Chocolate Espresso Caramel Pie

(A pie for Jenny)

Deep, dark and decadent, this pie has a rich crust followed by a layer of silky caramel. The next layer is a cross between chocolate mousse and chocolate truffles. I love how the espresso is subtle but makes its presence known in this not-too-sweet pie.

Ingredients (makes one 9 inch pie):

Crust:

30 chocolate wafers (such as Nabisco® Famous Wafers)

1 teaspoon espresso powder

4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), melted

Caramel layer:

1/4 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 pinch of coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate espresso layer:
1¼ cups heavy cream

1 envelope (2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Pinch of salt

1 cup 60% chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli®)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

Make the crust first: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Process the chocolate wafers and the espresso powder in a food processor until about pea size. Stop and drizzle in the melted butter. Pulse until the crumbs are like damp sand. Pour crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and, using the bottom of a spoon or your fingers, press firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake 12 minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool completely before adding in the caramel layer. You can turn the oven off at this point-you won’t need it any more.

For the caramel layer:

Place the water in a large saucepan. Add sugar and corn syrup, and cook mixture over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until it becomes a dark-amber caramel, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully whisk in butter, cream, pinch of salt and vanilla. Please be careful here-the butter, the cream and the vanilla will all foam up as you add them. That’s fine, it subsides. However, the hot caramel will cause the worst burns if it touches your skin, so just be careful, ok?

Pour the caramel into the crust and swirl the dish to let the caramel spread evenly all along the bottom. Let stand until the caramel is set, at least 45 minutes.

For the chocolate espresso layer:
Pour cream into a medium saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over cream and let stand one minute. Heat on medium low for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until gelatin dissolves. Add espresso powder and salt and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve espresso powder and salt. Place chocolate in a medium heat proof bowl. Pour the simmering cream mixture over chocolate, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes to allow chocolate to soften. Using whisk, stir mixture slowly and gently until smooth. Add butter. Continue to whisk gently until fully incorporated. Pour filling over the caramel layer in the pie pan and tilt gently to make sure it covers the caramel layer. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until set to the touch.