Chocolate cherry pie

Chocolate and cherry is a classic flavour combination and I'm certain it will always remain so. This chocolate cherry pie is a doddle to make, but eats like a Twin Peaks dream. Keep refrigerated, but always serve at room temperature. The pinot noir syrup is a nice touch that turns this double combo into a delicious 3way! Serve with whipped cream.

For the sweet pastry base

2 ½ cups	Flour
225 g	Butter, roughly chopped
½ cup	Sugar
¾ cup	Icing sugar
1 whole	Egg, plus 2 egg yolks

Pinot noir syrup and cherries

1	Cinnamon stick
1 cup	Pinot noir (Main)
½ cup	Brown sugar
300 g	Marinated dark cherries, pitted, for assembling the pie (buy from good delis and supermarkets. The Fed uses Provisions cherries from Central Otago) (Main)

Chocolate custard cream

150 g	Dark chocolate, a good quality one (Main)
2 cups	Cream, plus extra whipped for serving (Main)
½ cup	Milk
6	Free-range egg yolks (Main)
⅓ cup	Caster sugar

Directions

To make the pastry

1. Heat oven to 150C. Grease a 28cm x 3cm deep pie dish.
2. Place the flour, butter and sugars in the food processor. Pulse until you have a coarse meal consistency. Add the whole egg and pulse again until the dough forms.
3. Turn out onto a floured bench and with your hands, work quickly to bring the dough together. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Once rested, roll out on a lightly floured bench to a 4mm thickness, then carefully lay over the rolling pin and unfold into the pie dish. Push the pastry into the sides, and patch up any holes or cracks with the trimmings that you have cut from levelling the excess pastry from the top edge. Refrigerate again for 30 minutes.
5. Once rested, line the inside of the pastry with baking paper, weighted with rice or similar, and blind bake the tart shell for 20 minutes or so until it begins to turn golden around the top edge. Take out of the oven and remove the baking weights.
6. Whisk the two egg yolks in a small bowl and with a pastry brush, paint the pie shell with the yolks then place back in the oven for another five minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Pinot noir syrup

1. Place the cinammon stick, pinot noir and brown sugar in a small saucepan and put on a medium heat. Reduce for 7 to 10 minutes, until the liquid takes on a slight syrupy appearance. Take off the heat and remove cinnamon stick. Store in an airtight container until required for pie assembly.

Chocolate custard cream filling

1. Place the chocolate, cream and milk in a large saucepan. Stir over a low heat for 10 minutes until chocolate dissolves into the liquid, and then set aside. Beat the yolks and sugar together in a mixing bowl, then slowly whisk in the chocolate liquid until combined. Refrigerate until required if not assembling the pie immediately.

To assemble the pie

1. Heat oven to 130C. Drain the cherries and place on absorbent paper towel for 5 minutes to soak up any excess juice.
2. Slide the pre-baked pie shell onto a baking tray. Arrange the cherries around the base of the pie shell with some space around them. Slowly pour the chocolate custard into the pie shell and fill as close to the top as you can. Bake the pie for 40 to 50 minutes until the chocolate custard is set firm with no wobble left. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
3. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, a splash of pinot noir syrup and a hot "cup of joe" riding shotgun.