Chocolate Mousse Pie

I highly suggest using the best chocolate you can find out there for this - ie Scharffenberger or Lindt. Anything else makes this recipe a fail from the moment you purchase a cheap chocolate.

Ingredients

Crust
21 chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

Mousse
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar

Chocolate shavings (optional)


Preparation

For Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Finely grind cookies in processor. Add butter and process until mixture is evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan to form thin crust. Bake crust 5 minutes. Transfer crust to rack and cool completely.

For Mousse:

Bring 1 cup cream to boil in a medium sized heavy saucepan and whisk briskly, adding in the chocolate, vanilla and salt.Transfer mixture to large bowl. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Beat 2 cups cream and sugar in large bowl to stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour mousse into prepared crust. Chill until set, about 6 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)

Beat remaining 3/4 cup cream in medium bowl to firm peaks. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe rosettes of cream around edge of cake. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

Serves 8.

Milk Chocolate Pudding

Serves 4 to 6

Active time: 15 minutes
Start to finish: 2 1/4 hours, including chilling

2 TBSP Sugar
2 TBSP Cornstarch
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz fine-quality milk chocolate, chopped
1 TSP pure vanilla extract
Accompaniment: Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt in a 2 quart heavy saucepan, then gradually whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking, 2 minutes. MIXTURE WILL BE THICK. Remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and chill pudding, its surface covered with wax paper (to prevent a skin from forming), until cold, at least 2 hours.

NOTE: Pudding can be chilled, covered with plastic wrap after 2 hours and stored for up to 3 days.

Coconut Pavlova with Chocolate Mousse and Bananas

I am returning the scene of terrible food crime I committed a decade ago - I attempted pavlova 3 times and though it was marginally successful the third and final time, I just gave up all hope on it. I stopped trying. I was frustrated. I always told myself that this would not defeat me, that I would give it a shot. So here I am, posting this because frankly, I am going to give this a go again.

I love baking and I love challenges. This certainly was the biggest baking challenge I have ever encountered.

Once again, in bold italics are suggestions I am making - you do not have to follow them.

Ingredients for Meringue

• 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
• 6 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup boiling water

Ingredients for the Mousse

• 2 large eggs, separated
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (about 2/3 cup)
• 3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
• 2 bananas, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

METHOD

For Meringue

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spread 11/2 cups coconut on large baking sheet. Toast until golden, stirring twice, about 15 minutes. Cool. Maintain oven temperature.

Line another large baking sheet with foil. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and next 4 ingredients in large bowl until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in 1/4 cup boiling water, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until whites are stiff and glossy. Fold in 1 cup toasted coconut. Before this next step, I would recommend sprinkling icing sugar/powdered sugar on the foil because scraping the meringue off it will be a PAIN and it will ruin the meringue by crumbling it. Spoon meringue onto center of prepared baking sheet and spread to 9-inch-diameter circle with slightly raised edges. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup untoasted coconut.

Bake meringue 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200°F and bake until dry and crisp outside and just cooked through inside, about 1 hour. Turn off oven. Let meringue stand in oven 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool completely.

For Mousse

Whisk egg yolks, 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, 2 tablespoons water, and rum in medium metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk until thermometer inserted into mixture registers 160°F, about 6 minutes. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Turn off heat; leave bowl over water.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Remove from over water and let mousse cool 20 minutes.

Beat whipping cream in large bowl until peaks form. Place meringue on platter. Spread mousse over center of meringue; top with sliced bananas. Spread whipped cream over bananas and chill at least 20 minutes and up to 3 hours.

Sprinkle with remaining toasted coconut. Cut into wedges and serve.