Black Bottom Pie
Crumb Crust:
- 1½ cups finely crushed gingersnaps (about thirty 2-inch round cookies)
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 large pasteurized egg yolks, beaten well
- 2 cups steaming hot milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Two 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, broken into small pieces (I whack the still-wrapped squares with a cutlet bat, then unwrap)
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin, softened in 3 tablespoons cold water
- 2 tablespoons rum, preferably dark rum (though not traditional, bourbon is also good)
- 4 large pasteurized egg whites
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream, beaten to fairly stiff peaks
- Semisweet chocolate curls
Instructions:
Despite its unknown origin, Black Bottom Pie has remained a southern favorite for nearly seventy years.
- For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Mix the crumbs and butter well, then pat over the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie pan. Tip: You’ll find this easier if you butter your hands lightly before handling the crumb mixture. Slide the crust onto the middle oven shelf and bake for 5 minutes (this is just to firm the crust up a bit; longer baking will make it too hard to cut easily). Remove the crust from the oven and cool.
- For the bottom layer: Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a medium-size bowl, then whisk in the egg yolks. Drizzle the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking all the while. Stir back into the pan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the consistency of custard sauce. Do not boil or the filling will curdle. Scoop 1 cup of the hot filling into a small bowl (keep the rest of it hot), add the vanilla, then the chocolate, and stir until melted. Spread over the bottom of the crumb crust.
- For the top layer: Mix the softened gelatin into the remaining hot custard and whisk until it dissolves completely; stir in the rum and cool to room temperature. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until silvery, then, beating all the while, add the sugar gradually.
- Fold about a cup of the beaten whites into the cooled custard to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites until no streaks of white or yellow remain. Scoop the rum mixture over the chocolate layer, smoothing the top and spreading so that it touches the crust all around. Chill the uncovered pie for several hours or until the filling has set.
- For the topping: Frost the pie with the whipped cream and scatter the chocolate curls decoratively on top.
- Chill the pie uncovered for several hours or overnight before cutting.