Mocha Mousse Pie
CRUST
9 inch frozen deep dish pie crust
1 cup beans for blind baking
ESPRESSO GANACHÈ INGREDIENTS
8 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate 60-72% Cacao, chopped (I recommend Ghirardelli)
3/4 heavy whipping cream
2-3 Tbsp instant espresso powder (depends on how strong of a coffee taste you want)
3 Tbsp Kahlua or coffee liqueur
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream, divided
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup strong coffee or espresso, room temperature
3 Tbsp of granulated sugar, separated
1/4 tsp kosher salt
8 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate 60-72% Cacao, chopped (I recommend Ghirardelli)
2 egg whites
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove pie crust from freezer and let thaw for 15 minutes on the counter.
When crust is soft, poke the bottom and around the sides with a fork.
Place a large square of parchment paper over the crust and make a well (enough that you can lift the beans out later without spilling). Pour 1 cup dried beans into well. Shift them around until they cover the base of the crust.
Bake for 6 minutes on a baking sheet.
Remove from oven and lift out parchment and beans. Bake for another 6 minutes.
When crust is lightly browned, remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Lightly press down on bottom of the crust if it has puffed up at all.
Chop 8 oz of chocolate and set aside in a large bowl.
In a small sauce pan, heat 3/4 cup heavy cream over medium heat until bubbles form at the edges.
Remove from heat and stir in espresso powder until dissolved.
Pour warm cream over chocolate and stir until smooth.
Stir in Kahlua.
Pour 1/2 of the ganachè into the pie crust. Reserve the other half to drizzle on top of the pie or save to use as hot fudge on ice cream. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
In a mixing bowl, whip 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks. Cover and refrigerate.
In a heat-safe bowl, resting over a pot of simmering water (double boiler), whisk together egg yolks, coffee, salt and 2 Tbsp of sugar. Continue stirring until mixture lightens in color, thickens and reaches 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. Be careful this happens quickly.
Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate. Stir occasionally, until mixture is room temperature.
In a very clean (absolutely no oil or grease) mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1 Tbsp of sugar and continue to beat until stiff shiny peaks form.
Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture, half at a time.
Fold in whipped cream. This should be done slowly to preserve volume.
Spoon mousse into pie shell. Spread evenly.
OPTIONAL: warm remaining ganache and drizzle over the top of the pie with a spoon.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Whip remaining 1/4 cup of heavy cream to stiff peaks. You can add a splash of vanilla and a tsp of powdered sugar if you like it a little sweeter.
Serve pie with whipped cream :)
Hope McCarthy