Chocolate Cream Guinness Pie with Toasted Meringue

Chocolate Cream Guinness Pie with Toasted Meringue ~ This is all the pie you need for summer. 

Such a hyperbolic, triggering statement, given that an avalanche of stone fruit pies is around the corner. But before you finish that those-are-fighting-words sigh and take up arms with your chef knife, let me say . . . you are still reading. 

I win. Too punchy?

B—uuuht, before you unsubscribe, you win too. You don’t have to love it more than your stone fruit pie—but be open because you might. Just say’n. This chocolate creme pie is all the things a custard pie should be: rich, creamy, and ultra-luxe with that velvety mouthfeel that will keep your summer-bound kids from repeating, “I’m bored.” 

At least it will for a few minutes. That gives you just enough time to persuade the other child wrangler in your life to take your post-pie-eating kids to the pool. 

You can thank me for that hot tip after enjoying your slice with a cold Guinness Draught. It’s highly recommended that you sip between bites because the slight and subtle coffee notes, and the malt flavors, enhance the chocolate in this dessert.  

Of course, per my usual disclaimer, this is a partner-developed recipe. That aside, you should know –if you are a regular reader or new to the blog, I always develop desserts with my favorite beer for a bold and harmonious pairing. 

Now for the brass tacks, I realize this recipe has a few components and might seem overwhelming to some of you, but I promise that: (1) it’s worth it,(2) each component is easy to make, and (3) the recipe can be broken up over a few days. 

In fact, here is my workflow:

Day 1 – Fully bake the crust and line it with the ganache. 

Day 2 – Make the filling and leave it to set overnight. 

Day 3 – Remove the filled pie, bring it to room temperature (it takes about 2 hours), make the meringue, spread, and toast it. Serve pie.  

A few more tips before you get started:

For the crust: This can be made 1 week ahead and refrigerated, or it can be frozen for up to a month. If you freeze it, defrost the dough in the refrigerator a day before use.

Alternately, you can use store-bought pie crust. Or a cookie crust made from graham crackers, which would make this the perfect s’mores pie. Another option is to go with Oreo cookies, which would flip this recipe to a Mississippi Pie sans the toasted meringue. You can also use a pate brisee or pate sucres crust—lots of options for the crust!

For the ganache: You might be asking if this step is necessary. It isn’t if you use a cookie crust like the ones mentioned above. However, if you use a pie crust dough or any other crusts mentioned, I recommend it the ganache lining for any unbaked fillings that require an extended setup time like this recipe. The ganache helps to protect the bottom from getting soggy while the filling sets.

For the filling: The filling is only as good as the chocolate you use, so make sure to use a high-quality brand. I prefer Ghirardelli or Valrhona with at least 65% cacao. 

For the meringue: The meringue in this recipe utilizes a Swiss-style in which the egg whites and sugar are heated together. I use it over French meringue because it’s more stable and over the Italian method because it’s a little easier. While I highly recommend making the meringue with a thermometer for maximum stability by taking the mixture 160F. Although you can still pull this off without one, just make sure to cook the sugar and egg white mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. 

Toasting the meringue: When it comes to toasting the meringue, if you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can use the oven. To toast the meringue in the oven: (1) Spread the topping from edge to edge. This will seal in the filling and prevent it from melting. (2) Preheat the broiler and place the assembled pie in the oven for 2 to 4 minutes. Watch the pie, as it can go from toasted to burnt in seconds. 

 

Chocolate Cream Guinness Pie with Toasted Meringue

Yield: 8 servings

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Ingredients

• Pie Crust
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose all flour
• cold unsalted butter, cut to 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup ice water
• Chocolate Ganache
• 1/2 cup (70g) coarsely chopped chocolate
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• Filling
• 2 cups whole milk
• 6 large egg yoiks, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 10 oz. (285g) bittersweet chocolate (at least 65% cacao), chopped
• 3 tablespoons Guinness, flattened*
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Meringue topping
• 5 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups sugar

Instructions

To make the pie crust: Whisk
together the flour, sugar, and salt in the large bowl. Add the butter, and toss to coat. Cut and mix the butter using a bench scraper until it becomes pea-size and the remaining mixture looks like wet sand. Add the water, and continue using the bench scraper to scrape, cut, and mix in the water. Once the dough is evenly moistened, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it into a 2-inch thick disc. Wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days in the refrigerator and up to a month in the freezer. 

To roll out the pie crust, lightly flour a work surface and
place the unwrapped disk in the center. Roll the dough until you achieve a 12 to 13 diameter. Make sure to lightly flour the surface as needed while rolling the dough so it does not stick. 

Drape the dough over the pan and center it, so there is a
2-inch overhang all the way around. Press the dough into the pan and fold the hanging dough under itself. Crimp edge as desired. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 30 minutes for easy handling. 

Line the pie crust with enough foil to fold over the edge. Fill the center with dried beans all the way up the crimped edge. Place the pie on a bing sheet and transfer it to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until the crust edge is lightly golden. Peel back the foil to expose the edge, but keep the beans in the center. Brush the crimped edge with a beaten egg and return it to the oven and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown.  

To make the ganache: Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Add the cream to a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove the pan from heat and pour over the chocolate mixture. Set aside undisturbed for 1 minute, then stir to combine. Add the butter, vanilla, and salt and stir to combine. 

Place plastic wrap directly on the surface and set aside to
cool to room temperature. 

Pour the cooled ganache onto the center of the pie. Using a
silicone brush or an offset spatula, spread the chocolate around to cover the bottom and 1/2 way up the side. Transfer the pie pan to the refrigerator and chill for about 20 minutes, or until the ganache is set. Ganache is set when it is free of indentation when gently pressed. 

The pie can be assembled up to this point two days in
advance and kept covered and refrigerated. 

To make the filling: In
a small saucepan, over medium heat, bring the milk to a simmer; set aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, flour, and cocoa powder until combined. While whisking constantly, stream in the warm milk. Transfer the the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon or spatula. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and stir in the chopped chocolate, Guinness Draught and the vanilla. 

Remove the ganache-lined pie crust from the refrigerator and
pour the chocolate filling into it. Transfer filled pie to the fridge for at least 3 hours, or until set. The filling is set when your finger is free of chocolate when gently pressed. 

The pie can be assembled up to this point a day ahead. 

Remove the filled pie from the refrigerator and bring it to
room temperature before spreading the meringue on top. This should take about 2
hours.