Recipe: Gianduia Pie with Chocolate Cookie and Nut Crust (using Nutella)

GIANDUIA PIE

"This pie tastes like Baci, the yummy Italian version of the chocolate kiss. Nutella, a chocolate-and-hazelnut spread, is available in many supermarkets and gourmet stores."

3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned*
1 1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream, chilled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (13 ounce) jar Nutella
1 prepared Chocolate Cookie and Nut Crust (recipe follows)

Place the skinned hazelnuts in the workbowl of a food processor and chop them very fine.

Combine the heavy cream and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and using an electric mixer whip the cream until stiff peaks from.

Place the Nutella in a medium-size mixing bowl and stir in one quarter of the whipped cream. Gently fold the lightened Nutella mixture back into the remaining whipped cream. Fold in the chopped hazelnuts.

Scrape the filling into the prepared pie shell and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until the filling is completely set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

DRESSING IT UP:
Chocolate sauce would be overkill. Whipped cream is my choice.

*To toast and skin hazelnuts, place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated 350 degree F oven until they are fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, wrap the nuts in a clean kitchen towel, and allow the nuts to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Rub the nuts with the towel to remove the skins (it's okay if bits of skin stick to some of the nuts).

CHOCOLATE COOKIE AND NUT CRUST

"Nuts add some crunch and even more richness to a basic chocolate cookie crust. Use less butter, since the ground nuts add fat."

22 Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers (to yield about 1 cup crumbs)
1/2 cup pecans, walnuts, almonds, or skinned hazelnuts
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the cookies and nuts in the workbowl of a food processor and process them until they are finely ground. Combine the crumb-and-nut mixture, butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a medium-size mixing bowl and stir until the crumb-and-nut mixture is moistened.

Press the mixture evening across the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate and all the way up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly with your fingertips so it is even and compacted.

Bake the crust until it is crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Let it cool completely before filling it. (This crust may be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen up to 1 month.)

Makes one 9-inch pie, 6 to 8 servings
Source: Icebox Pies by Lauren Chattman