Friday 26 May 2017

Chocolate Mousse Pie.



Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Is it bad that I really want a slice of this pie for breakfast right now?
Seriously, the current temperature here on this Friday morning at 9:16am is 21C which is practically a heatwave for us poor souls in the northwest of England who are more accustomed to grey skies and lots of rain.
My fan has finally come out of its winter retirement and I've never been more happier to see it. It is hot!
And, tomorrow is most likely going to be the first day of Ramadan. I'm looking forward to it actually starting. I think once it starts and we get into the usual Ramadan routine, we'll be fine. Here in the UK, we've gotten used to fasting some pretty long fasts in the past few years and this year will be no different. 
After a long summer fast, Iftar is basically the best thing ever. Once you've filled up on all the savoury food, a little sweet is usually called for and I can think of nothing better than this chocolate mousse pie. It is the perfect, make-ahead summer dessert.
I mean, look at it! A buttery biscuit base topped with an airy chocolate mousse and finished with plenty of softly whipped cream. Make it, chill it then pull it out at Iftar time. No one will be able to resist a slice.
 A Simple List of Ingredients:

For the Biscuit Base:
1. Digestive Biscuits
2. Butter

For the Chocolate Mousse:
1. Dark Chocolate
2. Butter
3. Egg Whites
4. Caster Sugar
5. Cream of Tartar
6. Double Cream
7. Milk Chocolate

For the Vanilla Whipped Cream:
1. Double Cream
2. Icing Sugar
3. Vanilla Essence

Bismillah, let's begin!

Let's start by making the biscuit base. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. I used 10 Digestive Biscuits which weighed 150g.

Bash or blend the biscuits until you have fine crumbs. I put mine into a plastic food bag and bashed them up!

Then, take 60g Butter and melt it in the microwave.

Pour the melted butter into the biscuit crumbs.

Stir up!

Then, take a deep 9 inch tart dish or tin.

It doesn't have to be too deep. Mine is one of those really heavy pie dishes.

Tip the crumbs into the dish.

Press the crumbs on the base and up the sides of the dish.

Bake the biscuit base at 180C for 8-10 minutes. Then, chill completely. I chilled mine in the fridge.

Next, let's make the chocolate mousse. We start with a large, microwave-safe bowl and into it, goes 115g Dark Chocolate. If you prefer, you can use milk chocolate too.

To the chocolate, add 15g Butter.

Heat the two in the microwave until just melted - around 30 seconds or so.

Stir until well combined and set aside until needed.

Next, we need 2 large Egg Whites. I used 2 large eggs for this. There are lots of video tutorials online if you need help with separating eggs.

Place the egg whites into a heatproof bowl.

And, add in 100g Caster Sugar. I prefer using caster over granulated sugar because it dissolves easier.

Next, cream of tartar. This will help stabilize the egg whites.

Add in 1/8 teaspoon Cream of Tartar. If you don't fancy buying cream of tartar for 1/8 teaspoon then use either 1/4 teaspoon white vinegar or 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice.

Then, bring a pan of water to the boil. 

Turn the heat down so that the water is at a gentle bubble. Place the bowl with egg whites over the water - the bottom of the bowl shouldn't touch the hot water.

We're going to whisk and cook our egg whites at the same time.

Whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is frothy.

If you have a thermometer, now is the time to use it.

The egg whites should reach a temperature of 71C when they're ready.

Once the egg whites are ready, it's time to whisk them up!

I poured mine into the bowl of my stand mixer.

Popped on the whisk attachment ...

... and got whisking on a high speed.

Whisk the egg whites for around 8-10 minutes until you have stiff peaks.

Like so!

Scrape the egg whites into the chocolate butter mixture from earlier.

Using a spatula, gently fold the whites into the chocolate.

This will take a few minutes but be patient, and you'll get there.

Next, we need to whip up a little cream.

Whisk 240ml Double Cream until you have stiff peaks. I used my electric hand mixer.

Add the whipped cream to the egg white mixture.

And, fold in gently again.

Until you have a smooth mixture!

So, our base is chilled and ready, the mousse is smooth and now we need to chop up some chocolate.

Take 100g Milk Chocolate or dark, if you prefer.

Roughly chop or shave the chocolate.

Now, we can assemble!

Spoon half the chocolate mousse onto the base.

Spread it out.

Then, sprinkle over the chopped chocolate.

The chocolate gives such good texture to the pie!

Spoon over the other half of the mousse.

Smooth it out.

The pie would be just as good as it is but a little vanilla whipped cream never hurt.

In a bowl, place:
200ml Double Cream
1 tablespoon Icing Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Whisk until you have soft peaks.

Spoon the cream over the pie.

Gently smooth it out.

And, chill in the fridge until you're ready to serve. The longer you chill, the better the pie will set.

When you're ready to serve ....

... sprinkle over a little shaved chocolate. I peel milk chocolate bars with a potato peeler and it works so well.

I cannot wait any longer! Let's dig into this chocolate mousse pie!

That is perfection right up there! 

I really hope this pie makes an appearance at your Iftar table this Ramadan. You and your family will love it!

Chocolate Mousse Pie.

Prep Time: About 30 minutes + extra time to chill.
Cook Time: About 15 minutes.
Serves: About 6-8 people.

Ingredients

For the Biscuit Base
10 Digestive Biscuits (150g)
60g Butter, melted

For the Chocolate Mousse
115g Dark Chocolate, broken into squares
15g Butter
2 large Egg Whites
100g Caster Sugar
1/8 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
240ml Double Cream
100g Milk Chocolate, chopped or shaved

For the Vanilla Whipped Cream Topping
200ml Double Cream
1 tablespoon Icing Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

To Decorate and Serve
Chocolate Shavings
Fresh Raspberries

Make the biscuit base:
Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Blend or bash the biscuits to get fine crumbs. Stir the crumbs with the melted butter. Tip the mixture into a 9 inch pie or tart dish. Press in and up the sides of the dish to make the base. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 180C then cool completely in the fridge.

Make the chocolate mousse:
Place the dark chocolate and butter into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave until melted - about 30 seconds or so. Stir and set aside until needed.

Place the egg whites, caster sugar and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl. Place over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is frothy. The temperature of the egg whites should be 71C.

Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high speed with the whisk attachment for 8 minutes or until stiff peaks form. You can use an electric hand mixer too which may take a little longer.

Gently fold the stiff egg whites into the chocolate butter mixture. When you can no longer see most of the egg whites, you're done. In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream until you get stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg white mixture until just combined.

Make the vanilla whipped cream:
Place the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla essence into a bowl. Whisk until you have soft peaks.

Assemble the chocolate mousse pie:
Spread half the chocolate mousse over the cool biscuit base. Sprinkle over the chopped or shaved milk chocolate. Cover with the rest of the mousse and spread evenly. Spoon over the softly whipped cream and spread. Chill for a few hours before serving.

Serve the chocolate mousse pie:
Sprinkle more shaved chocolate over the pie. Slice and serve with fresh raspberries.

{adapted from sally's baking addiction}

Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your pie!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!


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