No-Bake Chocolate-Raspberry Mousse Pie

Every year we have a party for the Fourth of July on our roof top. I cook some things, people bring some drinks. This year we had a pre-party bridge game with some good friends. But this year it is hot hot hot. I was listening to NPR Morning Edition over the internet from a west-coast station. It is cooler in LA than it is in NYC. Not cool. No raspberry cakes or any sort of baked good this year. So I decided to go a largely no-cook rout. Breads and spreads. Chips and dips. And a no-bake pie. A no-bake (mostly) vegan pie. An no-bake pie that you can, if you so choose, make totally gluten free.

It's easy. It's delicious. And even the most hard-core anti-tofu meat eater will swoon.

Ever since college one of my favorite desserts has been a vegan chocolate mousse made with silken tofu and chocolate chips that comes from the first vegetarian cookbook I had ever bought myself. It was appropriately titled The Clueless Vegetarian. It's actually a great gift for the high school or college student in your life who has suddenly decided that s/he will be a vegetarian. I actually recently sent it, along with two other well-used favorites to my little sister and her boyfriend--recent vegetarians and renting their first apartment--along with two Doctor Who themed dishcloths. I realized (1) I had outgrown this cookbook, and (2) my favorite recipes (like the basic tofu chocolate mousse) were memorized at this point. And now I've paid the vegetarian cookbook love forward.

So, the pie. It is mostly vegan. In order to make it completely vegan (and use a crumb crust) the crust needs to be baked. I've never made a successful no-bake vegan crumb crust--but there are sources that say you can. In order to make a vegan crumb crust you can use your favorite non-dairy butter substitute (I prefer coconut oil), and then blind-bake the crust in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes. To make a gluten-free crumb crust, you can follow these directions, although, again, I think it needs to be baked. There's also the option of using Mark Bittman's Fruit and Nut Tart Crust, which is gluten-free, vegan, and no-bake (this recipe is slightly different from the version in my cookbook, so I can't totally vouch for it).

The raspberries made this pie from my youth seem just a bit more grown up. I added minimal sugar to them to keep that tart raspberry flavor to off-set the sweetness of the chocolate and the creaminess of the tofu mousse. Obviously you could use other berries as well, but I think the raspberry-chocolate tart and sweet combination is my favorite.

Also, don't forget about the Fresh Foods Blog Hop! Link up your CSA hauls, farmer's market treasures, and seasonal eating advice!

No-Bake Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Pie
Crust adapted from Joy of Baking, filling adapted from The Clueless Vegetarian


No-bake crumb crust:
12 graham crackers, ground to crumbs in a food processor (about 1 1/2 c crumbs)
1/2 T sugar
6 T butter, melted

Filling:
1/2 pint of raspberries, divided
1/4 t sugar
1 bag bittersweet chocolate chips
1 package firm silken tofu

To make the crust:
Mix together the crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press into a 9" pie plate. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To make the filling:
Place 1/2 c raspberries in a small bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 t sugar. Let the raspberries macerate while you prep the other ingredients.

Place the silken tofu in a blender. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave (I decided to do the double boiler--it doesn't create that much heat...). Add the melted chocolate to the blender. Dump in the raspberries with any juice. Puree until smooth. You may have to scrape down the sides and/or stir a few times. The mixture is very thick.

Pour into prepared crust, top with remaining raspberries and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Makes one 9" pie

Shared with Full Plate Thursdays,Tastetastic Thursdays, Foodie Fridays