Black Bottom Pumpkin Pie

Everybody dance The Black Bottom! See video clip below. I love Black Bottom Pie, but this pie is  even more perfect for this time of year with the addition of pumpkin: Black Bottom Pumpkin Pie! And, if you don't make it today, bookmark it for Halloween or Thanksgiving! It's a great twist on a great pie! Who doesn't love a layer of melted chocolate over a buttery crust topped by pumpkin? This recipe is from Epicurious.. and it's easy. I use a ready-made crust from Trader Joe's, but you can make your own--either a regular buttery crust or a graham cracker crust.

BLACK BOTTOM PUMPKIN PIE

INGREDIENTS

BLACK-BOTTOM FILLING 
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
 8 oz good-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped

PUMPKIN FILLING 
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
 pinch ground ginger
1 can (15 oz) or 2 cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie filling)
2 large eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1/8 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS

BLACK-BOTTOM FILLING 
In saucepan over high heat, bring cream and ginger to boil. Immediately remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes.
Put chocolate in a mixing bowl. Bring cream and ginger to a boil again, and strain cream into bowl of chocolate (discard ginger). Stir mixture until smooth.

PUMPKIN FILLING 
In mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt, and spices. Whisk in pumpkin and then eggs, one at a time. Stir in evaporated milk and vanilla.

TO ASSEMBLE: 
Place cookie sheet in oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out crust, place in 9-inch metal pie pan, and pour in black-bottom filling.
Freeze for 10 minutes to firm up, then fill remainder of pie shell with pumpkin mixture.
Bake on preheated cookie sheet until crust is golden brown, about 50 minutes.
Cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Have a piece great pie and dance The Black Bottom!