Often in my cooking classes, students ask if they can make a substitution in a recipe. I always welcome these queries and try to offer alternatives. I asked myself that same question last month when I discovered a baked brownie fudge pie crust at the back of my freezer. Wrapped tightly in plastic, then in foil, the crust in its pyrex pie plate needed only to be defrosted and filled.
In its original incarnation, this brownie crust was filled with whipped cream that was combined with mascarpone and Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur. It was the star of a St Patrick’s Day cooking demo I did for our local NBC affiliate back in March. I also posted the recipe on this blog! Fast forward a few months to my fortuitous freezer discovery. For the filling, I again prepared the mascarpone whipped cream, but this time substituted orange zest, orange juice, and orange liqueur for the whiskey-flavored Bailey’s. This re-invented dessert was a hit recently with weekend guests, who loved the chocolate and orange pairing.
As I mentioned in my earlier post, for the crust, a delectable brownie batter, flavored with a hint of coffee and vanilla, is poured into a pie plate and then baked. When done, you simply cover your hands with a kitchen towel and gently push the warm baked mixture into the shape of a pie shell. Once the crust was cool, I filled it with mounds of orange scented whipped cream and loved this substitution.
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Brownie Fudge Pie with Orange-Scented Mascarpone Cream Crust
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for the pie plate
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour plus extra for the pie plate
1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling
1 1/4 cups heavy or whipping cream
1/2 cup mascarpone, preferably at room temperature
3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest (from 1 to 1 1/2 medium oranges)
2 1/2 tablespoons orange liqueur such as Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 ounce bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, shaved or coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon julienned orange peel (Use the remaining orange peel after zesting oranges for this.)
1.Arrange a rack at center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch pie plate. In a bowl (set over but not touching) a pot of simmering water, melt 4 tablespoons butter, unsweetened chocolate, and instant coffee, stirring constantly, until smooth.
2.With an electric mixer on medium speed (using a paddle attachment if you have one), beat remaining butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop mixer to scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula if necessary. Add eggs, one at a time, then beat in chocolate mixture, vanilla, flour, and salt.
3.Pour batter into the pie plate and spread in an even layer with an offset metal spatula or table knife. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and, while still hot, gently press down against the center of the crust and push out toward the edges to form a pie shell, protecting your fingers with a kitchen towel. Repeat the process several times, always pressing gently, until you have a shell about 1-inch deep. Cool shell completely, 40 minutes to 1 hour.
4.For the filling, with an electric mixer on medium high speed, whip cream until soft peaks form. Add mascarpone and confectioner’s sugar and whip a few seconds more until mixture starts to thicken. Add the orange zest, orange liqueur, and orange juice, and whip another few seconds or more to thicken again.
5.Using a rubber spatula, mound the whipped cream into the pie shell, making swirls with the spatula. Sprinkle shaved or chopped chocolate plus the julienned orange peel over the top of the pie. Refrigerate pie, tenting top with foil, at least 3 hours or overnight.
Serves 8
Copyright Betty Rosbottom 2024
