Chocolate Covered Cherry Pie
Author: 
 
A cherry pie, enrobed with chocolate! Chocolate crust, a chocolate cream top layer, and flavored whipping cream.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup shortening, chilled
  • ⅓ cup buttermilk
  • 2 cans (21 oz each) cherry pie filling
  • ¾ cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups bilk
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped coarsely
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin (if you are stabilizing your whipped cream)
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup cherry liqueur (or substitution...see below**)
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375 F.
  2. You will need a deep-dish pie pan. If using a regular pie pan, reduce the cherry filling to one can.
  3. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, and sugar. Work shortening into dry mixture with pastry blender or two knives, until the size of small peas.
  4. Add the buttermilk slowly, stirring lightly with a fork. If the dough isn't coming together into a rough ball shape, add cold water 1 teaspoon at a time. You just want it to stick together and not be crumbly.
  5. Roll out approximately ⅔ of the dough between sheets of lightly floured parchment paper. This should be a little thicker than a normal pie crust.
  6. Remove the top layer of parchment and cut a circle larger than your pie pan, with an extra 1" all the way around.
  7. Slide a flat baking pan under parchment beneath the circle of dough. Place your pan upside down on the dough, centering it, and flip the pan, dough, and baking sheet over. Remove the baking sheet and carefully peel off the parchment.
  8. Ease the dough into the pan and fold the excess dough under. Flute the edge and poke a fork evenly all over the pie crust. To help keep the dough from collapsing, place in freezer for 10 minutes.
  9. Carefully line the crust with foil and fill at least one third full with beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully take out the foil and beans, and return to the oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes.
  10. Allow the crust to cool completely.
  11. Fill the baked shell with 2 cans of cherry pie filling. (One can for a standard pan.)
  12. Place the pie in the refrigerator while you make the chocolate layer:
  13. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly.
  14. In a medium pot combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk, and unsweetened chocolate. Turn burner to medium-high and stir until it reaches a low boil. Turn the temperature down to medium and continue to cook and stir with a whisk for 2 minutes.
  15. Pour about ¼ cup of the hot mixture into the eggs, stirring well, and then add the egg mixture to the pan, whisking well. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, whisking continuously.
  16. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and butter.
  17. Allow it to cool slightly, then pour over the cherry mixture in the pie.
  18. Chill the pie until you are ready to add the whipping cream. For best results, let the pie chill for 5 or 6 hours.
  19. To make stabilized whipping cream, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over water in a small dish. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. (If you aren't using stabilized cream, just skip the gelatin and water step.)
  20. In a medium bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Slowly whip in the powdered sugar. Place the dish of softened gelatin in the microwave for 5-7 seconds, just until it starts to foam. While whipping, slowly drizzle the melted gelatin over the whipped cream. Whip until firm peaks form, and then add the liqueur.
  21. **If you don't wish to use liqueur, maraschino cherry juice will work well. Or you can add 1 teaspoon of cherry flavoring and a drop of red or pink food coloring, if desired.
  22. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the pie and serve!
Recipe by The Rowdy Baker at http://www.therowdybaker.com/?p=2360