Black bottom pie
I love this pie. It has a spicy gingersnap crust, a thin layer of bittersweet chocolate custard and a layer of light, fluffy rum-flavored custard. It's topped with swirls of freshly whipped cream and shavings of chocolate.
The recipe that follows is a version of one that was published in Majorie Kinnan Rawlings' Cross Creek Cookery.
In it she describes it as "a pie so delicate, so luscious, that I hope to be propped up on my dying bed and fed a generous portion. Then I think that I should refuse outright to die, for life would be too good to relinquish."
Louie's Bookstore Cafe, where Ixia now is, is the only restaurant I've known that served black bottom pie. It was good, but I hope Jimmy Rouse won't be offended if I say mine is even better. ...
Check back later today and we should have the video up and running of Amanda demonstrating how to make it.
(Photo courtesy of Amanda Hastings-Phillips)
Black Bottom Pie
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make a crust of:
1 ½ cups gingersnap crumbs (about 22)
3 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon ginger
Bake in a 9-inch pie pan for 10 minutes. Chill.
Filling:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
¼ cup water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
4 extra-large eggs, separated
1 2/3 cup milk
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons rum, strong and dark
1 teaspoon real vanilla
Sprinkle the gelatin in the water to soften. In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate over hot water. Set aside.
Separate the eggs and beat the egg yolks in the top of a double boiler until thick and lemon colored.
Scald the milk. (Don’t let it boil.) Mix ½ cup of sugar, the cornstarch, and salt. Add to the milk; stir until dissolved.
In a thin stream, add the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Cook over hot water until the custard heavily coats a spoon. This can take as long as 20 minutes.
When thick, remove 1 cup of the custard, stir in the melted chocolate and the vanilla with a whisk. Spread on the bottom of the chilled gingersnap crust.
Add the gelatin mixture to the rest of the custard while it’s still hot. Set it aside, stirring occasionally.
Beat the 4 room-temperature egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff but not dry, slowly adding the other ½ cup of sugar. Add the rum to the custard, then fold in the whites. Be sure they are blended completely, but don’t deflate the egg whites.
Pour over the chocolate layer in the gingersnap crust. Chill for several hours until the custard sets.
Topping:
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon real vanilla
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
unsweetened chocolate for grating
No more than an hour or two before serving, whip the cream with the vanilla and sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread decoratively on top of the pie, then grate chocolate shavings on top of it.
Makes 6 servings
Comments
WOW,
I remember that black bottom pie from Louie's Bookstore Cafe!!! It was the best! Now that article brings back memories. Someone else around town should sell the exact same pie. I would purchase it, since I am no baker.
Posted by: SMR | August 21, 2007 9:44 AM
Made it last night for our cooking/book club. Delicious! I was a little nervous about all the rum, but the gingersnap crust, chocolate, rum custard, whipped combo is really fantastic.
Thanks for the recipe!
Posted by: Cara | August 23, 2007 11:19 AM
did you see? Bon Appetit's Dessert of the Year in the January issue was a chocolate pudding pie, v. similar to this delicious creation!
Posted by: Angela | December 23, 2007 11:23 PM