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Saturday, November 17, 2012

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 325ยบ 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



9 comments:

  1. WOW! This looks delicious Karen. Those layers look yummy and so pretty too!!

    I hope you have a wonderful weekend

    Hugs Sue

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  2. Looks and sounds yummy!

    Enjoy the holidays,
    Georgiana
    Carson's Creations

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  3. Pretty presentation - you need to write your own cookbook and have it published.. I bet you would be swamped with orders....
    Enjoy your lovely weekend Karen - getting ready to go a days trip with hubby...

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  4. Oh yum...I bet this tastes as good as it looks, and it looks fabulous!! You post the best recipes, my sweet friend!! Each one looks and sounds amazing and so darn tempting!! Another one to add to my must-make list!!

    I hope you have a wonderful weekend my friend!! And that you have fun plans!! I hope to get to my craft room and get some projects done :)

    Big HUGS!!

    Lisa :)
    A Mermaid's Crafts

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  5. What fun to sit with your mom and go through recipes together.. you are truly blessed my friend. This just looks so delightful.. too bad i am not a baker, my poor family is truly missing out. BUT I do bake pies for the holidays. (i remember my son when he was little asked me why i didn't just put aside one day to bake... bless his little heart) Sounds like it was the perfect dessert if your dad asked for seconds.. Have a sparkly fun weekend filled with love surrounded by your sweet family. hugs

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  6. This is mouth watering....yummy!!! I will have to put this on my to do list....you come up with the most yummiest of recipes:) My family LOVED your cookies you posted a few weeks ago. In fact, will have a little project coming soon (end of the mo) with your yummy cookies.
    How fun to have your Mom go through the recipes with you to:) such a fun thing to do together:) Have a great day my friend!
    Sherrie K
    http://sherriescraps.blogspot.com

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  7. This looks delicious! I will definately be trying out this recipe! My daughter loves chocolate and peppermint together! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Have a great week! :)

    Karen
    craftedwithlovebykaren.blogspot.com

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  8. Mmmmmmmm!!! Me smells candy cane goodness. TEE HEE HEE!

    *dives through my compy and devours your pie all up* SQUEEEEEEE!!!

    *twirls you in endless candy cane spins*

    Gosh Sunshine...this pie is just pure 100 percent delishness. I can't even imagine how insanely gorgeous the mousse must taste. It looks SO incredible. And look at how pretty it is too! It is SO beautifully festive and it makes me smile so huge because of all the Christmassy feelings it inspires in the heart...like munching on candy cane treats while decorating the tree. TEE HEE HEE!

    Can you teach me how to make this right now sis? I NEED SOME!!!!!!!!!

    *drools madly*

    I LOVE YOU MY SWEETEST SATURDAY CHEF SPARKLES!!!

    *forever sparkling candy cane holiday pie hugglers*
    ~~~ Christina (the one who needs another slice asap) TEE HEE! :)

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  9. LOL..You insist that I make it? I insist you make and send it to me...lol...So since I cannot have this right now,due to my dental work,I will just stare at it and just wonder the mess that I would make if I had it in my hands..lol..with a cup of tea.Cookie wafers?Yummy!Yummy!for my Tummy!
    Sending a HUGE amount of my love and Smile,
    Migdalia

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving some love! Have a beautifully blessed day. :o)

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