Chocolate Strawberry Oasis Pie

Chocolate Strawberry Oasis Pie

 

"Just a pie?! It's downright expert. A thing of beauty. How each flavor opens itself, one by one, like a chapter in a book. First, the flavor of an exotic spice hits you...just a hint of it....then you get flooded with chocolate, dark and bittersweet like an old love affair. And finally- strawberry, the way strawberry was always supposed to taste, but never knew how." - From the movie 'Waitress'.

Ingredients 

The Crust 

1 1/2 cups finely crushed chocolate graham crackers
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
6 Tablespoons butter 
A pinch of salt

The Chocolate Silk Filling

1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
16 ounce package of mini marshmallows
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Chai spice*

*To make the Chai spice, combine 2 Tablespoons each of ginger, cloves, cinnamon and fennel and 1 tablespoon of cardamom in a small food processor or clean coffee grinder and pulverize the hell out of it until smooth. Store in your spice pantry.

I suggest you make a decent sized batch of the Chai spice, as it is highly addictive. Use it in pancakes, lattes, hot chocolate, oatmeal, pumpkin pie, or oatmeal cookies. Use it to make my Chai Tres Leches Cupcakes. They are amazing.

The Strawberry Topping

2 cups strawberries- slightly crushed
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
4 Tablespoons cornstarch
1-2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 cups strawberries halved if small or quartered if large
Fresh whipped cream for topping

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Preparation

The Crust

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Add a pinch of salt and combine. Add melted butter to the mixture and stir until evenly combined. Press into a pie plate with a spatula or your hands. Bake for 10 minutes and then set aside to cool.

The Chocolate Silk Filling

In a medium/large sauce pan over low heat, slowly melt chocolate with Chai spice and butter, stirring often. It should be smooth and glossy and your kitchen will smell like heaven.

Add the vanilla and then add the marshmallows a little at a time until they are all melted and everything is smooth again. This will look absolutely horrible and all gloopy for a little while, but trust me. It will all melt and look great. 

Remove from heat and add whipping cream. Stir until smooth and refrigerate while making the strawberry topping. (Don't refrigerate this for too long or it will stiffen up and be difficult to spread into your pie crust. Just a few minutes will do it.)

The Strawberry Topping

Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, whisk until smooth and set aside. In a medium sauce pan at medium heat, combine the crushed strawberries with the sugar until they start to get a little warm and juicy. Add the cornstarch mixture and continue to cook until it begins to bubble and thicken. Remove from heat and add the vinegar to taste. You want to be able to slightly taste the vinegar. It shouldn't overwhelm, but just compliment the strawberries. Pop this in the frig for about 15 minutes to cool and then add the uncooked, sliced strawberries to the mix and let it cool to room temp.

Assembly

Pour the chocolate filling into the crust and then top with the strawberries. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with fresh whipped cream.   

This is my family's favorite pie and I receive requests for it often.