped cream on top of tart.