For the Chocolate Pie Crust

• ⅓ cup boiling water

• 1¼ teaspoon instant espresso powder

• 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour

• 3 tablespoons (35 grams) granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons (20 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder

• ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and frozen

For the Kirsch Cherry Pie Filling

• 2 pounds (900 grams) frozen sweet cherries

• ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

• ½ cup (120 mL) kirschwasser

• ¼ cup (60 mL) fresh lemon juice (from about half a lemon)

• 4 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch

• For the ganache layer

• 2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

• ¼ cup (60 mL) heavy cream

For assembly

• 4 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

• 1 cup cold heavy cream

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 16 stemmed maraschino cherries

• Confectioners' sugar (optional)

Make the Chocolate Pie Crust

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together boiling water and instant espresso powder until espresso powder has dissolved. Place bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, granulated sugar, and cocoa powder. Sprinkle cold butter cubes over the top of the flour mixture and pulse until butter chunks are the size of peas. Drizzle in cold espresso and pulse to combine. Turn out onto plastic wrap, press into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough disc in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°F. Roll dough disc out into a 14-inch circle. Place into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan or a 10½-inch pie pan. Trim so there is a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under, tucking it between the dough and the side of the pan. Flute the edges. Pierce all over the bottom and the sides with a fork. Place in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.

Transfer pie pan to a baking sheet. Place a piece of parchment paper inside the pie pan and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Use enough to press against the sides of the dough so they don't sink. Bake pie crust (on the baking sheet) for 25 minutes with the beans\/pie weights in place. Remove the beans and pie weights and return the pan to the oven to bake for another 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a wire rack.

Make the Kirsch Cherry Pie Filling

While crust is cooling, make the pie filling. In a large saucepan, combine cherries, sugar, kirsch, lemon juice, and cornstarch and toss to coat. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Boil 1-2 minutes, until syrup is thick. Remove from heat and cool completely. (You can pop the saucepan into the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.)

Make the ganache layer

Place chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a simmer over medium heat. Pour over chocolate and let rest for 1 minute. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour into cooled pie crust. Spread evenly over the bottom of the crust with a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Chill in the refrigerator until ganache is firm, at least 30 minutes.

To assemble the pie

Remove the ganache-filled pie crust from the refrigerator (and the cherry filling, if you placed it in the refrigerator to chill). Let sit at room temperature while you make the chocolate curls.

Chill a baking sheet in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, fill a medium saucepan with an inch of water and bring to a simmer. Place chopped chocolate in a large, shallow heat-safe bowl. Place bowl over the saucepan of simmering water to create a double-boiler. Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula until it is melted and smooth. Remove baking sheet from the freezer and place upside-down on a countertop. Pour melted chocolate onto the bottom of the baking sheet (which should be facing up), and spread out into a thin, even layer with an offset spatula. Chill in the refrigerator until chocolate firms up, 5-10 minutes.

Hold a bench scraper at a 45° angle at the edge of the chocolate and push forward to create curls. If the chocolate flakes off and doesn't roll, it is too cold. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to warm up, then try again. If it seems too soft, put it back into the refrigerator chill some more. The curls don't need to be perfect, don't stress out about it! Use the bench scraper to transfer the curls to a small bowl (your fingers will melt the chocolate) and place the bowl in the refrigerator while you assemble the rest of the pie.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also use a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer), combine heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and set aside.

Pour the cherry pie filling into the crust over the ganache layer and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Pipe 16 stars of whipped cream around the circumference of the pie.* Place one maraschino on the top of each whipped cream star.

Pour the chocolate curls into the center of the pie, covering the cherry filling. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Serve immediately with remaining whipped cream (more whipped cream is always a good thing.)