Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159.
In Honor of "Pi" day we have created a chocolate pie to share:
CHOCOLATE ORANGE CREAM PIE
This recipe is one that our family loves especially during the season we bring in all the wonderful orange varietals from various orange groves in the USA. We squeeze the fresh juice right out of the oranges for this recipe! In addition, we use our Bean to Bar Infused Nibs Vanilla* and our Bean to Bar 70% Baking Chocolate Chips* for the chocolate. We do use Maine Sea Salt.* which is harvested right out of the Atlantic Ocean for the salt. You can use your own favorite pie crust: a cookie crumb crust, a sweet dough crust or a standard pie crust.
INGREDIENTS for a 9” pie:
3/4 Cup Cane Sugar
1 TB Finely Grated Orange Zest
1 TB Cocoa Powder
1 TB All Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
1/4 teas. Sea Salt*
2-1/2 Cups Half & Half Milk
1 teas. Vanilla Extract*
4 Large Egg Yolks
3 Ounces 70% Bittersweet Chocolate*
2 TB Unsalted Butter
Orange Whipped Cream Topping
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 TB Cane Sugar
2 TB Orange Juice
1 TB Finely Grated Orange Zest
Chocolate shavings/pieces (optional)
Select your crust and line into a 9-inch pie pan. Pre-cook a sweet dough or standard pie crust or chill a cookie crumb crust if it does not need to be precooked.
Combine the sugar, cocoa powder, orange zest, flour, salt and cornstarch into a saucepan. Whisk in one half a cup of the half and half and whisk until smooth, no lumps. Blend in the remaining half and half with the vanilla extract and egg yolks, again, until nice and smooth.
Using a medium heat, stir the mixture until it thickens and bubbles and keep stirring for 5 more minutes or until thick. Remove from the heat and immediately add the 70% chocolate baking chips/pieces and butter. Keep mixing until melted and blended. Place into a bowl and chill for at least two hours. After cooled, place the mixture into the prepared pie crust.
To make the Orange Whipped Cream Topping:
Whip one cup heavy cream with the cane sugar, orange juice and finely grated orange zest until firm.
Cover the chocolate orange filling with the Orange Whipped Cream Topping. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings/pieces if so desired.