White and Dark Black Bottom Pie

A pie that takes a while to set up, but it's so delicious that it's worth every minute. This is a good pie to make in stages, or to leave to refrigerate overnight and throw together the next day. A simple idea: graham crust, ganache-esque bottom, pastry cream top. Super delicious. Very rich and chocolatey, but not terribly heavy which is what I like about it. Definitely a crowd pleaser. It's also nice with some fresh whipped cream, or a fruit purée sauce.

For the Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F
   
2. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Stir in the melted butter with a fork, then rub with your fingers to create damp crumbs.
   
4. Press the crumbs evenly into your pie pan and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes.
5. Bake for 7 minutes and let cool before filling.

Dark Chocolate Layer:

1. In a small saucepan, combine the cream and butter over low heat.
2. As soon as the butte is melted, add the chocolate and take the saucepan off the heat. Stir or whisk to melt chocolate and add vanilla.
3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cooled pie shell, tilting a few times so that the sides of the shell are coated. Let cool and refrigerate.
   

Pastry Cream Layer:

1. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium sized saucepan. Whisk in milk and egg yolks.
2. Cook over medium heat, continually whisking, until thick and bubbly (~6 minutes). Boil for 2 minutes.
3. Scrape mixture into a shallow bowl, add butter, vanilla, and white chocolate. Mix until chocolate and butter have melted completely.
   
4. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream, let cool and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
5. When the pastry cream is cold, use an electric mixer (I use a hand mixer) to beat the whipping cream just past the point of soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into the pastry cream, smooth into pie shell, and refrigerate for another 3 hours until set.