Chocolate-Orange Cream Pie
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8
 
A decadent chocolate cream pie scented with orange from Grand Marnier, orange whipped cream and candied kumquats.
Ingredients
Crust
  • 7 ounces cold, unsalted butter
  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ cup ice water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Filling
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • 3 TB cornstarch
  • Pinch salt
  • Pinch espresso powder (optional)
  • 1½ cups whole milk
  • ½ cup cream
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 TB Grand Marnier
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Whipped Cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 TB powdered sugar
  • Splash vanilla
  • Zest of one orange
Candied Kumquats
  • 1 pint kumquats
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
Instructions
  1. Cut the butter into small cubes and place half of the cubes in the freezer. Return the other half to the refrigerator until needed.
  2. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Add the chilled butter from the refrigerator to the dry ingredients and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
  3. Add the frozen butter to the food processor and pulse until the butter is in small but still visible pieces.
  4. Combine the lemon juice and ice water and add six tablespoons of the mixture to the ingredients in the food processor. Pulse several times until combined. Pinch a bit of the dough and if it holds together, you do not need to add more liquid. If it is still dry, add more of the liquid, one-half tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough to a bowl or a well-floured board.
  5. Knead the dough until it forms a ball. Divide the dough into two and wrap each half well in plastic wrap. Place half the dough in the refrigerator to relax for at least a half-hour. (Can be done in advance.) Reserve the other half for another use.
  6. If your dough was chilled for longer than thirty minutes, remove from the refrigerator and allow to soften for ten to fifteen minutes before rolling it out.
  7. Prior to rolling out the dough, strike it with your rolling pin to flatten. This will soften it further.
  8. Preheat the oven to 375 and grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
  9. Liberally dust a pastry board or mat and your rolling pin with flour.
  10. Roll the dough out, rotating it and turning it frequently and adding more flour as necessary to keep it from sticking, until it is the size of your pie plate and between ¼ and ⅛ of an inch thick.
  11. Carefully center the pie dough in the plate and press it into the bottom and sides. Trim or fold over any excess dough around the edges and make a pretty crimped crust by pinching with your fingers.
  12. Blind bake the crust by covering it with parchment paper and filling with pie weights or raw rice. Bake for twenty minutes, then remove the parchment paper and pie weight and bake an additional five minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool completely before filling.
  13. To make the filling, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt and espresso powder, if using, in a large saucepan and whisk together.
  14. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, egg yolks and Grand Marnier
  15. Add the liquids to the saucepan and whisk together until frothy.
  16. Heat the ingredients in the saucepan over medium to medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture simmers and begins to thicken to a pudding-like consistency, about ten to twelve minutes. Do NOT allow mixture to boil or you might scramble the eggs. (If you do see little pieces of cooked egg in the cream, remove them.)
  17. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Stir until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth.
  18. Pour the chocolate cream into the prepared pie shell and cover with plastic wrap.
  19. Chill until set, at least four hours.
  20. Make the orange whipped cream by combining the heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and orange zest in the bowl of a standing mixer and whipping with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Cover and chill until needed.
  21. To make the candied kumquats, slice each kumquat in half and remove the seeds. Cut the halves into thin slices.
  22. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
  23. Add the kumquat slices to the sugar syrup and simmer until softened, about fifteen minutes.
  24. Remove slices and allow to dry on parchment paper, turning once to expose both sides to air.
  25. Garnish pie with whipped cream and kumquats to your liking.
Recipe by West of the Loop at https://www.westoftheloop.com/2015/03/09/chocolate-orange-cream-pie/