Truffle Chocolate Cream Pie

 

According to Blogger, this is my 2200th post! I’ve always liked the number 22, so to celebrate, here’s a chocolate pie – you can thank me later for this one. 

I believe I haven’t talked about it yet, but the recent discovery of Silk heavy whipping cream alternative has opened a bunch of doors for me. Previously, I could only get lactose-free whipping cream in Canada, but now I have a vegan version here! 

I decided to make the truffle chocolate cream pie from Joanne Chang’s Baking with Less Sugar (I’ve talked about it on the blog before, most recently here, and you can read a review here). 

I had a premade pie crust in the freezer, so I used that instead of making my own pâte brisée, and I imagine you could use the low-carb pie crust of your choice. What I really liked here is that there is no added sugar in the recipe, only what is already present in your chocolate. I used Trader Joe’s dark baking chocolate for this one. 

I loved this pie! The Engineer made appreciative noises as he was eating it; the Little Prince said, “That’s the best pie I’ve ever eaten!” And the Fox actually said, “This tastes delicious!” and ate it, even though he usually turns up his nose at pie. So, 4 thumbs up for this awesome chocolate pie! 

For the dark chocolate mousse 

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream alternative (or lactose-free cream) 

3 ½ oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 

1 pinch kosher salt 

1 pâte brisée crust or equivalent 

For the chocolate truffle filling 

¾ cup heavy whipping cream alternative (or lactose-free cream) 

½ cup lactose-free milk 

9 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 

2 egg yolks 

2 Tbsp. lactose-free butter 

½ tsp. kosher salt 

some bittersweet chocolate at warm room temperature, for garnish 

For the mousse 

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is scalded—that is, small bubbles form on the edges of the cream and it almost, but not quite, comes to a boil. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and pour the hot cream on top. Add the salt and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. With a rubber spatula, scrape the chocolate mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. 

For the crust 

Place the pie crust in a 9-inch aluminum or glass pie plate. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 °F. Prick the pie dough with a fork. Spray one side of a sheet of aluminum foil with oil, then place that side down on the dough; evenly fill the clean side with pie weights. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the shell is brown on the edges pale and matte when you lift the foil and peek at the surface of the shell. (If the edges brown too quickly, cover the shell loosely with foil. In my case, since I was using a storebought dough, I followed the instructions on the package and baked it on the middle rack for 20 minutes at 425 °F.) When the pie shell is done blind baking, remove it from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. When the pie shell has cooled, remove the foil and pie weights. 

For the chocolate truffle filling 

Heat the cream and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until scalded—that is, small bubbles form on the edges of the mixture and it almost, but not quite, comes to a boil. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and pour the hot cream mixture on top. Whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the egg yolks, butter, and salt until completely mixed. Pour into the baked pie shell and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the filling is set and jiggles slowly like Jell-O when you wiggle it (I covered the edge with a pie crust shield for extra safety). Remove the pie from the oven and let cool on a wire rack to room temperature for about 2 hours or until completely cooled. 

Remove the mousse from the refrigerator and, using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or an electric hand mixer or by hand with a whisk), whip the mousse on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it holds stiff peaks—that is, when you lift the whisk out of the mousse, the mousse stands tall and hold its shape. Scrape the whipped mousse on top of the cooled truffle filing and spread evenly with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. 

Using the back of a paring knife or a vegetable peeler, scrape the chocolate block to make chocolate shavings and scatter them evenly on top of the pie. Slice the pie with a thin knife dipped in hot water and serve immediately. The pie can be stored, in an airtight container or covered loosely with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.