1teaspoonvanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or one vanilla bean, seeds removed
chocolate shavings or curls for garnish, if desired
Instructions
Blind Bake Pie Crust
Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove one disc of pie dough from refrigerator and roll out as per recipe instructions. Transfer to pie plate and crimp edges as desired.
Freeze for 10-15 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Line crust with crumpled parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights (rice, beans, store bought ceramic pie weights, or even granulated sugar). Bake crust for 12-15 minutes, or until edges of crust begin to brown. Remove paper or foil and pie weights and return crust to oven to finish baking, another 10-12 minutes (or until uniformly browned and no longer shining). Allow to cool completely before filling.
Make the Filling
In a large heat-proof bowl (or stainless steel bowl of stand mixer) set over a small pot of simmering water (double boiler), whisk the sugar and eggs until the mixture reaches 160° F on an instant-read or candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and immediately add the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate has fully melted. Cover and chill until cool (about one hour).
When cool, whip chocolate mixture and slowly add butter, a few tablespoons at a time. When all butter has been added, increase speed to medium high and whip for 5 minutes, until mixture is silky smooth, light in color, and light in texture.
Spoon the filling into the cooled crust and level off the top with an angled spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Make Whipped Cream
To make the whipped cream, pour the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip on high until stiff peaks form. Spoon the whipped cream over the top of the chocolate filling OR fill a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip and pipe stars or rosettes on top of the pie. Garnish with chocolate shavings or curls, if desired.
Notes
Pie will keep covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It also can be frozen without the whipped cream topping for up to 3 months.