my favorite dessert, ever: a rich and decadent baked chocolate pie topped with whipped cream

i love this pie so much i allow myself to indulge in it only once a year at thanksgiving-which makes it one of the many reasons i look forward to the holiday all year long! i typically make two pies, one for myself, and one for everyone else...okay, i'm kidding,  but it's not easy keeping this pie around once you bring it out-it disappears pretty quickly and barely leaves a crumb behind. sometimes i wake up early the day after and practically run (not an easy task the day after so much food/drink consumption) to the refrigerator for another bite, but my kids have often beat me to it (can you believe this?) and i go back to bed disappointed and empty handed (or mouthed). next year i might consider making a third pie. or better not. the secret to making this amazing pie is using really good quality chocolate and making a perfect pie crust (which, full disclosure-i didn't do-i bought a really good quality organic frozen pie crust, which was fine)

it took me a long while to find and fine-tune a good *recipe-typically recipes for chocolate pie involve making a pudding or custard that is poured into a baked shell, and not baked again. this one (THE-one) is almost a pie/flour-less chocolate cake combo in one. what can i say? it is beyond delicious if you're a chocolate (and real whipped cream) loving sort of person (me). i have 360 more days to go before i bite into another lovely and creamy slice. really?

ingredients for one decadent chocolate pie:

• one pie crust (store bought or homemade)
• for filling:
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate (this time i combined really good quality dark chocolate with semi sweet chocolate-slightly less sweet, but so good)
• 1/2 cup butter (sweet unsalted)
• slightly less than 1/2 cup sugar
• three (3) organic eggs
• a pinch of salt
• for topping:
• 1 cup (or slightly more if you prefer) heavy organic whipping cream
• a small piece of good chocolate of choice, shaved with a microplane grater
• 1-2 tbs sugar
• 1/2 tsp good vanilla

method (keeping in mind i 'm not a baker...so keeping it as simple as possible):  

1. for baking the crust: place rolled out crust in a pie dish, and fold over/decorate the sides with your fingers or a fork. make a few holes in the bottom with a fork, then cover with foil (completely) and weigh the foil down with baking weights (or beans or something similar). bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, then remove foil and weights, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake a few more minutes (5-7) until  golden. remove from the oven. REDUCE OVEN HEAT TO 325 degrees.
2. start by melting the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler (or make one by placing a smaller sauce pan/pot in a bigger one which contains the boiling water). bring the water in the lower pan to a simmer, then add chocolate and butter to the top pan and stir with a whisk until melted.
3. beat eggs and sugar together on high until you have a fluffy creamy mixture, about 5 minutes (give or take).
4. blend (fold) the chocolate and egg mixture together until fully incorporated and combined well.
5. pour mixture into pre baked shell. bake in 325 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. remove from oven, allow it to cool. refrigerate overnight for best results.
6. whip the cream with sugar & vanilla until stiff and fluffy. cover the top of the refrigerated pie with a layer of whipped cream...almost there... sprinkle carefully with chocolate shavings (try not to touch flakes with your hand as they melt easily). INDULGE!!!

*original recipe (tweaked and adapted) from: http://www.instructables.com/id/Chocolate-Pie/