Mississippi Mud Pie

Photo: cully_c

Ingredients

For Pastry:

190 grams plain flour, sifted

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

100 grams chilled unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons chilled water

For Filling:

30 grams butter

30 grams plain chocolate, chopped

6 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

3 eggs

250 grams caster sugar

2 tablespoons soured cream

3 tablespoons golden syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180°C 350°F, gas 4. Prepare a 3.5cm deep, 23cm diameter, loose-based, well-greased flan tin.

To make the pastry, sift the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl.

Rub the butter into the flour mixture until all the butter is mixed and the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

Mix the egg with the water and gently, with a fork, mix into the flour mixture a bit at a time, so that there is enough to make the flour mixture into clumps. Then bring together into a ball and cover with cling-film.

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

When you are ready to prepare the pastry case, roll it out and line your flan tin, keeping chilled till you are ready to fill and bake.

Place a baking sheet in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven.

Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate, cocoa powder and coffee, stirring until all the chocolate has melted.

Set aside.

Beat the eggs and the sugar together until the mixture is creamy and blended, then add the soured cream, golden syrup, and vanilla extract.

Stir that mixture into the chocolate.

Pour the filling into the pastry shell.

Bake on the hot baking sheet in the lower third of the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling puffs up and forms a crust on top.

Remove from the oven and place pie on a wire rack to cool.

The filling will sink a little and crack a little as it cools.

When you are ready to serve, decorate the pie with chocolate curls; any colour chocolate will do very nicely, and vanilla ice cream also goes down a treat with this Mississippi mud pie recipe.