Chocolate pie for lemon lovers
You have had chocolate pie. You have had lemon pie. You may have had coconut crust. But have you had them all together topped with Grand Marnier whipped cream? Well, here is the recipe. And it is truly as elegant as it is delicious. Best part for the host, this is an advance preparation that can be pulled from the fridge just as you are ready to serve. And it is one of the best desserts around – and one of the richest. And for my last dessert on earth, this would be a toss-up with a hot fudge sundae.
Do these in order:
Coconut Crust
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
3 tablespoons butter
Directions
Mix coconut and butter together. Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until golden.
Cool
Lemon filling
2 cups lemon juice
6 eggs
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups granulated
or caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whisk together the lemon juice, eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Pour the lemon mixture into a medium pot. Place over medium heat and stir with a spatula for about 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Pour the lemon mixture into a bowl, cool at room temperature and then cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap tightly against the lemon mixture, and refrigerate until cold.
French Silk Pie filling
2 sticks of unsalted premium butter (Land O’Lakes is good; European butters are wonderful)
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
2 oz unsweetened best chocolate, melted with 2 T brandy and 2 T instant coffee. (I like to use a microwave for this, but keep your eye on it. The chocolate will appear solid but is really melted. Just stop and stir every 10 seconds after the first 20 seconds. Use a wooden spoon. When it is smooth, it is ready.)
Whirl all ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly smooth. Place in coconut shell and refrigerate, covered, until firm. Count on an hour for this.
Remove from the refrigerator and spread the lemon layer on top, working carefully to keep the layers separate. If they intermingle a bit, no big deal.
Top with Grand Marnier whipped cream
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 ounce Grand Marnier
In a small bowl stir together whipped cream and orange liqueur; keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
I do the whipped cream in advance, refrigerate, and put it over the pie slices once they are cut and put on a plate. It is easier to deal with and so pleasant to see with the whipped cream generously mounded on the pie.
This can be topped with roasted nuts, but I think it is best left smooth and “silky.” After all, you have the crunch of the coconut crust to give you that great texture.
This is a prize winner and if you love chocolate and lemon, this is a recipe you will want to keep on file.
Judge Kirkendall is a retired Probate Judge. He presently serves on the Elder Law Advisory Board of the Stetson University College of Law. He has taught cooking classes for more than 25 years at various cooking schools in the Ann Arbor area and has himself attended classes at Cordon Bleu and La Varenne in Paris, as well as schools in New York, New Orleans and San Francisco. I am (thankfully) past president of the National College of Probate Judges. He can be reached at Judgejnk@yahoo.com
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