Autocrat Pie

Autocrat is a coffee syrup from Rhode Island, or a ruler who has abolute power.  The former is a regional product usually mixed with milk and drank by children as a caffeine free coffee substitute (which apparently has a huge market in Rhode Island), but it is also delicious drizzled over David Lebovitz's gâteau Thérèse.  I decided to make a pie with it, because that's what I do.  If you do not live in Rhode Island, you can get Autocrat here.


I followed a recipe for a chocolate syrup pie.  I also decided not to make the filling in the microwave.  I mixed the egg yolks with the cornstarch and a little salt, and brought the milk and syrup to a boil.  This was not a great decision.  It turned out very clumpy and I think I lost about a whole egg yolk when I passed it through a strainer.  Then it wasn't thickening properly, so I had to add another two tablespoons of cornstarch to get it to come together.  This could also have been due to Autocrat having different ingredients than chocolate syrup.  I dunno.  Anyway, it did not work out how I'd planned.

I wanted to make a chocolate graham cracker crust, but apparently chocolate graham crackers are the culinary equivalent of the panda.  So I bought a pre-made Oreo crust.  I will never buy another pre-made Oreo crust. 

Even after sitting in the fridge for about twenty hours, the filling still did not entirely come together.  When cutting, the pre-made Oreo crust crumbled at the edges, and when serving half of it remained stuck to the pie plate.  The flavor however was right on the mark.  It tasted exactly how I imagined it in my head.  If you like iced lattes, you will fricken love the flavor of this pie.

After I hunt down the elusive chocolate graham cracker, I will try this pie again with the following modified recipe:

Crust:
12 chocolate graham crackers
7 tablespoons of melted butter
Assemble like a graham cracker crust
Bake for 10 minutes at 350oF.

Filling:
3 eggs yolks
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of Autocrat coffee syrup
1 3/4 cup of half and half
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Whisk together eggs yolks, cornstarch, salt and Autocrat.
Bring the half and half to a boil in a medium sauce pan.
Add a half of the half and half to the egg mixture.
Pour the egg mixture back into the sauce pan.
Heat until it thickens.
Remove from heat and add the vanilla.
Pour into crust and refrigerate overnight.

I think that the additional egg yolk and the substitution of half and half for milk will greatly improve the texture of the filling of this pie.  I think.  We'll see.

Piece out!
Justin