Phenomenal Phoods

Chocolate Hazelnut Silk Pie

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (note that you can also use all butter or all shortening if you prefer - I like the flakey texture you get from shortening and the flavour from butter so I mix)
• 4 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup butter (softened)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate (melted)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Nutella or other chocolate hazelnut spread (I used a dark chocolate one I found at Whole Foods)
• 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

For the whipped cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar (I like whipped cream to be very lightly sweetened, but you can add more sugar if you like)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the caramel corn:

• 6 cups popped popcorn (I used store-bought, lightly salted popcorn)
• 1 cup roasted hazelnuts (unsalted)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ounces good quality dark chocolate (melted)
• 2 ounces good quality white chocolate (melted)

Instructions:

For the crust:

1. Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl.
2. Cut the butter and shortening into cubes and add to the flour and salt.
3. Use a pastry cutter to blend together until the mixture forms pea-sized bits.
4. Add the water, and use a fork to mix together until a dough forms.
5. Divide into two equal-sized balls. This recipe makes two pie crusts or a top and bottom so for this pie, I just wrapped one half in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for another time. Wrap the other half in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before rolling out.
6. Roll out your chilled pie dough on a floured surface and place into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate. Cut off the excess dough and crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork.
7. Chill your pie dough in the pie plate for another 20-30 minutes. While it is chilling, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
8. Blind bake your pie crust to prevent it from shrinking by lining your chilled pie crust with parchment paper and filling with pie weights, beans or rice.
9. Bake for 10 minutes until the edges of the crust are starting to brown.
10. Remove from the oven and remove the parchment from the inside of the crust. Use a fork to make holes around the bottom and sides of the crust - this will help prevent shrinking when the crust goes back in the oven to finish baking.
11. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the crust is lightly browned on the bottom. If the edges start getting too dark, lightly place some foil around the edges of the pie to prevent browning.
12. Let your pie crust cool completely before filling.

For the filling:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar in a medium bowl with a mixer. I like to use a stand mixer for this because you have to beat the eggs for so long.
2. Add the melted chocolate, mixing until combined.
3. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating for 5 minutes after each addition.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese and Nutella with a mixer until smooth.
5. Fold the egg mixture into the Nutella mixture until smooth and well-combined.
6. Spread in cooled, baked pie crust. Chill for 2-3 hours before serving.

For the whipped cream:

1. Whip the cream with the whisk attachment of your stand mixer or with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.
2. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
3. Spread overtop of the chocolate pie filling. You can also just serve individual slices with whipped cream.

For the caramel corn:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. and spray a sheet pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
2. Combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, butter and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly while the mixture comes to a boil.
3. Let the mixture boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
4. Place popcorn and hazelnuts in a large bowl and pour the caramel over the popcorn and nuts. Use a spatula or large spoon to mix it all up so the popcorn and nuts are coated.
5. Spread popcorn on the prepared sheet pan and bake at 250 for 30 minutes.
6. Let the popcorn cool for a few minutes before drizzling with melted white and dark chocolate.
7. Let the popcorn finish cooling and the chocolate set before breaking apart. Serve with slices of pie or just eat it on its own.