So decadent it should be illegal chocolate chantilly pie

We'll be breaking all the rules today.

If you've ever worked with chocolate, the two rules most commonly mentioned are don't EVER add even the tiniest droplet of water, and NEVER heat it directly over the stove. Chocolatiers take great pains to create barriers between their double boilers and chocolate to prevent even the smallest drop of water from entering their melted chocolate.

However, I've been doing a lot of study on molecular gastronomy lately and came across a chemical formula for making an egg less chocolate mousse, called a "Chocolate Chantilly" by the book author. His philosophy was that the rules we know about chocolate can be broken, if done with proper care. The trick, Mr. Herve This claims, is to use the three fatty acids in chocolate to your advantage. -use them to create an emulsion of fat molecules trapped between water molecules.

Mr This (pronounced Thees) gives a basic ratio of 3 to 4 by weight, and mentions in passing that gelatin may help thicken the mixture. This ratio, combined with strong agitation creates "tensoactive molecules" within the chocolate that hold the water in suspension. Instead of harming the chocolate, the water based flavoring enhances it.

So, armed with 5 lbs of chocolate, a massive box of gelatin and various water based flavorings (various fruit juices, espresso, and chipotle puree) I spent time playing Mr Science.

I found that no gelatin is great for a standard parfait type dessert, but doesn't set up well in a pie.

However, 2 Tsp of gelatin for every 16 oz of chocolate did the trick to create a light and airy, yet easily slice-able pie. I also added a little corn starch and sugar to improve the overall mouth feel -it enhances silkiness of the pie.

This pie is R-I-C-H. During taste testing with my guinea pigs, I observed that the significant amount of chocolate (2 oz) in each piece created a much stronger chocolate flavor than most of my tasters were used to eating. There is more chocolate in a single slice of this dessert than is commonly found in an entire chocolate cream pie. If Hershey's Dark is too bitter for you, this recipe may not fit your pallette. If, however, a Scharffen Berger Nibby Bar is your idea of a great treat, you'll love this.

I should mention that this pie is best if kept refrigerated until immediately before serving.

The Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of your favorite liquid (I like using fruit juice concentrates such as orange or cranberry but other liquids such as berry or chipotle puree makes a great,and interesting, pie!)
2 Tsp Gelatin
2 Tsp Corn Starch
1/4 cup sugar
16 oz semi sweet chocolate that is at least 33% cocoa butter by weight, cut into small pieces.* I used "Baker's Chocolate" brand, because of the cost vs quantity.
1 graham cracker pie crust

Dissolve the gelatin and corn starch in your liquid, whisk well and then let it sit for 1-2 minutes.

Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, making sure that all corn starch and gelatin is completely cooked (the mixture will turn from opaque to clear).

Add sugar to the liquid and dissolve.

Add chocolate pieces directly to the liquid, reduce heat to medium and stir until all chocolate is melted.

Take one large bowl and fill it halfway full with ice, add water to fill in all the voids, but not so much that you raise the level of the ice.

Pour your chocolate/liquid mixture into a metal bowl smaller than the bowl that you filled with ice/water.

Place the metal bowl into the ice/water mixture.

Using electric beaters, whip the chocolate taking care to make sure that no chocolate sits on the sides of the bowl. If chocolate starts to build up on the side of the bowl, stop mixing and scrape the sides of the metal bowl.

Continue to whip the chocolate until it increases in volume, and changes color from dark to a blond chestnut. -The color change will seem to happen almost all at once as the cocoa butter turns from a liquid to a solid. The change in color is a result of tiny air bubbles being trapped in the mixture.

Pour into your graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at least two hours to set.


*The way to tell the amount of cocoa butter in the chocolate is by looking at the nutritional information on the back of the packaging. If the serving size is 15 grams, the total fat should be at least 5 grams.