PIE #28 - BLACK BOTTOM PIE

Yin and yang. Dark and light. Ebony and ivory. The theory that opposites attract are deliciously exemplified in black bottom pie. The rich chocolate custard with its dense texture contrasts strikingly with the airy chiffon meringue. This pie is a perfect melding of sinful decadence and divine refinement.

Black bottom appears to have originated in the south around the turn of the 20th century. The bottom chocolate layer was thought to signify the dark, swampy lowlands along the Mississippi River. Marjorie Rawlings, in Cross Creek Cookery (a bible of authentic Southern cooking from 1942), declared of black bottom pie, "I hope to be propped up on my dying bed and fed a generous portion. Then I think that I should refuse outright to die, because life would be too good to relinquish."

With one bite of this luscious pie, you may believe you have died and gone to pie heaven. The recipe is a bit involved and the pie must chill overnight to ensure the custard becomes firm and the slices come out cleanly. A piece of black bottom pie on a crystal dessert plate makes for a very elegant presentation. I am tempted to rename it tuxedo pie for its show-stopping presence!

Crust:
1 1/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix all crust ingredients together and press evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool.

Filling:
1 (.25 ounce) package unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup cold water
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup white rum (or 1 1/2 teaspoons rum flavoring)
4 egg whites*

Dissolve gelatin in cold water, and set aside.

In a small saucepan, mix cornstarch, 3/4 cup sugar, milk, and egg yolks. Cook, stirring, until bubbly and thick. Remove from heat, and add vanilla. Divide mixture in half. Add chocolate chips to one half, and stir until melted and smooth. Pour into pastry shell. Chill.

Stir gelatin mixture into the other half of the hot egg yolk mixture. Stir in rum. Chill until slightly thick.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and beat to stiff peaks. Fold into partially set gelatin/rum mixture. Chill until mix will mound, then spoon into pie shell on top of chocolate layer. Chill overnight.

*Raw egg whites are used in this recipe. Powdered egg whites or pasteurized egg whites may be substituted.