Mocha Cream Pie
Whether you're staying inside with the air conditioner on to beat the heat, or you're having a backyard gathering... sometimes you just crave the richness of a cool cream pie to lighten up your spirit during those dog days in summer., creamy, decadent, delicious! This pie has the perfect balance of chocolate and coffee flavors.
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cookie Crust:
18 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreo cookies,) crushed to make about 1½ cups crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Chocolate Espresso Filling:
6 ounces’ bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons instant espresso coffee (espresso powder)
⅛ teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
2 cups half-and-half cream
11/2 tsps. pure vanilla extract
Coffee Whipped Cream Topping:
3 cups whipping (heavy) cream
4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoon coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua, or Bailey’s Chocolate Cherry Liqueur
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' (powdered) sugar
Decoration:
About 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate for chocolate shavings.
Note: Baileys Chocolate Cherry Liqueur combines luscious chocolate flavor with the bold, seductive flavor of dark cherries.
PREHEAT OVEN
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Chocolate Cookie Crust:
Crush or grind the whole cookies, including the cream filling, to make crumbs.
Tip: Quicker cookie crumbs, place whole cookies in a food processor or small grinder. Add melted butter; stir until thoroughly mixed and mixture is crumbly.
Pour the chocolate crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Using the back of a large spoon or the flat bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass, press the crumb mixture firmly and evenly across the bottom and against the sides of the pie pan.
Place pie crust on a baking sheet, bake in preheated oven 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Mocha Filling:
CHOCOLATE:
The best and most accurate way to measure chocolate is to weigh it with a scale. A scale is so simple to use. All you need to do is ’zero' your scale, place a double boiler or heat prove mixing bowl on the scale, then set scale to "ZERO", add the broken up pieces of the chocolate, weigh, and you're done.
In top of double boiler or in heat prove mixing bowl, combine chopped chocolate and butter. Place double boiler or in heat prove mixing bowl, over hot water (the upper pan or bowl should not touch the water.) Heat and stirring constantly the chocolate and butter together until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Set aside.
In a 3-quart heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, instant espresso, and salt.
In a medium measuring cup (glass), whisk together the egg yolks and half-and-half cream.
In measuring cup (glass), whisk together the egg yolks and half-and-half cream. Gradually whisk the egg/ half-and-half mixture into the sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent the mixture from burning and egg from curdling.
Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens & boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.
Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Then add the melted chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture until thoroughly combined.
Spoon the filling into the cooled cookie crust. Place plastic wrap directly onto the filling to prevent a film from forming. remove air pockets.. Let filling cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Coffee Whipped Cream:
Pour the cream into a well-chilled bowl and whip to soft peaks. Then add the sugar and Bailey’s Chocolate Cherry liqueur. Using an electric hand mixer or balloon whisk, beat the cream to the desired consistency. For soft peaks, the cream will be just thick enough to hold its shape in soft billows. For stiffly beaten cream, the beaters or whisk wires will leave distinct traces on the cream and stand in firm peaks when the beaters are lifted.
Tip: the cream will whip easier if the mixing bowl and beaters are first chilled; place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to whip the cream.
Spread the whipped cream over the chilled pie filling using a rubber spatula, offset spatula, or the back of a spoon to form attractive swirls and peaks.
Chocolate Curls:
Turn the chilled pan upside down and spread 2 tbsps. melted chocolate on the bottom, with an off set spatula, smooth out the chocolate 1/8" thick.Once the chocolate starts getting tacky, stop spreading and place in the refrigerator. Refrigerate till the chocolate chills enough that you can touch it without leaving a fingermark, but it still has a little give to it. If the chocolate is too cold, ruffles or curls will shatter and splinter. If the chocolate is too warm, it'll clump together. Use a bench scraper with the edge just under the chocolate, push away from yourself and the chocolate should curl. Cut off the curls with the scraper blade when they are the size you want. lay them on a waxed paper or parchment paper lined pan and refrigerate as you go. Continue till you have enough to do the topping.