Mocha Silk Pie

The month of August was a busy one for me. I tried many recipes while trying to find the ultimate recipe for our Iron Chef Coffee event. I tried a mousse, a chocolate cake with whipped cream icing, chocolate chip cookie dough, etc. This particular recipe was the last one I tried before going with Beatty's Chocolate Cake. I was very tempted to use this recipe. It's a delicious pie; silky, smooth, with the crunch from the chopped pecans. It was very easy to make and I am still enjoying it. It's held up very well in my fridge for the past week. I made some modifications to this recipe. I did not have Kahlua, nor the money to buy it, so I substituted coffee for it. I think it still turned out great.

Crust
1 cup Pecans, Finely Chopped
1/2 cups Packed Brown Sugar
2 ounces, weight Semi Sweet Chocolate Grated
2 Tablespoons Kahlua
Dash Of Salt

Filling
2 sticks Butter (salted)
1-1/2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Instant Coffee Granules
1 teaspoon Kahlua
3 ounces, weight Semi-sweet (or Bittersweet) Chocolate
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 whole Large Eggs

Crust:
To make the crust I first chopped my pecans into little bits. It probably would have been easier to buy pecan bits but I didn't have it in my pantry. I poured the pecans into a bowl along with the brown sugar, the grated chocolate, and the salt. A word about grating chocolate. I started to use a food processor but that caused the chocolate to break up into chunks and the chocolate was melting. So, I ended up just using my standing cheese grater. That worked just fine, and it didn't take as long as I thought it might. I poured in my cooled coffee in place of the Kahlua. Mixed together and then placed into a pie dish. I pressed the mixture firmly into the dish.

Filling:
First step is to melt 3 ounces of your semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for about 45 seconds. Do not melt for more than a minute. I did this and burnt my chocolate and my kitchen stunk cause of it. Set it aside and let it cool.

Next, in a standing mixer with the whisk attached (oops I used the paddle) beat the butter, 2 tsp instant coffee, sugar, and 1 tsp Kahula (again I used my coffee)until light and fluffy. It takes about a minute and a half. Scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Then drizzle the cooled chocolate into the mixture as it beats on medium speed. You may need to use a spatula to get all the chocolate out of the bowl into the sugar mixture. Then add 1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract. Beat until thoroughly combined. Again scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary. Next, on medium speed add the 4 eggs ONE AT A TIME for about 5 minutes for a total of 20 minutes. Scrape sides of the bowl halfway thru the process. Then pour the filling into the pie crust, smooth it out, and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. I let mine chill over night. Top with more grated chocolate and whipped cream if desired.


(Click here for printable recipe)