This pie is reminiscent of a cozy cup of a New Orleans classic, and you’re sure to love it as much as its namesake.
Café au Lait Chess Pie
Makes 1 (9-inch) pie
Ingredients
- Chocolate Pie Dough (recipe follows)
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fine yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- ¼ cup brewed chicory coffee, room temperature
- Garnish: confectioners’ sugar
Chocolate Pie Dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 5 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Place oven rack in bottom third of oven.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll Chocolate Pie Dough into a 13-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, pressing into bottom and up sides. Trim excess dough to ½ inch beyond edge of pan, if necessary. Fold edges under and crimp as desired. Lightly prick bottom of pie with a fork. Freeze for 15 minutes.
- Top dough with a piece of parchment paper, letting ends extend over edges of pan. Add pie weights or dried beans or rice.
- Bake until edges are just dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove paper and pie weights. Bake until bottom is dry and set, 5 to 10 minutes more. (Piecrust may puff up some, but this is normal.) Let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sugars, cornmeal, flour, and salt. Whisk in eggs, melted butter, and vanilla until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cream and coffee. Slowly add coffee mixture to sugar mixture, whisking until just combined. Pour into prepared crust.
- Bake until edges are set and puffed but center still has a slight jiggle, 55 minutes to 1 hour and 5 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in center will register 200°. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve room temperature or chilled. Garnish with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
Chocolate Pie Dough
- In the work bowl of a food processor, place flour, cocoa powder, and salt; pulse until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture is crumbly and butter is in pea-size pieces. With processor running, pour 5 tablespoons ice water through food chute in a slow, steady stream just until dough comes together. (Mixture may appear crumbly. It should be moist and hold together when pinched.) Add additional 1 tablespoon ice water, only if needed.
- Turn out dough and shape into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Dough may be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
