Chocolate Chess Pie is a classic Southern recipe; a cross between brownie and chocolate pudding, it's baked right into a flaky pie crust and a holiday must.
Make the Pie Crust: Process ¾ cups of the flour, the sugar and salt together in a food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add the butter and shortening and process until a homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 7 to 10 seconds (the dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and redistribute the dough evenly around the bowl. Add the remaining ½ cup flour and pulse until the mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl and the mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty the mixture into a medium bowl.
Sprinkle the vodka and water over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix, pressing down on the dough until it is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten the dough into a 4-inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes, or up to 2 days.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a generously floured (up to ¼ cup) work surface to a 12-inch circle. Roll the dough loosely around a rolling pin and unroll into a 9-inch pie plate, leaving at least a 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around the circumference, ease the dough into the plate by gently lifting edge of the dough with one hand while pressing into the plate bottom with other hand. Leave the overhanging dough in place; refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
Trim the overhanging dough to ½ inch beyond the lip of the pie plate. Fold the overhang under itself; the folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Flute the dough or press the tines of a fork against dough to flatten it against the rim of pie plate. Refrigerate the dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with pie weights (I use this weight) or dried beans, filling the whole way up to the rim of the pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil/parchment and weights, cover the edges of the pie crust with a ring of foil or pie crust shield, rotate plate, and bake 5 to 15 additional minutes, until bottom crust is golden brown. Remove pie plate from oven (keep the pie crust shield on).
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Make the Filling: In a small bowl, microwave the butter and chocolate together in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk to thoroughly incorporate. Pour the mixture into the pie shell.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center is just slightly jiggly. Cool to room temperature and serve with whipped cream. The pie can be kept at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days.