Mocha Chiffon Pie

 I'm in love with chiffoning. I am a nouveau chiffoner. Chiffon me baby! Chiffon me!

 This pie is an adaptation of my Pappy's Coffee Chiffon Pie. I added half and half and chocolate and the result was this beautiful cloud of creamy goodness resting in a crisp and buttery crust.

I decorated mine with Hagelslag. That's Chocolate Jimmies to most of us Americans. If you can get good Hagelslag, it is a revelation. None of these little waxy bits we sometimes get on our ice cream. No, Hagelslag is real chocolate and melts in your mouth.

I will share Pappy's original recipe first, so you can see where I have changed it. I have to say, I'm mystified by the lemon juice in his preparation. I didn't miss it at all.

Pappy's Coffee Chiffon Pie

1 packet Knox gelatin

3/4 cup strong coffee (cold)

4 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup hot coffee

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Soak gelatin in cold coffee. Beat egg yolks slightly. Add 1/2 cup sugar, salt and hot coffee and cook over boiling water until thick like a custard. Add gelatin and lemon juice. Cool slightly. Beat egg whites until stiff. With remaining sugar, fold into the custard and put into a baked pie shell and put into icebox to set.

My Mocha Chiffon Pie

One pie shell, baked and cooled

1 packet Knox gelatin

3/4 cup cold water plus 1 tbsp. Medaglia d'oro instant espresso

3/4 cups sugar, divided

4 eggs, separated

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup half & half plus 1 tsp. Medaglia d'oro instant espresso

1 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Dissolve the gelatin and 3 tsp. instant espresso in 3/4 cup cold water. Set aside.

Add the egg yolks, half & half, 1 tsp. instant espresso, salt and 1/2 cup sugar to the top of a double boiler. Cook over briskly simmering water, stirring constantly. Once this mixture has become hot, stir in the chocolate pieces. Continue to cook until it thickens into a custard. Stir in the gelatin mixture and remove to glass bowl and place in the fridge to cool. Stir periodically as it is cooling.

When the custard has cooled at least to room temperature, beat the egg whites with 1/2 tsp. vanilla. When soft peaks have formed, beat in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form and the egg whites are glossy.

Fold a small amount of the egg whites into the custard mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining egg whites until well incorporated. Mound into a baked and cooled pie shell. Sprinkle with Hagelslag, if desired. Chill until set.