Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Make the pastry. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and ½ teaspoon salt. Rub in the shortening until you have lumps the size of small peas. Dice the cold butter into 1 cm pieces and rub it in until you have flakes about the size of a fingernail. Sprinkle in the ice water 2 tablespoons at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough holds together when squeezed and no dry flour remains. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface, fold it over itself three or four times, pat it into a disc about 2 cm thick, and roll the edge to tidy it. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- 2
Bake the shell. Heat the oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a 23 cm pie tin at least 4–5 cm deep. Roll the pastry into a 33 cm round, lift it into the tin, and trim so it overlaps the rim by about 2.5 cm all round. Tuck the edge under and flute it, then chill the lined tin for 10 minutes. Line the pastry with foil or baking paper, fill with baking beans, and bake for 20 minutes. Take out the paper and beans and return the shell to the oven for 10–20 minutes more, until golden all over. Shield the rim if it browns too fast. Cool the shell completely.
- 3
Cook the filling. Put 28 g butter, the chopped chocolate and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl and set it aside. Off the heat, whisk the 131 g sugar, cornflour, cocoa, espresso powder if using, and ⅛ teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Whisk in 113 g of the cream until smooth, then the egg yolks. Set the pan over medium heat and gradually whisk in the remaining 113 g cream and the milk. Bring to a boil, whisking as it thickens, and boil for 1 minute (the mixture should be around 93°C). Pour it over the chocolate and butter and whisk until melted and smooth. Pass the filling through a sieve, press a piece of cling film or buttered paper onto the surface, and chill until cold.
- 4
Top and serve. Whip the 227 g cream in a cold bowl until the whisk starts to leave tracks. Add the icing sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla and whip to a medium peak. Spoon the cold filling into the cold shell and level the top. Spoon or pipe the cream over it and scatter chocolate shavings on top (or add them to each slice if you will not serve the whole pie at once). Chill until you are ready to cut; overnight gives the cleanest slices.
Storage
Keep covered in the fridge and use within a few days.
Caffeine · Free sugars
- Per serving: about 3 mg caffeine (serving: 1 of 12 servings). Source: 1 g instant coffee/espresso powder × USDA FDC SR Legacy #171893 (instant coffee powder, 3142 mg/100 g); divided by 12 servings (only if you add the optional coffee).
- Scaling: making more servings does not change the caffeine in each serving; what counts is how many servings you drink in a day. 1 serving: 3 mg · 2 servings: 6 mg · 3 servings: 9 mg · 4 servings: 12 mg.
- General guideline: EFSA Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine (2015): for healthy adults, up to 200 mg in a single dose and up to 400 mg per day do not raise safety concerns. 1 serving = 1 % of 400 mg. EFSA
20.3 g per serving
40.6 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 81.2 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- scales
- baking tin or tray
- saucepan
Nutrition per serving Calculated from USDA FoodData Central
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 444 kcal |
| Protein | 5.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 40 g |
| of which sugars | 23.4 g |
| of which free sugars | 20.3 g |
| Fat | 29.4 g |
| of which saturates | 17.7 g |
| Fibre | 2.3 g |
| Salt | 0.38 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.3 g High protein needs ≥ 5 g per 100 kcal (20% of energy) and ≥ 10 g per serving
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
