S'mores Pie

This pie originated at a ‘cutie-pie’ Fall baby shower I did for my best friend. Honestly, it was a bit of an afterthought to make but ended up being everyone’s favorite including the kids! The ingredient list is super simple but the method is a little complex. Italian Meringue can be tough to get the hang of, and it does require a candy thermometer to make sure you’re cooking the sugar to the right stage. If making a cooked Meringue isn’t your thing, throw some marshmallows on top of the ganache, torch under a broiler and call it a day. Your pie will still be delicious, arguably more kid-friendly, and take you about 30 minutes less to put together.

For the ganache- my favorite chocolate to use is Ghiradelli 72% chocolate chips. I also love the ‘pound-plus’ bars that you can find at Trader Joe’s and chop up for ganache. Ganache can be temperamental depending on the chocolate you use and the cocoa solid content (that’s what the percentage is telling you!). I don’t recommend going any darker than 72% with this ratio or your Ganache may “break” and become oily/grainy. In the same vein, I don’t recommend milk chocolate here either. But you should be okay with any semi-sweet chocolate chip or dark chocolate bar to get a consistent result.

Without any further ado, your new favorite cookout pie:

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S'mores Pie

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1.5c graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2c granulated sugar
• 6Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp salt

Chocolate Ganache Filling

• 2 cup 72% dark chocolate chips (12 oz)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (6 oz)

Italian Meringue Topping

• 2 egg whites (60g)
• 1/2c granulated sugar (120g)

Instructions

Make the crust

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter together in a 9" pie plate until all crumbs are moistened.
2. Press crust into bottom and sides of pie plate, taking care to make sure it's evenly distributed and that you have at least a 1/4" thick crust all the way around. The crust is the best part...don't skimp!
3. Bake crust @ 350* for 8-10 minutes, until slightly toasted.

Make the ganache

1. Chop the chocolate and set aside in a medium bowl.
2. Bring the heavy cream to a gentle boil over medium/low heat in a saucepan.
3. Once bubbles cover the surface of the cream, but it hasn't yet boiled up the sides of the saucepan, remove from heat and immediately pour over the chopped chocolate. Allow to stand 2-3 minutes, making sure that all of the chocolate pieces are submerged.
4. Using a whisk, stir to combine the chocolate and cream until you have a shiny, pudding-like consistency ganache. Use immediately and do not refrigerate.

Make the Italian Meringue

1. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and add to a clean mixing bowl with a whisk attachment. Set aside.
2. Add the sugar to the bottom of a medium/small saucepan with tall sides. Add enough water to the pan to wet all of the sugar- about a 1/2 cup. It's not important to measure the water because you will evaporate it all off in the process anyway. The more water you add, the longer the boiling stage will take.
3. Gently stir to make sure all the sugar is wet, but take care to make sure the sides of the pan are clean.
4. Bring the sugar to a boil over med/high heat. Using a candy or probe thermometer, boil until the sugar reaches 240*F or softball stage. Remove from the heat immediately.
5. Start whipping the egg whites on medium speed when there are about 10 degrees left in cooking the sugar. Change it to slow speed and very slowly stream in the cooked sugar, taking care to aim right between the side of the bowl and the whisk.
6. Once all of the sugar has been streamed in, whip the mixture on high for 10-15 minutes. You'll see a "crown" appear around the mixing bowl when the meringue reaches its peak (a top edge as the meringue drops down in volume). Once it recedes in volume to leave the crown, you can reduce the mixing speed to medium to cut down on friction.
7. Whip for another 5-10 minutes until the mixing bowl is only slightly warm to the touch at the bottom. Use immediately.

Assemble the pie

1. Pour the warm ganache straight into the cooled graham cracker pie crust. At this point, you can leave the pie out on the counter and start the Italian Meringue topping. If you're fancy, you may have done the ganache and the Meringue at the same time.
2. Top the pie with the meringue when it is still slightly warm, straight from the bowl. You can simply spoon it on and spread to make a design, or use a piping bag to achieve a more polished look.
3. Torch the meringue with a creme brulee torch - you'll want to do to this right away. If you let the meringue dry out any or sit, the torch will look more grainy than smooth. If you don't have a butane torch, you can also put the pie under a broiler. Take care not to let the pie sit in the oven too long if using this method because the ganache could re-melt.
4. Allow the pie to set at room temperature for about an hour before slicing, serving and enjoying!