Those of you who came with me from the old blog, or have been through the archives, remember a time when Isis and PhysioProf were locked in a bitter battle for the title of "domestic goddess." We got up to Round 8 of 9 when Dr. Isis received her invite to join ScienceBlogs. Let's be honest, at that point things around Isis's world went absolutely wild and I have not gotten to Round 9 (the chocolate dessert course).
Being locked out of ScienceBlogs this weekend, however, left Dr. Isis with a little spare time and I cooked and baked up a storm, including a chocolate dessert for Round 9. This was all inspired by Dr. Isis's Christmas gift:
Figure 1: The ever-handsome Mr. Isis holds Dr. Isis's new Cuisinart food processor. Have you ever seen anything sexier?
But Dr. Isis is not the only one who loves her new Christmas gift:
Figure 2: Little Isis's favorite Christmas gift was the box from Dr. Isis's new food processor. Dr. Isis's evil little dog also loves the Cuisinart box
And, with that, my recipe for chocolate hazelnut pie is behind the cut.
Here's what you need:
- 1/2 pack chocolate wafer cookies
- 1 stick butter
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2.25 ounces (1/2 cup) macadamia nuts
- 5 ounces Nutella
- 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon plain gelatin
- 4 ounces marscapone
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Preparing the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In your brand new, sexy-as-hell, food processor fitted with the grating blade, chop the macadamia nuts. I tried this once with hazelnuts in the crust and it isn't as good, but "Chocolate hazelnut macadamia nut pie" sounds silly. Switch to the chopping blade, add the wafer cookies and 1/4 cup sugar and pulse until it is well incorporated. If you do not have access to a food processor, you prepare your crust as Dr. Isis did in Round 8 of the war.
Figure 4: This picture of my new food processor is borderline erotic to me. Dr. Isis would not kick this food processor out of bed for eating crackers.
Melt the butter and add it to the dry ingredients, pulsing until it is well incorporated. You can whine in the comments about adding an entire stick of butter to the crust, but you're going to fill it with heavy cream, Nutella, and marscapone. It seems to me, a stick of butter is downright healthy in comparison. Press the wet mixture into a pie plate and bake for 15 minutes. The crust is going to feel really wet when you press it into the plate and will still be moist when you remove it. Allow the crust to cool while you mix the filling.
The filling: Add the water to a sauce pan and sprinkle the gelatin over top. Heat the pan on low heat (and I mean low! Do you know how gross burnt Nutella is?), whisking until the gelatin is dissolved. Then add the Nutella and continue to whisk until it is melted and well-blended with the gelatin. Remove from the heat and add the marscapone.
Beat the heavy cream, cocoa powder, and 3 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form.
Figure 6: Dr. Isis's heavy cream and stiff peaks. Dearest stand mixer, I am sorry that you have been replaced as Dr. Isis's favorite kitchen gadget. I promise that you will always have a place in my heart, but I fear that the food processor is just so damned sexy that I can't help myself. It's not you, it's me.
Fold the Nutella mixture into the cream, taking care not to overmix and cause the cream to fall, and fill the crust. Chill about 2 hours and serve.
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Comments
Oh my gosh this looks heavenly. Heavenly. But what the heck is a stick of butter - 250g? And you must surely get extra points in the recipe war for sexy equipment.
Posted by: kiwi | January 12, 2009 2:37 AM
Seems absolutely delicious and easy, which I can't say about most of my own recipes ...
Just like Kiwi, I also would like to knoe how much butter a stick of butter contains?
Thank you Dr. Isis, a wonderful way to start the week!
Posted by: Nina | January 12, 2009 3:17 AM
last I checked butter was sold in stick form by the pound with four sticks per pound.
Lb = 454g
454g / 4 sticks = 113.5g/ stick
But those are 113 healthy, vitamin-A and calcium rich, grams of tasty, wholesome, all-American, farmer-friendly, creamery butter.
Posted by: Art | January 12, 2009 3:36 AM
mmmmmmmmmmmmm...... Dr Isis you never fail to delight. That food processor is hot. I miss my kitchen aid, it didn't make the trip to PhD city with us... it still has a happy home on my mother's counter top. Bonus points for the versatility of the filling!
Posted by: Jenn, PhD | January 12, 2009 5:20 AM
Hmmmm... Now I know what to make next Saturday! Uh, and I so dearly want a Kitchen Aid.... *sigh*
Posted by: Fia | January 12, 2009 10:09 AM
thanks for the recipe Isis! I'll have to get creative around the nuts, but it gives me something to start with on a chocolate pie idea. I've never made a cocopie - it's next week's challenge for me.
I'm in serious SERIOUS machinery envy. Even the box gets my juices flowing.
Posted by: jc | January 12, 2009 1:17 PM
My friends and I recently instituted a monthly pie night (we're weird). It's this Saturday and we were thinking we'd do cherry pie, but this recipe is very tempting. Mmm...chocolate pie.
I think I have the same food processor at home except not in shiny stainless steel (it wouldn't match our kitchen). I've had it for a year and it has yet to break.
Posted by: LostMarbles | January 12, 2009 9:45 PM
I too have a love affair with my food processor. I am the luckiest woman in the world for the way I got it. One afternoon I was walking down my street when I passed the garage of this elderly Chinese man who has weekly garage sales of junk he collects. I looked and sitting on a table was a shiny new food processor with the bowl filled with blades with the protective wrappers still on them. I asked "how much?" and he replied "$20". "Twenty!" I exclaimed. He misunderstood me to be complaining responded, a little upset, "That's a good price." I dug out my $20 and took it home. Still use it.
Posted by: sea creature | January 12, 2009 9:57 PM
With online coupons and coupon codes, just click the link you want and it will automatically direct you to that website, where the coupon will be applied to your purchase at checkout.
Posted by: Free Printable Coupons | January 12, 2009 10:43 PM
...
Ok, Dr. Isis has finished almost the entire pie and the rest of the Isis family got some scraps. Damn it.
So much for that 'healthier food choices' New Year's resolution... ...:minism:...
...tom...
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Posted by: ...tom... | January 13, 2009 10:11 AM
Isis, you may have to get flagged for excessive celebration in the end zone for this one...
Posted by: BikeMonkey | January 13, 2009 11:18 AM