Chocolate Mousse Pie

Total Time: 7 hrs 45 mins Preparation Time: 7 hrs 30 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 3 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 lb semisweet chocolate
• 2 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 4 egg whites, room-temperature
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate (about)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (scant)
• 2 cups whipping cream
• sugar

Recipe

• 1 for crust: combine crumbs and butter.
• 2 press on bottom and completely up sides of 10-inch springform pan.
• 3 refrigerate 30 minutes (or chill in freezer).
• 4 for filling: soften chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water.
• 5 let cool to lukewarm (95°f).
• 6 add whole eggs and mix well.
• 7 add yolks and mix until thoroughly blended.
• 8 whip cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
• 9 beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.
• 10 stir a little of the cream and whites into chocolate mixture to lighten.
• 11 fold in remaining cream and whites until completely incorporated.
• 12 turn into crust and chill at least 6 hours or, preferably, overnight.
• 13 for leaves: melt chocolate and shortening in top of double boiler.
• 14 using spoon, generously coat underside of camellia or other waxy leaves.
• 15 chill or freeze until firm.
• 16 whip remaining 2 cups cream with sugar to taste until quite stiff.
• 17 loosen crust on all sides using sharp knife; remove springform.
• 18 spread all but about 1/2 cup cream over top of mousse.
• 19 pipe remaining cream into rosettes in center of pie.
• 20 separate chocolate from leaves, starting at stem end of leaf.
• 21 arrange in overlapping pattern around rosettes.
• 22 cut pie into wedges with thin sharp knife.