Baking with the Seasons

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This Cranberry Chocolate Mousse Pie is a crowd-pleaser, perfect for sharing at your next holiday party. It’s a great make-ahead recipe since the mousse needs time to set, so you can prepare it the night before and be ready to go for your holiday party the next day.

This recipe was inspired by my husband’s love for French silk pie. I thought it would be interesting to incorporate cranberries since they’re in season now and I love cranberry and chocolate together. The tart cranberry mousse is a wonderful complement to the sweet chocolate.

Use your favorite pie crust recipe and blind bake it. To do this, you will roll out your pie crust and put into your pie pan as usual but then lay parchment paper over it to cover bottom and edges. Then, fill it with pie weights (or you can use dried beans or rice instead). Then bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or until it’s golden brown.

Prepare your mousses while your pie crust bakes and cools. Once the crust has cooled, fill it about halfway with the chocolate mousse on the bottom and smooth out. Then, drop the cranberry mousse on top and smooth gently over top of the chocolate mousse as if you were frosting a cake, being careful to keep the layers separate. The mousse will need to chill for 4 hours in the fridge.

For extra decoration, I piped the whipped cream topping around the edges and added sugared cranberries for a little holiday season touch. You could just spread the whipped cream over the top too though and it would still look and taste fantastic!

Cranberry French Silk Pie

Cranberry Mousse Base Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup water
• 1 packet Knox unflavored gelatin powder (2.5-3 tsp)
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt

Chocolate Mousse Base Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• pinch of salt

Mousse Whipped Cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream

Whipped Cream Topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions:

Pie Crust:

1. Prepare your favorite pie crust.
2. Blind bake (bake without filing) at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until sides are golden brown and look fully baked. (To blind bake: place rolled out pie dough into pie pan, then place parchment paper over the dough covering bottom and sides. Pour pie weights into pan over the parchment paper (can also use dried beans or rice if you don’t have pie weights. DO NOT skip this weighting step or the sides of your pie will fall and you’ll end up with a thick bottom crust and no sides (I speak from experience lol)).
3. Once sides look done, remove pie weights and bake crust uncovered for another 10-13 minutes until bottom looks fully baked too.
4. Let cool.

Cranberry Mousse Base:

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/3 cup water and stir. Allow to soak for at least 5 minutes.
2. Combine cranberries, orange juice, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until cranberries split and soften, mixture will be a bright red.
3. Press cranberries through a wire sieve and discard skins left behind.
4. While strained cranberry mixture is still hot, add the gelatin water to cranberry mixture and stir until gelatin is completely melted and well combined.
5. Set aside and let cool.

Chocolate Mousse Base:

1. In medium saucepan, add eggs and sugar. Heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit (safe zone for eggs). Remove from heat.
2. Immediately, add chocolate chips to eggs while still hot and stir until chocolate is completely melted.
3. Stir in vanilla and salt.
4. In separate medium mixing bowl, cream butter with electric mixer.
5. Add chocolate egg mixture into the creamed butter and combine. Beat with electric mixer for another minute until light and fluffy. Set aside.

Whipped Cream:

1. In large mixing bowl, whip 2 cups heavy cream with electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
2. Portion out about 1/3 of this whipped cream and scoop into the  bowl with your chocolate mousse base and fold in until well combined.
3. In the bowl containing your remaining 2/3 portion of whipped cream, add your cranberry mousse base and fold in until well combined.
4. Scoop your chocolate mousse into your cooled pie crust and smooth out.
5. Scoop your cranberry mousse over top of the chocolate mousse and spread out carefully covering the chocolate mousse without mixing the layers (as if you were spreading frosting).

Whipped Topping:

1. In medium mixing bowl, whip together 1 cup heavy cream and 1 Tbsp powdered sugar with electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
2. Spread (or pipe) your whipped cream topping over the cranberry mousse layer.
3. Let pie chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.
4. Optional: Add cranberries on top of the whipped cream topping around edges of pie for decoration.