Slice Of Specialty Pie Recipe

Prepare dry ingredients and cut butter

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined.

Cut in butter

Add the cold cubed unsalted butter to the dry mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, quickly cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining (about 6–8 turns with a pastry cutter).

Bring dough together

Sprinkle the cold water over the crumb mixture and gently mix with a fork until the dough starts to come together. Press the dough into a ball — avoid overworking. If it seems too dry, add an additional 1 teaspoon cold water.

Chill and roll

Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. When chilled, lightly flour a work surface and roll dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Fit the dough into a 9-inch tart pan (or equivalent for 8–10 slices), trim the edges and press into the sides. Prick the bottom lightly with a fork.

Blind bake

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 12 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake an additional 6–8 minutes until set but not overbrowned. Let cool slightly while preparing the filling.

Warm cream and chocolate

Chop the semi-sweet chocolate finely and place in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and corn syrup and warm just until it starts to steam and small bubbles form at the edge (do not boil).

Make ganache

Pour the hot cream mixture over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute to melt the chocolate, then gently whisk from the center outward until smooth and glossy. Add the room-temperature butter, vanilla extract, and kosher salt; whisk until fully incorporated and silky.

Fill tart and set

Pour the ganache into the warm baked tart shell, smoothing the top with a spatula. Tap gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Let the tart cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set (2 hours for a firmer slice).

Finish and serve

Remove the tart from the refrigerator 10 minutes before serving. Dust the top lightly with powdered sugar if desired, sprinkle a few sea salt flakes over the center of the tart slice(s), and garnish each slice with 2 fresh raspberries. Slice with a warm knife (dip blade in hot water and wipe dry between cuts) for clean slices.