The main ingredient in this pie is tofu.
Yes, tofu.
Take a moment to be shocked.
Now read on for a luscious, easy, and decadent recipe.
I’ve seen recipes on TV where people use tofu in dessert. I saw someone make a fruit smoothie with tofu. And my reaction was “Yuck”. And I’m someone that loves tofu. If you’ve been reading my blog, you probably know that by now! But tofu in dessert?! I wouldn’t have ever ventured in that direction if I hadn’t come across Alton Brown’s Moo-Less Chocolate Pie recipe. Now, Alton Brown can make wax taste good. I trust AB. So I tried this recipe; happily combining unlikely ingredients.
The result – a luscious mousse like chocolate filling and you’ll never ever know there is tofu in there! And the best part is, once you learn the basic method (which is super easy) you can create endless different flavors and variations. The original recipe is in the link above; below is my slightly modified version.
The above photo is my entry to the CLICK photo event hosted by Jugalbandi blog. This month’s theme is Crusts.
Pre-made store bought pie crust 9″- 1, I used a graham cracker crust.
Silken Tofu – 1 block
Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – 1 cup scant, I used Ghirardelli.
Dark Chocolate Chips – 1 cup
Coffee Liquor – 1/3 cup, I used Kahlua.
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Honey – 1 tbsp
Raspberries – 1 cup
Almonds slivered – 1 hand full
Salt – pinch
Put both the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for about 2 minutes or until just melted. Every 30 seconds, stir the chocolate chips. Keep an eye on the chocolate, it will burn easily. If you want to melt the chips the traditional way, melt them in a double broiler.
Put the tofu, melted chocolate, vanilla, honey, coffee liquor and salt in a blender and blend till smooth. Stir the mixture well so everything is well combined
Pour the chocolate mixture into the pie shell. Decorate the top with raspberries and almonds. Or you could chop up the berries and add them to the chocolate mixture instead.
Refrigerate atleast 2 hours before serving. If you don’t have pie crust, simply serve as a mousse.
The chocolate filling tastes its best on the 3rd day and beyond. So definitely make this atleast 2 days ahead to get the best flavor!
Alton Brown, MARRY ME!!!
Some Tasty Variations
The structure of this recipe is Tofu + Flavour + Liquor + Sweetener + Vanilla/other Extract. By changing the flavor ingredient and the liquor, you can make hundreds of different fillings. Here are some ideas to start you off.
Mint Chocolate – mint liquor, chocolate chips and vanilla
Orange Chocolate – orange zest, triple sec, chocolate chips and almond extract
Strawberry Mousse – frozen strawberries, strawberry jam, sugar syrup, vanilla
Pumpkin Mousse – can pumpkin, sugar syrup, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, vanilla
Mango Mousse – mango pulp, sugar syrup, rum
Peanut Butter – peanut butter, chocolate chips and vanilla
Pina Colada – pineapple, coconut milk/dessicated coconut, sugar syrup and rum
Key Lime – key lime juice, sugar syrup and vanilla
Tiramisu – brewed espresso, chocolate, coffee liquor and vanilla
Irish Coffee – Irish cream, coffee, chocolate and vanilla
Banana Split – chopped bananas, sugar syrup, banana liquor and vanilla. Layer with banana filling, strawberry mousse filling and chocolate filling. Top with cherries.
If you dont want to use sugar syrup, try maple syrup, agave nectar or extra honey instead.
I haven’t tried any of the variations, so I cant give you exact measurements. If you try any of the variations, write in and let me know how it turned out!
