One of my absolute favorite components to make is my chocolate tofu mousse. I’ve been making for it years, since it’s so simple – literally just equal parts melted chocolate mixed with pureed silken tofu, and salt just to bring out the chocolate flavor a bit more. And yes, it is the same chocolate-tofu mousse I used for my Masterchef: Back to Win audition dish. I still am forever thankful to my college accounting professor(shoutout to the amazing Professor Zoe Ho) for telling me about that chocolate-tofu mousse, because even years later, it served and serves me well in the kitchen. However, I wanted to try making a slightly different variation on that mousse, but using Nutella for that extra sweetness, but also the nutty hazelnut notes as well. And since chocolate silk pie is absolute deliciousness, I figured, why not take my favorite mousse and turn it into a pie? it makes total sense to give my mousse a vehicle of sorts to eat it with. And with a buttery, crisp tart shell, that would be the perfect foil! The end result was a buttery, flaky shortbread crust filled with a luxurious, velvety hazelnut-chocolate mousse. This pie is a Nutella-lover’s dream, just because the crust itself, just to amp up that flavor more, uses ground hazelnut flour, just so that the chocolate won’t overpower the hazelnut flavoring!

This recipe is literally just two components: the hazelnut shortcrust pastry, and the Nutella chocolate-tofu mousse. For the pastry, it is similar to a shortbread dough in that there is a lot of butter in there for a richer pastry. I use hazelnut flour in lieu of some of the all-purpose flour, and also some frangelico(hazelnut liquor), just to further amplify the hazelnut notes, but also because the alcohol evaporates during the baking process, leaving an even flakier crust. However, and this applies to any pastry that uses copious amounts of butter, temperature moderation is key. If the dough gets too warm prior to baking, it will get soft and sticky. So keeping it chilled until it is time to throw the crust into the oven is crucial to minimal shrinkage or warping. For the filling, like I mentioned already, the ingredient list is super short. The main things to make sure of is that your tofu is thoroughly pureed(the last thing you want are chunks of unblended tofu or lumps of it in what is supposed to be a silky, melt-in-the-mouth chocolate mousse), and that your chocolate is completely melted prior to adding the tofu(for similar lump-related reasons, although lumps of chocolate in a chocolate mousse are more pleasant than lumps of tofu). So long as your mousse ingredients are thoroughly blended and melted(and feel free to pass it through a sieve to remove any lumps), you should be in a good place. The rest of the recipe is really just giving the components ample time to cool down(between keeping the tart shell cold when not baking it and the getting the mousse to set firm), so I would recommend making this recipe at least a day prior to actually serving it. To finish, I also used nasturtium leaves and flowers to add a pleasantly mild pepperiness to contrast the richness of the tart shell and ganache!

Makes 1 8-inch pie, roughly 8-10 servings:
For the hazelnut shortcrust pastry:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup hazelnut flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and diced
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp frangelico
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl, mix together the flours, sugar, and salt. Then mix into that the butter until a fine, crumbly powder forms. Then add to that the egg yolk, frangelico, and vanilla, kneading into a smooth dough. Chill the dough for 20 minutes. Then roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 1/8-inch in thickness. Place the dough into a 8-inch pie tin and prick the bottom of the dough. Weigh the shell with parchment and baking weights and bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes. Then remove the parchment and baking weights and bake for another 10 minutes. Allow the tart shell to fully cool before attempting to fill.

For the Nutella-tofu mousse:
4oz Nutella
6oz milk chocolate
a pinch of salt
8oz silken tofu

Over a double boiler, melt the Nutella, milk chocolate, and salt in a heatproof bowl. Puree the tofu into a spreadable, smooth consistency and mix into the other ingredients to form your mousse. Pour the mousse into the prepared tart shell and refrigerate for 1 hour to set.

For garnish:
Nasturtium leaves and flowers