PIE #9 - PISTACHIO AND CHOCOLATE CREAM

 It’s March and a couple of my pies this month will be wearing green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. I chose to make a Pistachio and Chocolate Cream pie for a couple of reasons. My hubby Joe returns home after being gone for a week visiting his folks in Louisiana. He loved my chocolate cream pie featured in January and he also likes pistachios almost as much as he loves peanuts.

FUN FACT: Joe dislikes nuts. But guess what? Peanuts aren’t nuts. They’re legumes. Pistachios aren’t nuts. They’re seeds. Who knew?? This explains why Joe likes them both!

FUN FACT: Pistachios have a much higher calorie-to-protein ratio that most nuts, boasts a high level of antioxidants second only to walnuts and pecans, and are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids and potassium.

So I suppose we can indulge in pie and sneak in some healthy eating, too! And speaking of nutrition, dark chocolate is packed with healthy chemicals like flavonoids and theobromine. Research shows chocolate has cardiovascular benefits, lowering blood pressure and reducing heart attack risks.

Of course, the sugar, butter and half-and-half in this recipe cancel out all that healthy stuff!

But an old Irish proverb states, “Laughter is brightest where food is best.” And I’ll add the word “fun”. So “carpe diem”, or “carpe PIEm” because we have today and aren’t assured of tomorrow. So seize the day AND the pie because life’s too short not to enjoy it!

CRUST:

24 chocolate wafers
1/3 cup salted roasted pistachios, shelled
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened

FILLING:

¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups half-and-half
3 egg yolks
¾ cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish: 2/3 cups chopped roasted salted pistachios

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. In the work bowl of a food processor, combine wafers and pistachios for crust; pulse until finely ground, approximately 10 times. Add sugar and butter’ pulse until blended, approximately 4-5 times. Using the back of a measuring cup, press wafer mixture into the bottom and up the sides of pie plate. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt for filling. Add half-and-half and egg yolks, whisking well. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubble, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate, butter and vanilla, stirring until chocolate and butter are melted. Pour into prepared crust. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over surface of filling. Refrigerate until firm. Remove plastic wrap and smooth surface of pie. Garnish with pistachios.