December 21, 2011

Vegan mahalo mud pie courtesy of Chef Chloe



I found this enticing pie at Chef Chloe's website, who bakes scrumptious vegan recipes without compromising on any flavour. An ambassador for vegan cooking, Chloe doesn't just believe vegan living is better for you, she has proven vegan cooking can be incredibly tasty too. Winning a cupcake competition, beating those cooking with old-fashioned butter and eggs, Chloe proved critics wrong.

In an interview with The New York Times, Chloe said, “I think right now veganism is portrayed as that horrible stereotype of hippie food that doesn’t taste good and that’s bland. I wanted to break through with a different image, that vegan food can taste exciting.

Well this recipe for a decadent mud pie certainly looks exciting. Bake this for your friends and family and they will certainly be saying 'Mahalo!' - thank you in Hawaiian :)

Mahalo Mud Pie

Ingredients

Cookie Crust
* 2 cups chocolate wafer cookies
* ¼ cup vegan margarine or refined coconut oil, melted

Coffee Ice Cream
(OR buy 2 pints of dairy-free coffee ice cream)

1. 2 cups coconut milk, mixed well before measuring
2. 2 cups almond milk
3. ¼ cup instant espresso powder
4. 1 cup agave
5. 1/8 teaspoon salt
6. ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
7. 2 tablespoons canola oil

Coconut Whipped Cream
* 1 (14-ounce) can of coconut milk – not “lite”, chilled (preferably Thai Kitchen brand or 365 Whole Foods brand)
* 2/3 cup powdered sugar

Chocolate Sauce
* ½ cup soy, almond, or rice milk
* 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (dairy-free)
* 2 teaspoons canola oil

Topping
* ½ cup chopped almonds, toasted

To make the Cookie Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan.

Pulse the cookies in a food processor until a fine crumb has formed. Add the melted margarine and pulse until incorporated. Press evenly and firmly into the prepared pie pan, spreading the crumbs ¾ up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool then freeze.

To make the Coffee Ice Cream

In a medium saucepot over low heat, whisk together the coconut milk, almond milk, and espresso powder until espresso dissolves and mixture is combined. Blend the espresso mixture with agave, salt, xanthan gum and canola oil until combined. Refrigerate until chilled, then run through the ice cream machine according to machine directions.

To make the Coconut Whipped Cream


Chill the bowl and whisk of a stand mixer in the freezer for about 30 minutes. If they are not very cold, the cream will not whip properly. Skim the solidified coconut cream off the chilled coconut milk and transfer the solids to the bowl of a stand mixer. Do not include any of the coconut water, even if you have to leave behind a little margin of coconut cream (even a little bit of coconut water can harm your results).

Add the powdered sugar and whip for a few minutes until the mixture begins to stiffen and turn into whipped cream. Work quickly so everything stays cold. Chill whipped cream in a covered container in the refrigerator. It should firm up even more as it sits in the refrigerator for the next few hours or overnight.

To make the Chocolate Sauce

In a small saucepot over medium heat, whisk nondairy milk and espresso powder until combined. Turn the heat to low and mix in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in oil. This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but it will need to be reheated before each use.

To assemble the Mud Pie

Spread the ice cream evenly in the chilled piecrust. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refreeze until solid. Note that letting the pie sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving will make it easier to slice. Slice the pie and top with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and almonds.

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