Black Bottom Pie
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • Wafer Crust: recipe follows
  • 1-1/3 cups sugar
  • 1-1/2 Tablespoons flour
  • 1-1/2 cups milk
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 2 squares, (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, melted
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • Topping: recipe follows
  • Grated unsweetened chocolate, for garnish
  • Wafer Crust:
  • 1-1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (about 25-27 cookies)
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and melted butter. Press into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 5 minutes; cool.
  • Topping:
  • 1 cup chilled whipping cream
  • 2 Tablespoons confectioner's sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Beat chilled whipping cream and confectioner's sugar in chilled bowl until stiff. During last minute of beating, add vanilla.
Instructions
  1. Make wafer crust; cool. (see above)
  2. Mix 1-1/3 cups sugar and the flour in saucepan. Beat milk and egg yolks; stir into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture boils. Mix 1 cup of this custard mixture into a small bowl. Mix in melted chocolate and 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Spread evenly over cooled crust; set aside in refrigerator.
  3. Sprinkle gelatin on the ¼ cup water to soften. Stir into the remaining hot custard in saucepan. Place pan in bowl of ice and water or in refrigerator. Stir occasionally until the mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon.
  4. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Beat in ⅓ cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Beat in 1 Tablespoon vanilla; fold custard mixture gently into egg whites. Pour into crust; spread evenly over chocolate layer. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
  5. Prepare topping (see above) and spread over custard filling. Sprinkle with grated chocolate and refrigerate at least 12 hours. (Don't try to skimp on this! It needs all that time to get the beautiful consistency and to make it a dream to slice.)
Recipe by The Culinary Cellar at https://theculinarycellar.com/sphere-magazine-april-1973/