You know how I can tell my wife loves me? (I mean, besides her telling me and all.) I know because she sometimes bakes black-bottom pie for me. Even though I’m trying to eat healthier. Even though I want to shed my holiday pounds. But it’s love, see, because she knows this was always my favorite dessert growing up.
She makes it a little differently than my mother does; the chocolate’s less dense, and she heeds the part of the recipe that calls for a little alcohol. Well, not this time; the recipe calls for rum, but we didn’t like the way that tasted, so the next time she used Cointreau, which added a nice chocolate-orange flavor. But we don’t have Cointreau right now, so she substituted raspberry extract. This worked pretty well. In fact, I would go so far as to classify it as “delicious.”
I didn’t realize until I told her about it that “black-bottom pie” is very nearly the most unappetizing name I’ve ever heard for a dessert. Sure, it’s a step above “spotted dick,” but only barely. She recoiled at the mention of it for years before finally giving in and making it — at which point she fell in love with it. And she doesn’t even share my crippling addiction to chocolate (because we habitually get our gender role stereotypes mixed up). It’s simply called “black-bottom” because the bottom layer is a dark chocolate ganache topped with a custardy meringue. See! It’s logical! Also tasty.
If I’m not mistaken, black-bottom pie comes from the Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book. I recommend it. Unless you hate chocolate, in which case… get the hell away from my website, you monster.
I’m glad that you have a place besides 1Up to post things to, because chances are your commentary club would be crucifying your clearly racially-charged hatred of black bottoms.
It might even have gave that internet petition to get you fired for hating Nintendo some leverage.
Nice read, only One Thing is missing: the actual recipe so I can try it myself…
Allow me to facetiously assist you.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Better+Homes+%26+Gardens+Cook+Book+black+bottom+pie
This second result when I clicked that link is this blog post!
Omigosh, this looks delicious.
The BH&G cookbook should be printed before sometime in the mid 90s (I think), cause it sure isn’t in the newer editions published now. Your sister and I had to go through multiple printings at Half Price until we found a copy old enough to contain the recipe.
I love Cat thought to use raspberry extract instead of rum, although I am partial to the use of rum extract in my filling. When I get back home I will have to try this variation.
Black-Bottom Pie makes the rockin’ world go round.
Oh man, that looks and sounds amazing, *especially* with raspberry. I want to make this with Chambord now.
I’ve been looking at these today thanks to this post, and I wasn’t too keen on the idea of most of them which is a chocolate custard and a cream custard set with gelatine so I’m going to try the following
Chocolate shortcrust pastry > Dark Rum truffle ganache layer > Italian Meringue
Then i was thinking of either adding a raspberry syrup between the ganache and meringue, or doing a hazlenut pastry, possibly with a praline layer or possibly with a hazelnut meringue