Black Bottom Pumpkin Pie

[jende]

I'm dreaming of a pumpkin pie that incorporates a thin layer of chocolate to the crust, a Black Bottom Pumpkin Pie I suppose.

Traditional black bottom pie recipes call for a custard filling that is not baked after assembly, so I'm worried about what will happen to the chocolate if it's baked along with the pumpkin filling.

To further complicate matters (maybe), I'd like to use a graham cracker crust. Any suggstions for how to pull this off?

[miladyinsanity]

It should be fine.

Do you mean a chocolate crust or painting a layer of chocolate before pouring in the filling?

[ludja]

I've heard some people rave about this pumpkin-chocolate tart and have thought about trying it out.

Pumpkin Chocolate Tart

It has a chocolate crust flavored with cocoa. You spread chopped chocolate over the warm blind-baked crust and then let it cool. The pumpkin filling then gets poured over the shell and the tart is baked. Melted chocolate is also drizzled over the top of the finished tart. So, it looks like your idea of painting the bottom crust with chocolate and then baking with the pumpkin filling on top of it has some precedence.

Let us know if you test someething like this out; it would be interesting to hear what you think of the combination.

[Carolyn Tillie]

You could always make a pumpkin mousse that gets added to the baked crust afterwards. Last week, I had dinner at a restaurant that served a butterscotch pot de creme topped with pumpkin mousse that was delightful. Has made me reconsider what I'm cooking for TDay this year...

[jende]

You could always make a pumpkin mousse that gets added to the baked crust afterwards.  Last week, I had dinner at a restaurant that served a butterscotch pot de creme topped with pumpkin mousse that was delightful. Has made me reconsider what I'm cooking for TDay this year...

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This is a great idea. I've been wanting to try Ina Garten's pumpkin mousse tart, so maybe I'll use that as the filling. Based on others' suggestions, I think I'll also "paint" a graham cracker crust with chocolate then bake with a traditional pumpkin filling.

I'll report back after I've made the two.

[SweetSide]

I'd like to hear about the painting of the graham cracker crust by you or any others who have done it. I've done it once and found that the "paint" did not spread easily over the crumbs. I had a lot of "pick up".

So, if there is an easy way to do it that I don't know about, please post.

The chocolate pumpkin tart sounds delicious!

[jende]

I'd like to hear about the painting of the graham cracker crust by you or any others who have done it.  I've done it once and found that the "paint" did not spread easily over the crumbs.  I had a lot of "pick up". 

So, if there is an easy way to do it that I don't know about, please post. 

The chocolate pumpkin tart sounds delicious!

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Good point. I made the two crusts today, and will make the fillings and finish them tomorrow. But I think you're right, I'm going to have a heck of a time "painting" the graham cracker crust. Suggestions?!

[SweetSide]

My only thought was to shave the chocolate (if you have a block) using a microplane to get a superfine shave. Then sprinkle it on the bottom of the (par?) baked shell and pop it in the oven for just a few minutes. The superfine shavings will (should) melt faster leaving a thin chocolate layer.

But, I've never tried this. As for the actual painting, after picking up too many crumbs, I drizzled the bottom then sort of gingerly spread the drizzles around. IMO, the coating I ended up with was too thick.

[Ling]

I'd like to hear about the painting of the graham cracker crust by you or any others who have done it.  I've done it once and found that the "paint" did not spread easily over the crumbs.  I had a lot of "pick up". 

So, if there is an easy way to do it that I don't know about, please post. 

The chocolate pumpkin tart sounds delicious!

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Good point. I made the two crusts today, and will make the fillings and finish them tomorrow. But I think you're right, I'm going to have a heck of a time "painting" the graham cracker crust. Suggestions?!

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I would just melt chocolate or make ganache, ladle some onto the crust and lift the pie plate and give it a slow turn. The ganache should spread evenly over the bottom.

Edited October 25, 2006 by Ling (log)

[jende]

I finished both pies last night. With the traditional one I just melted some chocolate and then poured it onto the hot pie crust and spread it around with a short offset knife. I filled and baked the pie as usual and it turned out great. The chocolate layer didn't burn, get hard or mix into the pumpkin filling -- all the things I feared. The combination was delicious.

With the pumpkin mousse tart in a graham cracker crust, I was inspired at the last minute to fold chocolate shavings into the mousse so I didn't paint the crust with chocolate. The flavors were good together, although the fine chocolate shavings didn't impart as much "chocolatelyness" as I would have liked. I think this is the one that would've really benefited from a nice layer of chocolate on the crust.

[Mallet]

If the graham cracker crumb crust is well chilled (maybe even frozen?), it would probably hold up better to spreading as well.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Jende - thanks for taking one for the team on this with these experiments! I'm curious what type of chocolate you are using that you aren't getting enough chocolatelyness. Maybe something really high in cocoa, maybe an 80% would help?

Edited October 26, 2006 by Carolyn Tillie (log)

[jende]

Jende - thanks for taking one for the team on this with these experiments! I'm curious what type of chocolate you are using that you aren't getting enough chocolatelyness. Maybe something really high in cocoa, maybe an 80% would help?

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When "taking one for the team" means getting to eat two pies in one night, I'm always happy to oblige!

I used a dark Callebaut chocolate, so I don't think quality was an issue. What I meant was that a lot of times shaved chocolate is so fine that it just seems to disappear into whatever it's folded into. I'm a huge chocoholic so I'm usually disappointed if I can see chocolate in a dish but don't get that big burst of chocolately flavor. I thought about folding chunks rather than shavings into the mousse, but I think the texture would've ruined the lightness of the mousse.

Ina Garten's pumpkin banana mousse recipe, by the way, was a good one. Lots of steps, but simple to make and good flavor.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Wasn't questioning the integrity of the chocolate as much as a relative newbie around here might has easily tried this whole experiment with a Hershey bar which could negate all your work. Glad you used a good Callebaut!