Bittersweet Chocolate Cherry Nut Pie
Posted by ReadyMade
Written by Jeanette Abbink
This pie is perfect for New Year’s—the top resembles confetti and one of the ingredients is booze (always good for celebrating).
Serves 8
Note: The cherries need to be plumped in Madeira for at least 2 hours in advance. Instructions below.
Skill Level
Easy
Active Time
Less than an hour
Cost
$
- For the Crust:
- One all-butter piecrust (find this recipe here)
- For the Nut and Cherry Topping:
- 1/4 c unsweetened dried cherries
- ½ c Madeira (or port wine)
- 1 c roasted, salted mixed nuts, roughly chopped (we like a combination of slivered almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, or Spanish peanuts)
- For the Chocolate Custard:
- 1¼ c half-and-half
- 9 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (70% cocoa or more, if possible)
- 1 t vanilla
- ¼ t salt
- 3 dashes old fashioned bitters (Fee Brothers is a good choice)
- A few grinds of freshly fine-ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
Materials
- Oven
- Mixing bowl
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Whisk
Tools
For the Crust: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out your piecrust to fit a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges. Prick the bottom all over with a fork, then place in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until well chilled.
Remove from the freezer and line the chilled crust with foil so that the edges are covered and all surfaces of the crust have contact with the foil. Place ceramic pie weights on top of the foil to cover the bottom (you can also use uncooked beans or rice).
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust looks very set but not totally done. Remove from the oven and remove the foil and pie weights. Place back in the oven for another 3-5 minutes to set the top.
For the Nut and Cherry Topping: Prepare the cherries by soaking them in Madeira (or port) until plumped, at least 2 hours.
For the Chocolate Custard: Place chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Using a heavy-bottomed shallow saucepan, bring the half-and-half to just barely a boil. Stir occasionally and watch out for scalding.
Remove pan from heat and pour half-and-half over chocolate. Gently stir to combine as the chocolate melts.
Stir in the vanilla, salt, bitters, and pepper.
Whisk eggs in a separate bowl until light in color.
Add a small amount of chocolate mixture to the eggs and mix to temper them (this will prevent curdling of the eggs when added to the hot chocolate mixture). Add the rest of the eggs to the chocolate mixture and stir until fully combined.
Drain cherries from Madeira.
Pour chocolate mixture into prepared pastry shell.
Alternating between cherries and nuts, sprinkle the top of the chocolate mixture evenly.
Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes until the center wobbles slightly and the edges are set. Let cool, then slice and enjoy with a glass of Madeira on the side.
