Mississippi Mud Pie

This Mississippi Mud Pie pays homage to its roots in 1950's Missouri, but with the modern sweet tooth in mind.

Mississippi Mud Pie entered the scene in 1950’s America, where it rocked Tupperware parties and ladies luncheons with is formidable richness. The original Mississippi Mud Pie was actually a cake and didn’t have a pie crust to speak of. It was baked in an oven dish or casserole, like brownies, then heaved with marshmallow cream (such as Fluff) and condemned by a rich, fudgy topping of chocolate ganache. If that’s not rich enough, it was also served with whipped cream. Modern interpretations for Mud Pie transformed this cake into a literal pie with a crust of its own. The marshmallow element was lost in time and has been replaced it with all kinds of elements from chocolate mousse to whipped cream. In this version, I pay homage to mud pie’s Missouri roots by retaining the same rich, muddy chocolate filling encased in a chocolate cookie-pecan crust. It’s a press-in-the-pan cheesecake-like crust, so it won’t test your pastry skills. Once baked and settled, the pie is heaped with marshmallow - whether whole or in spreadable form - and for bonus complexity, torched. And to finish, whipped cream and a sensible drizzle of chocolate ganache never hurt anybody. Let’s go!