Chocolate Truffle Pie with Macaroon Crust: Passover or Any Time

A surprising number of "regular" recipes are perfect for Passover. I'll bet if you go through your recipes, you'll find some gems that will work! Yesterday I posted a recipe for a Key Lime Pie with a Chocolate Macaroon Crust. Well, a Macaroon Pie Crust goes great with Chocolate filling! You can use an almond pie crust that you've used in lots of other recipes.

Here's an easy Kosher for Passover Chocolate Truffle Pie with Macaroon Crust. As I mentioned yesterday, you can make your own crust or buy a Manischewitz Macaroon Pie Crust (either plain or chocolate). You might want to make your own chocolate macaroon pie crust. Either use chocolate macaroons and prepare as in yesterday's recipe or try the following recipe. You can make this pie anytime. It's not just for Passover. Be ecumenical and take it to Easter Dinner. You won't have to take anything home except your pie plate!

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE PIE WITH MACAROON CRUST 
This recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com

Crust
2 cups chopped pecans
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup sweet butter, melted
1/2 cup miniature dark chocolate chocolate chips

Filling
1-1/3 cups dark chocolate, broken
1/2 cup sweet butter, at room temperature
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract

1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup dark chocolate, 65-75% cacao, fair trade.. (Earth Day is coming up)
1 tablespoon amaretto

Directions
Pie Shell
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
2. In medium bowl, mix together pecans, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter and miniature chocolate chips. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Filling
3. In metal bowl over simmering water (or in a double boiler), combine 1-1/3 cups dark chocolate and 1/2 cup sweet butter, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
4. In separate bowl, beat egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar until thick and pale using electric mixer, at least 3 minutes. Stir into the melted chocolate and set back over the pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour into cooled crust and smooth the top.
5. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan. When warm, stir in the remaining chocolate until melted. Remove from heat and stir in amaretto. Pour over truffle filling. Refrigerate for several hours to set before serving. Be sure and take out of refrigerator for 1/2 hour before serving.

Key Lime Pie with Chocolate Macaroon Crust: Passover Dessert

Passover starts on Monday, April 18 this year. Plenty of time to think about creative Passover dessert recipes that include Chocolate. I saw the most amazing pie shells today on the Passover stand at the local market. Manischewitz makes a chocolate macaroon pie shell. They also have a regular macaroon pie shell. Started me thinking. I might just make some kind of a pie for the Passover seder rather than the flourless chocolate cake I was asked to bring. We'll see.

In the meantime, here's my recipe for Key Lime Pie with Chocolate Macaroon Crust. You can either buy the Manischewitz chocolate macaroon pie shell or make your own which is simple to do.

KEY LIME PIE WITH CHOCOLATE MACAROON CRUST

CHOCOLATE MACAROON PIE SHELL
1/2 cup crumbled chocolate macaroons
1/4 stick sweet butter, softened

KEY LIME FILLING
3/4 cup fresh Key Lime Juice
6 egg yolks
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (see directions below for Kosher for Passover condensed milk to make yourself)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Crush the macaroons in food processor.  Remove to medium size bowl. Add softened butter and mix well.
Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch tart or pie pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes until set.
Cool on rack

Prepare Filling:
In a stainless steel bowl, whisk egg yolks with condensed milk and add in lime juice a few teaspoons at a time stirring constantly.
Pour mixture into pre-baked pie shell and bake in 325 oven for 10 minutes.**
Chill for one hour.

Looking for the meringue? Cream of tartar which would be used in the meringue is not Kosher for Passover, so I've skipped it. If I'm wrong, let me know. It's about the rising thing.

**NOTE** some people think you have to cook key lime pie because of the raw eggs. That's why I went back and added a 10 minute bake; however, if you're not worried about the egg thing, there's really no need to bake this custard.

If you're going by the book, here's a recipe for Kosher for Passover Condensed Milk: 1 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk =1 cup instant nonfat dry milk, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup boiling water and 3 tablespoons margarine. Blend all the ingredients until smooth. To thicken, let set in the refrigerator for 24 hours.