Double Chocolate Cream Pie

“(White) Sugar hits you high and sharp,” said Pastry Chef Joanne Chang. “It’s a familiar, pleasing experience. But maple and honey have more distinctive tastes-and a warm, round quality. Put those in a dessert and you make it really flavorful in a way that you can’t with white sugar.” Try this Chocolate Cream Pie sans white sugar.

Dark chocolate mousse:

1½ cups heavy cream

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

¼ tsp. kosher salt

9 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pats

2 Tbsp. whole milk

1 egg yolk

Chocolate truffle filling:

¾ cup heavy cream

½ cup whole milk

1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ tsp. kosher salt

2 egg yolks

Garnish:

1 (2- to 3-ounce) block semisweet chocolate

To make dark chocolate mousse: In a small pot, bring cream just to a boil. Place chocolate and salt in a large, heatproof bowl and pour in cream; whisk until combined. Cool to room temperature, then cover and chill 8 hours, or overnight.

To make crust: In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt. Add butter and cut into flour using a pastry cutter or 2 table knives (using a scissors motion) until butter is in pecan-size pieces. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and yolk, then gently stir into flour mixture. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; gather the shaggy dough into a tight mound. Using the palms of your hands, smear the dough, starting at the top and sliding your palms down the sides of the mound along the work surface, until most of the butter is incorporated. Shape into a 5-inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 12-inch circle. Carefully transfer to an aluminum or glass pie pan and press gently into the bottom and sides. Crimp and trim dough as desired, leaving a ¼ lip around the edge to allow for shrinkage during baking. Chill 30 minutes, or cover and chill up to overnight.

Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350°. Line the bottom and sides of the pie shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until golden brown all over, 30 to 35 minutes. Carefully remove paper and pie weights and set pie shell aside.

To make chocolate truffle filling: In a small pot, bring cream and milk just to a boil. Place chocolate in a medium, heatproof bowl and pour in cream mixture; whisk until incorporated. Add butter, salt, and yolks and whisk until well combined. Pour into pie shell and bake until just slightly jiggly in the center, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

To finish the mousse, beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Spoon onto pie and spread out evenly. Using a vegetable peeler or the back of a paring knife, shave chocolate onto pie, scattering curls evenly over the top. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and chill up to 1 day.

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