Sweet Saturday: Chocolate-Peppermint Pie

Happy Saturday, my friends! :o) I hope you had a beautiful week!

Are you feeling festive? I baked a super fun treat this week! I tried out a recipe that caught my and my mom's eyes as we perused the baking magazines she recently purchased... a wee bit of a trial run to see if it would indeed be a new Christmas treat this year. The verdict was a resounding yes! This Chocolate-Peppermint Pie is officially in the Christmas line-up! (A Christmas plate would have been so cute in this picture. A food stylist I am not!)

Not only is it gorgeous (and PINK!), but it consists of three decadent layers. First is a deep, dark chocolate cookie crust, made with those marvelous Nabisco Famous chocolate cookie wafers. Next is a rich and creamy chocolate filling, with a tiny bit of instant espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor (without making it taste like coffee). The top layer is a whimsical peppermint mousse.

What makes it that lovely shade of pink? Crushed candy canes are swirled into melted white chocolate and cream... and then freshly whipped cream is gently folded into that batter to create a glorious mousse. The peppermint from the candy canes is perfect. Even my dad, who has told me how much he dislikes minty desserts, wanted two slices that day. It is not overpowering, does not taste artificial, and does not taste like toothpaste. It is a dreamy, fluffy peppermint that is equally refreshing and tantalizing. It is rich, yet light. (Magic!) A sprinkling of crushed candy canes gives it a sparkly and festive finish, ideal for the season of cheer. :o)

I insist you make this! What's better than a chocolaty, pink, and sparkly dessert? :o) And in case you were wondering, it does indeed make a tasty breakfast the following morning. ;)

I wish you a blessed weekend of love, sunshine, and all things sparkly. :o)

Recipe Note: The heavenly mousse is technically meant to be fluffier than mine turned out, which I'll remedy next time. The good news is it still tasted perfect! :o) Additionally, I had to use a 9½-inch pie plate rather than the recommended 9-inch... therefore, the delicious layers will be even thicker if created in the indicated dish. :o)
*****

Chocolate-Peppermint Pie
Yield: One 9-inch pie

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1½ cups chocolate-wafer cookie crumbs (6½ ounces)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the chocolate layer:
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt

For the peppermint mousse:
7 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream, divided
½ cup sour cream
½ cup crushed peppermint candy canes or candies (about 8 candy canes or 18 candies)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325º F.

Combine cookie crumbs and 6 tablespoons melted butter for the crust. Press crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie plate; set aside.

Melt milk chocolate, 6 tablespoons butter, and espresso powder in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until ingredients are combined; remove from heat.

Using a hand mixer on high speed, beat eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt in a bowl until mixture turns pale yellow and falls from the beaters in thick ribbons.

Whisk one-third of the egg mixture into the chocolate, then fold in the remaining egg mixture in two batches. Pour chocolate filling into unbaked cookie crust.

Bake pie until chocolate layer is no longer shiny, about 30 minutes. (To maintain the smooth texture of the filling, be careful not to overbake.) Remove pie from oven; cool to room temperature, then thoroughly chill pie.

Heat white chocolate, ¼ cup cream, and sour cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts and ingredients are combined. Remove mixture from heat; stir in crushed candies. Occasionally whisk mixture until it cools to nearly room temperature.

Using the hand mixer, whip the remaining ¾ cup cream in a separate bowl until it forms soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into peppermint mixture in three batches to form mousse; chill mousse at least 2 hours.

Gently spread peppermint mousse over chocolate filling in pie; chill at least 2 hours more before serving.

Garnish pie with finely crushed peppermint candies.

Make-Ahead Directions: The crust and chocolate filling can be made 1 day ahead. Prepare the peppermint mousse the same day that you plan to serve the pie.

Source: Cuisine Magazine~ Holiday Baking