Pastry
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar or vanilla sugar (see page 76)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
1 egg yolk, beaten
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Filling
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
6 ounces (about 1½ bars) Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate
½ cup water
2 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
2 ounces Ghirardelli white chocolate, grated
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. For the pastry dough, pulse the flour and sugar a few times, just to mix, in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Cut the chilled butter into cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Pulse briefly until the mixture forms little balls like moist crumbs with no visible chunks of butter.
3. Add the egg yolk and heavy cream and pulse again until a paste forms. Wrap the dough in plastic. Form it into a flattened ball and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Roll out the pastry dough, and line a 9-inch tart ring. Prick the tart all over. Gently place a piece of parchment paper on the tart, and fill it with either tart weights or dried beans. Place the tart shell on the center rack of the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment paper and return to bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is lightly colored and the base of the tart cooked.
5. For the filling, place a mixing bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. The bowl should not touch the water, but just be warmed by the steam. Add the eggs, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, sugar, vinegar, and salt. Whisk until the mixture starts to thicken and appears foamy. Remove the bowl from the top of the pan to a cool surface. Continue whisking until the mixture falls in slightly thick and creamy ribbons from your whisk.
Chocolate Perfection Pie
6. Pour the filling into the partially baked tart and return the tart to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the filling has risen and is firm to the touch. Remove the tart from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Let the filling sink back into the shell. This is the first layer.
7. While the tart is cooling, melt the semisweet chocolate, and whisk in the water and egg yolks until combined. Spoon half of this chocolate mix over the top of the tart’s sunken filling. Return the tart to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool completely. This is the second layer.
8. Whip the cream and remaining cinnamon until stiff peaks form, and carefully spread half of the whipped cream on top of the tart. This is the third layer.
9. Fold the remaining half of the whipped cream and cinnamon into the remaining melted chocolate and spread it on top. This is the fourth layer. Sprinkle on the grated white chocolate and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
MAKES 8 SERVINGS