Here's a simple decadent pie that will require 1 hour of easy prep and is unusual enough to turn a few heads. It tastes just like s'mores would from a campfire, minus the mess and smoke.
Start with the crust. Mix 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs with 1 tablespoon of melted butter, toss together until moist, then press lightly the bottom of a 9" pie plate. Bake for 10 mins at 350 F. Set aside to cool.
If you are feeling ambitious, use my chocolate pudding recipe, but you can also use a box pudding recipe if you want. It's not any easier and I love that I can just pull the ingredients out from my pantry. A better quality cocoa will make a difference here.
Chocolate Pudding Filling
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa - I used Callebaut 75% and Vahlrona 25%
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, salt in a sauce pan. Add milk and whisk together.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it boils, Allow to boil for another minute.
Stir in butter and vanilla.
Turn off heat and stir every 2 mins for around 10 mins to allow to cool a bit.
Pour into the pie pan.
Cover the pudding with plastic wrap and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Marshmallow Topping
2 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin powder
1 tablespoon of cold water
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/8 cup hot water
1/8 teaspoon salt
Mix the gelatin and water together in a small bowl. PUt aside, allow to gel.
Put the egg whites and cream of tartar together in your immaculately clean mixer and whip until soft peaks form. Around 2-3 minutes. Stop the mixer when done.
Meanwhile the egg whites are whipping, you can mix the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt together with a whisk and bring to boil over high heat to 220F.
Whisk in the gelatin at 220F, and allow it to come to 230F. You'll need to work quickly.
Set mixer to medium to get the the egg whites moving.
Drizzle a tablespoon of the hot sugar and gelatin mix into the egg whites. It should warm up the egg white mix, and doing this will avoid cooking the egg whites. Repeat a few more times, then pour the rest in.
Beat on high until the frosting is doubled in size. About 10 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract.
Put the filling into a piping bag with a big star tip and pipe onto the set chocolate pudding.
Use a kitchen torch to lightly toast the marshmallow. Aiming for golden brown, with a few crispy bits for colour.
Serve immediately or within the day.
You can make the pudding in the shell up to 2 days a head and do the fluff on the day you will be serving. ENJOY!