PIE #20 - Amaretto-Amaretti Chocolate Fudge Pie

If almonds you adore, Amaretto-Amaretti pie you will amore. This recipe is another from pie master Ken Haedrich, but I've taken some creative license with it since I'm nuts about almonds. Each component of the pie is based on my favorite nut. The crust begins with amaretti which are dry Italian cookies found at most large supermarkets. If you can't locate amaretti, you can substitute plain biscotti. The pie filling and the whipped cream topping are laced with amaretto, a sweet Italian almond flavored liqueur. For an elegant presentation, I garnish the pie with chocolate dipped almonds.

The pie is more like a flourless chocolate torte. The nearly indiscernible crust melds lusciously into the dense chocolate filling. The light whipped topping perfectly complements the pie's rich flavor and deep color. I would serve this dessert as the grand finale to a romantic dinner. Break out your finest crystal and silver. Light some candles and play some Dean Martin love songs as mood music. With Dino crooning in the background, you'll be swooning over this decadent treat. When the moon hits your eye like a big amaretto pie, that's amore!

Amaretti Crumb Crust:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup ground almonds (I grind them in a coffee mill)
1 1/4 cups amaretti crumbs (can substitute biscotti crumbs)
2 tablespoons sugar

Combine butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted. Cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, combine the ground almonds, amaretti crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and stir well. Transfer the crumb blend to 9 1/2-inch deep dish pie pan, pressing it into the bottom and up the side. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 tablespoons amaretto
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon amaretto (can substitute almond extract)
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
16-20 whole almonds

Place the butter and chocolate in small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until melted. Remove from heat and cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and foamy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the corn syrup, heavy cream, amaretto, vanilla and chocolate mixture until evenly blended. Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell.

Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake until it has puffed considerably around the edge and slightly less in the center, about 50 minutes. Rotate the pie 180 degrees halfway through the baking, so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. When done, the filling will be wobbly but not soupy in the center.

Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a small saucepan. Dip the almonds halfway in the melted chocolate and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to harden chocolate. Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add amaretto and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spread whipped cream onto cooled pie. Garnish with chocolate-dipped almonds. This pie can be served warm or at room temperature.