Courvoisier French Silk Chocolate Pie

This is the pie you bring when you want to end the dinner party with a standing ovation.

A rich custard of semi-sweet chocolate, half-and-half, egg yolks, and cornstarch gets cooked on the stovetop until thick and glossy, then hit with vanilla and a generous pour of Courvoisier cognac.

Into a pre-baked pie shell it goes, chilling for four hours until it sets into something dense, smooth, and impossibly silky.

The whipped cream on top gets its own splash of cognac because restraint has no place here. Finish with a shower of chocolate shavings.

Chef Tips

• Temper the egg yolks by stirring a cup of the hot chocolate mixture into them first. Dumping yolks straight into a hot pan scrambles them instantly.
• Stir constantly over low heat. French silk filling scorches quickly, and burned chocolate is bitter and grainy with no way back.
• Use real Courvoisier or another quality VS cognac. The flavor concentrates as the pie chills, so cheap brandy will announce itself.
• Chill the full four hours, no cheating. The cornstarch needs time to fully set, and a warm slice will slide right off the plate.