Cooking Therapy

One of my favorite activities in the summer months is making s’mores over a nice fire while relaxing with friends and telling stories.  Whether young or old, eating s’mores will always bring a smile to a person’s face. The crispy graham crackers, melty chocolate, and gooey marshmallows conduct a happy symphony in the mouth when bitten into. With this recipe, I embodied the happiness of s’mores making so it can be enjoyed even in the colder months. The chocolate filling has a mousse-like quality that is smooth and rich with chocolaty flavor, accompanied by a buttery, graham cracker crust and homemade marshmallow fluff. This will be you new favorite pie and go-to for any baking situation.

Serving size: 6 people

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Wait time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup nilla wafer crumbs
• 4 oz semisweet chocolate chunks
• 4 oz milk chocolate chunks
• 1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
• Egg whites from 10 eggs at room temperature
• ¾ cups sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
• 1 stick (8 oz) of butter

Instructions

For the crust

• In a small pot melt the butter. For added flavor, cook the butter longer on a medium-high heat until the color begins to deepen and brown, and the aroma becomes nuttier. This is brown butter
• In a food processor bowl add the graham crackers and nilla wafers and pulse until they are finely grounded into a powder. Add the melted butter and pulse for 10 more seconds until incorporated and the mixture feels like wet sand. If it feels too dry, add a touch more butter and pulse; if it feels too wet and is too buttery, add a few more handfuls of ground/powdered graham crackers and nilla wafers and work with hands
• Butter your pie or baking pan and transfer the crumb mixture. Using your hands, work the mixture from the center of the pan towards and up the sides, building a nice base and pie wall, pressing firmly. When the pie crust has been formed in the pan, chill it for at least half an hour
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

For the chocolate filling

• Add the chocolate chunks in a large bowl. You can use one type of chocolate more than the other based on personal preference
• In a small saucepan, scald the one cup of heavy cream. Do not boil
• Once scalded, pour the cream over the chocolate and let it stand for at least 2-3 minutes so the chocolate melts. Whisk the cream and chocolate until a smooth texture forms. Add more chocolate for a thicker mixture
• In a bain marie, or a bowl over a pot of water if you don’t have one with the bowl not touching the water, add the two egg yolks and the half cup of sugar and cook over a medium heat, constantly whisking the yolks and sugar until the sugar has melted and the mixture fluffs and increases in volume
• Add the egg yolk mixture in the chocolate mixture and whisk until incorporated and the mixture fluffs
• Using a hand mixer, or just constantly whisking it with your hands for a few minutes, beat the remaining 1/3 cup of heavy cream until whipped cream begins to form. Add the whipped cream to the chocolate one spoonful at a time, folding the cream into the chocolate until incorporated each time it’s added. This will give the chocolate a mousse like quality and ensure that it does not harden when refrigerated.
• Let the chocolate rest and place the pie crust in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown
• When ready, remove the crust from the oven and let cool. While the crust is cooling, prep the marshmallow topping

For the Marshmallow Topping:

• In a large saucepan, add the ¾ cup of sugar and the ¼ cup of water and dissolve the sugar over a medium high heat. Heat until the temperature on a candy thermometer reads between 240 and 260 degrees, low-ball to hard-ball stage
• While the sugar is dissolving, add the egg whites and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat over a medium speed until it begins to fluff. Slowly pour the sugar down the side of the mixer, while the egg whites are beaten on a medium-high speed now, until glossy and doubled in size
• Take a generous spoonful of the marshmallow topping and add it to the chocolate mixture folding it in until incorporated. This will give the chocolate filling a smoother texture

Setting up the pie

• Pour the chocolate into the crust, evenly spreading it to the sides
• Add the marshmallow topping on top of the chocolate and spread out covering the chocolate filling. Using a torch, or the broiler setting in the oven, toast the top of the marshmallow
• To serve, heat a knife by running it under hot water and drying it. Cut through the pie slowly
• Enjoy