Ingredients
12 ounces bitter sweet or semi sweet chocolate
1-1/2 sticks butter
6 large egg whites
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
pinch cream of tartar
Directions
Make a double boiler by bringing a half pan of water to a boil, turning the heat to low, and setting a large stainless bowl over it.
Even if you already have a double boiler, do it this way. You'll be able to mix everything in this one bowl and save on clean-up.Put the butter in the bowl, and once it's melted add the chocolate, cocoa, sugar and salt.
You can find them in the baking section at some grocery stores.
They're the best domestic chocolate I've tried. (And I'm not saying that just because I'm a chocolate snob. Try them for yourself.)
And for the sugar, I decided to use raw instead of white. Just because I saw it in the cupboard and decided to give it a shot. More on this below.
While the chocolate melts, separate the eggs (see
here for tips).
Start mixing the chocolate and butter together as soon as you see the chips start to melt.
If you've never melted chocolate before, you might want to separate the eggs first so you aren't distracted. When the chocolate is completely melted, and the sugar and cocoa are incorporated, remove it from the heat and mix the yolks in one at a time.
Set the chocolate mixture aside and let it cool to room temperature. While it's cooling, add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat until it forms stiff peaks.
For the first minute the egg whites will just foam up a little. Then all at once they'll turn pure white and look like a whole different food.
Congratulations, you just made meringue. Add about a third of the meringue to the chocolate and mix it in. Then add the rest and fold it in gently.
Try not to deflate the eggs while folding. Once the meringue is completely incorporated, pour the mixture into a
pre-baked pie crust.
Spread the chocolate evenly. If you're fussy about this stuff (like
I am), make sure the top looks nice.
Remember when I mentioned the raw sugar? You can see a little bit of a speckled texture on the surface. Because raw sugar isn't ground as fine as refined white, it didn't completely dissolve in the melted chocolate. Once it's frozen, you'll barely notice the difference. As it thaws you'll notice a slight crispy granularity. Personally, I liked it, but if you're expecting silky-smoothness you'd be better off using powdered sugar. I heard in a comment below that even refined white sugar still left a bit of graininess.
Freeze for at least two hours, four would be better. Cut with a very sharp knife, not a pie spatula. Serve with fresh whipped cream.
And that's it.
