Oh My, Oh My, Chocolate Pie!

Well I am doing something for the second time that I said would only do once. No, it is not flying down into the Grand Canyon in a small tour plane---I really won’t do that again! It is making a chocolate mocha pie, but first let me tell you about that plane trip. While out West our friend Greg wanted to take one of those tour planes down into the Grand Canyon, and on the way there he talked me into it. His wife Kathleen refused. I would later proclaim her to be the smartest woman I’ve ever known! Before we left in the six- passenger plane though, we had to be weighed to balance out the load. That should have been my first clue. My weight put me in the front seat with our pilot, Dennis. As we walked toward the small, questionable-looking aircraft, Greg asked the pilot, “Say Dennis would you mind if we kick the tires before we take off?” I think this is where I began hyperventilating. I covered my eyes as we began leaving the runway. Dennis remarked, “Hey, that's cool. I always close my eyes on the take-offs too.” After a tormenting, hour-long flight into the bowels of the canyon (tossing and dipping because of the updrafts and narrowly missing hoodoos) we headed back to the air strip. Dennis commented that it appeared as if I wouldn’t be dying that day after all. I yelled, “THIS THING IS NOT ON THE GROUND YET!”

But I digress--now back to the pie. It really was agonizing to make requiring lots of crushing, mixing, melting, layering, chilling, whipping, and garnishing--a day’s worth of fiddling around and lots of dishes dirtied up.

Nonetheless, Jay said it was a real dessert—the kind they serve in fancy restaurants. It was so good he even hid it from his kids. I told him that I was sure glad he liked it, because I would never be making it for him again! But I reneged, and here is the blessed pie. 

Hey look--I'm smiling because I don't have to make this pie again, and I know I will NEVER, I mean NEVER EVER be taking a plane down into the Grand Canyon again! 

Chocolate Mocha Pie

1 pound chocolate chip cookies

1 cup chocolate chips plus

1/4 cup chocolate chips, for garnish

1/4 cup butter

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites

1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus

1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar, for topping

1 cup whipping cream, plus

1 cup whipping cream for topping

1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Crust

Put 1 pound chocolate chip cookies in food processer and process into fine crumbs. Press into pie pan and bake at 275 ° for 10 minutes. Chill. Cooks comment: The crust should have some moisture as a graham cracker crust would be. The chocolate chips should provide that, if not I'd suggest adding some melted butter (1/4 cup?) to the mix so it will hold it together for the baking.

Filling

In a double boiler melt 1 cup chocolate chips with 1/4 cup butter until combined. Remove from heat and cool. Beat in egg yolks one at a time and mix thoroughly. Cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until peaks form and gradually beat in 1/4 cup sugar.

In another bowl, whip 1 cup whipped cream with 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee. Fold into the egg white mixture until combined then slowly fold into chocolate mixture blending completely. Spoon into pie crust, cover loosely and chill overnight. (I think several hours would be enough)

Topping

Whip 1 cup whipping cream 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla until stiff. Spread over the chocolate pie filling smoothing to the edges. Chop 1/4 cup chocolate ships and garnish topping.

Store refrigerated.