Velma’s Matchmaker Chocolate PieCourtesy: Velma Johnson Copyright 2019 © Christina Hovland. All Rights Reserved.
Velma’s recipe is from the novel, Going Down on One Knee. For the pie crust:
I’ve not found a better recipe than this one: Melissa d’Arabian Perfect Pie Crust Christina: You can totally use refrigerated pie crust from the grocery store (I like Marie Callender’s brand).
Velma: But you shouldn’t.
Christina: Graham cracker or cookie crumble crust would also probably be yummy!
Velma: Williams Sonoma Cookie Crumb Crust
Christina: Or you can get one of the grocery store versions. 🙂
Velma: But you shouldn’t… 🙂 For the mousse filling:
1 Envelope Gelatin
2 Tsp. Cold Water
1/4 Cup Boiling Water
1 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Dutch Cocoa
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tsp. Vanilla Paste (or Extract) For the whipped topping:
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla (The crust should be pre-baked and cooled. Velma tip: Place a circle of parchment in the bottom of the pie crust prior to baking and use pie weights over the parchment.) Step 1: Combine gelatin and cold water in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork until the gelatin is a uniform paste (no clumpy white spots). Pour boiling water over the paste and stir together with the fork until the gelatin has totally dissolved. Put it in the refrigerator to cool for about ten minutes while you make the rest of the filling. Step 2: In a chilled stand-mixer bowl, fitted with the whisk attachment, add sugar and both cocoas–stir together. (A hand mixer will also work.) Slowly pour in the heavy whipping cream, beating the whole time. Beat until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla. Continue beating until firm peaks form. Pour in 3/4 of the cooled gelatin mixture. (It’s okay if it’s a little warm, but you don’t want it hot. Also, don’t let it get so cool that it starts to set up.) Beat thoroughly. This part is important–if you don’t mix it in well you’ll wind up with clumpy gelatin blobs in the middle of the pie. Place into prepared pie crust. Step 3: Rinse out the mixer bowl and dry. Add the additional heavy whipping cream and sugar–beat until firm peaks form, add vanilla and the rest of the gelatin mixture. Mix thoroughly. Scoop over the chocolate layer and spread to cover the pie. Refrigerate three hours or until set.
8 Servings Grocery List:
For the crust:
Butter — I like the Kerrygold Irish Butter.
All-Purpose Flour –– King Arthur makes an excellent flour.
Salt For the mousse:
Sugar –– I prefer super fine, but granulated works as well.
Dutch Cocoa — This cocoa is darker in color due to an alkalization process. It gives the pie a yummy deep flavor–the stuff of Oreo cookies. I like Valhrona or King Arthur Flour brands.
Unsweetened Cocoa — In a pinch, you can just use unsweetened cocoa and not include the dutch. Just double the unsweetened. I like the Valhrona brand for this.
Heavy Whipping Cream — The higher the fat content, the better it will whip up and the more decadent the pie will become.
Vanilla Paste — This is one of my secret weapons in the kitchen. Vanilla bean paste adds incredible flavor. It can be hard to find sometimes, so a high-quality extract is fine. | 