S’mores Pie

We can all agree that 2020 sucks, right? For that reason, I think you need this pie in your life. It’s decadent, it has relatively few ingredients (10 total. Technically 8 because sugar and butter are repeated twice), it’s also deceptively easy to make, and if you use a torch, it’ll make people ooh and aah and think you’re a culinary whiz. Let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients for crust:

18 sheets of graham crackers, ground finely (in a food processor or in a ziploc bag using rolling pin)
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients for chocolate ganache:

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 oz. semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1.25 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely ground coffee beans

Ingredients for meringe:

4 large egg whites
0.75 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine the finely ground graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar in a bowl. Mix well and press mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes until firm. Take out of the oven and let it cool at room temperature. At this point, you can keep it in the fridge and make the rest of the pie the next day.
Two notes about the chocolates: please be sure to use baking chocolate, not chocolate chips. There is a technical explanation that I honestly can’t remember right now but I’m sure you can Google it (you guys are smart, I know this!), but bottom line is: baking chocolate will melt smoother. In a pinch, you can use chocolate chips but you’re going to want to increase your butter or add a little bit of coconut oil. The other note is: you can use more bittersweet chocolate and less semi-sweet if you prefer your desserts to be not as sweet. Remember, this dessert is ultra decadent!
Place chocolate and butter in a large bowl. Combine cream, coffee, and 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan and bring them to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for about 5 minutes. After steeping, strain the cream into the bowl with chocolate and butter. Stir until melted and ganache is smooth. Pour this mixture into the crust and smooth the top. Chill in the fridge until set. This should take an hour or so.
Make the meringue: using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until light and frothy. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time, making sure it’s incorporated before adding more. This will ensure that the sugar gets fully combined and your meringue will not be gritty or grainy. After all the sugar has been incorporated, continue whipping until you reach stiff peaks. This means that when you lift up the whisk, you will see peaks that will not fall on its own. When you tilt the mixing bowl, you should not be able to “pour” it out. If you can, then it is not stiff enough (that’s what she said!).
Spoon the meringue over the chilled ganache and make decorative swirls with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Using a kitchen torch, toast meringue until golden brown in spots. If you don’t have a torch, you can also do this under the broiler. Make sure to place it on an oven rack that’s about 12 inches away from the broiler and watch it carefully because it will toast pretty fast.
You can serve right away after toasting, but I do like to chill it a little bit more. When cutting into this, you may be tempted to cut large pieces because it’ll look prettier but because of its decadence, you may want to serve smaller pieces than you usually do.