Rich, Soft Chocolate Pie

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Tart shell

1. 1
   Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Add the cold butter in cubes and rub it in with your fingertips, until coarse crumbs form.

   💡The butter must stay cold: butter that melts in your hands gives a hard dough instead of a crumbly one. Work quickly, and if the dough warms up, put it back in the fridge.
3. 3
   Add the egg and quickly bring together with your hands, without kneading, just until the dough comes together.

   💡Knead as little as possible: long kneading develops gluten, and the dough comes out tough and shrinks in the oven.
4. 4
   Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.

   ⚙ Wrapping and Chilling the DoughPlastic wrapRefrigerator

   💡Chilling firms the butter and relaxes the gluten: the dough rolls out easily, doesn't stick to the counter and doesn't shrink in the oven.
5. 5
   Roll out the dough and line a 22 cm pie pan with it, sides included. Prick the bottom with a fork.

   ⚙ Rolling Out DoughRolling pin

   💡Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.
6. 6
   Top with parchment paper and weights (or dried beans) and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (355°F) for 15 minutes.

   Parchment paperOvenTart / pie pan

   💡The weights keep the dough from puffing up and shrinking from the sides: without them the bottom bubbles and the shell comes out lopsided.
7. 7
   Remove the weights and bake another 5 minutes, until the shell is golden.

   OvenTart / pie pan

To assemble

1. 8
   Finely chop the chocolate and put it in a bowl.

   KnifeCutting boardBowl
2. 9
   Heat the cream until just about to boil and pour over the chocolate. Wait a minute without touching.

   StoveSmall saucepan
3. 10
   Stir gently from the center outward, until you get a smooth, glossy cream.

   💡Stir gently from the center outward: vigorous stirring beats in air, and the ganache loses its shine.
4. 11
   Add the sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt to the hot ganache and stir.
5. 12
   Pour the filling into the baked shell and bake in a 160°C (320°F) oven 20–25 minutes.

   OvenTart / pie pan

   💡Take it out when the edges are set and the center still jiggles slightly: the filling keeps setting as it cools.
6. 13
   Cool at least two hours before slicing.