Cooking Lesson #29—Mmmm… Chocolate Mousse Pie

Simple Chocolate Mousse Pie

How you doin’? There is a famous song from Disney’s Mary Poppins…“Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”  Well if that’s true, can you imagine what a little bit of chocolate can do! During our time under house arrest, chocolate can be used as a mood elevator that carries us through the long days. I think it should be mandatory to have at least 1-ounce of chocolate every day.
 
This all comes from an email I got from Mark Spini, the VP of Sales at Guittard Chocolate, telling me how much he looks forward to the recipe blog. This reminded me that I haven’t shared any of our great Choclatique recipes with this audience. So, here it comes, one of my all-time favorites—Mmmm… Chocolate Mousse Pie.
 
This is going to become your go-to chocolate dessert from now on. It’s simple to make and Mmmm… so yummy to eat!  It is sky-high and simply scrumptious—one of the best fluffy chocolate delights to serve for any dessert occasion—or for no occasion at all. You can put the pie together in a wink and a nod and it will disappear just as fast! You can substitute a store-bought chocolate or graham cracker crust and just mound the filling within and let it cool. As a bonus, add a couple of tablespoons of shaved chocolate as a fancy sprinkle on top.
 
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Bake Time: 5 minutes
Cool Time: 5 hours
Ready In: 6 hours
Yield: 1 9-inch pie
 
Ingredients:
For the crust
Butter (to grease the springform pan)
20 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed (I use Oreos)
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
 
For the filling
1 cup heavy cream
12 ounces dark chocolate chips (I use Guittard)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/4 cup granulated sugar
 
For the topping
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
2 tablespoon of orange liqueur (Grand Marnier)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
 
Directions:
To make the crust

1. Preheat an oven to 350ºF.
2. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the crushed cookies, almond extract and softened butter and press mixture evenly around the bottom and up the edges of the springform pan.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove and allow the crust to thoroughly cool.

To make the filling

1. In a microwave-safe bowl combine 1 cup cream, chocolate chips, vanilla extract and salt; heat in 15 second burst until chocolate is fully melted and mixture is smooth.  The chocolate chips will not change shape until you mix. Do not burn. 
2. Set the chocolate mixture aside to cool completely to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
3. In a large bowl, beat 2 cups chilled cream with 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
4. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.
5. Gently spoon the blended chocolate mixture into cooled crust.
6. Chill the pie for at least 5 hours before serving.

To make the topping 

1. Just before serving, beat remaining 1 cup chilled cream with orange liqueur and 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
2. Before serving spoon a dollop of whipped cream on top of each piece. 

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