Chocolate Peppermint Julep

Ingredients

1 Single All Butter Pie Dough

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

12 oz. bittersweet chocolate

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon peppermint extract

3 tablespoons bourbon

cocoa powder and crystallized mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

First, pre bake the pie dough. Preheat the oven to 425, then roll out the dough to 12" in diameter, and place in greased pie dish. Prick the bottom the pie dough with a fork about 10 times and trim and crimp the edges. Cover the pie dough with parchment paper, then pour in pie weights. bake the pie dough for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Now, onto the filling. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, heat the cream and milk over medium high heat until it starts to gently bubble. Put the chocolate and salt into a heat safe bowl, and pour the cream mixture over the chocolate. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes, then stir together until silky. Beat the two eggs together, then temper the eggs by gradually adding bits of the hot chocolate mixture to the eggs and whisking.  Add the tempered eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk. Add the peppermint extract and bourbon. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pre baked pie crust. Set in the oven on the middle rack for 30 minutes, the chocolate should start to set. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour. Dust with cocoa powder, and garnish with mint leaves.

For the Crystallized Mint Leaves:

Ingredients

1 large egg white

12-15 fresh mint leaves

1/3 cup sugar

Directions

Whisk the egg white until it becomes frothy. Dip the mint leaves in the egg whites, then cover with sugar. Allow to dry. 

Recipe adapted from butterandbrioche.com