Black Bottom Pie

Makes 8 servings

Take a perfectly made graham cracker crust, line the bottom with rich, dark chocolate, and top it with a light, rummy cream, and you've got black bottom pie, one of the most sinfully sensational desserts you'll ever taste. If you care to be even more sinful, add whipped cream--you may never recover.


CRUST

2-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup firmly' packed dark brown sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

CHOCOLATE FILLING

3 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup evaporated milk

RUM CREAM

8 egg yolks
3 tablepoons cornstarch
3 tablepoons water
1 quart heavy cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar in all
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablepoons dark or light rum, in all

FOR THE CRUST, combine the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl and mix thoroughly with a spoon. Add the butter and mix until thoroughly blended. Press the mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 10-inch springform cake pan and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

FOR THE FILLING, put the chocolate pieces, butter, and evaporated milk in the top of a 1-1/2-quart double boiler set over boiling water. Cook, stirring, until the butter and chocolate are melted and thoroughly blended with the milk, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir 1 minute. Pour the chocolate mixture into the chilled crust, spreading it evenly over the bottom. Refrigerate 30 minutes.