Dessert: No-Bake Chocolate Cream Pie With Toasted Meringue

Recipe by Alison Roman The swirly meringue topping on this pie is stable enough to make a day ahead and keep chilled—even if you've bruleed it.

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 ounces chocolate wafer cookies
Kosher salt
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted, divided
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

Cook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns (be careful not to let it burn), 5 –8 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, process cookies in a food processor until finely ground. (Alternatively, place cookies in a large resealable bag and crush to fine crumbs with a rolling pin or heavy pot). Transfer to a medium bowl.
Add 1/2 cup brown butter and a pinch of salt to cookie crumbs and mix until well blended (mixture should resemble wet sand). Transfer to a 9" pie dish and press evenly into bottom and up sides of dish with a measuring cup (make sure to come up all the way to the top lip of the pie dish). Chill 20 minutes.
Brush the bottom of crust with 2 oz. melted chocolate; return to refrigerator.
Whisk egg yolks and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Whisk cream and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan until no lumps remain; whisk in milk and sweetened condensed milk and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk mixture to egg mixture, then, still whisking, pour egg mixture into pan. Cook over medium heat, still whisking, until mixture is considerably thickened with the occasional bubble rising to the surface (think chocolate pudding), about 4 minutes. Add remaining 6 oz. chocolate to custard and remaining 1/2 cup brown butter; whisk until smooth. Scrape into chilled crust and chill until custard is cold and set, at least 2 hours.