Second Annual Bourbon & Pie in July Featuring Tahini Mousse Pie with Halva
My Saturday involved four parties, three outfit changes and two showers, clearly a sign that the dog days of summer are upon us. The tastiest party of the day was the second annual Bourbon & Pie in July, hosted by our good friends Holly and Jason. I go to an average of two pie parties a year, which really isn’t many in the scheme of things. “The scheme of things” mostly meaning how many pie recipes there are out there to be made and enjoyed. I currently have 35 pins on my “Pies & Tarts” board, and another eight recipes photocopied and sitting in my inbox… clearly there is work to be done!
Because I go to so few pie parties yet have so many pies I’m itching to make, what to bring is always a tough decision. This time I narrowed it down to two top contenders before finally deciding on this tahini mousse pie with halva. If you’re wondering what halva is, I’m pretty sure it’s a synonym for crack, because it’s equally addicting. I bought a two pound tub, and I’m pretty sure it won’t last long. It can be hard to find good halva at your standard grocery store, but you should be able to find it at a Middle Eastern specialty store or on Amazon.
My use of Amazon is pretty outrageous, as is currently evidenced by the number of boxes stacked next to our recycling bin (give me a break, last week recycling day fell on a holiday!) If I’ve planned far enough in advance, I’ll often order my hard to find ingredients on Amazon. I think it freaked Courtney out on Friday when the ingredients for my pie filling arrived literally as I was pulling the crust out of the oven to cool. Magic I tell you. Or drones.
Anyway, this pie. When I told people I was making a tahini mousse pie, most folks asked if it was savory. In the United States, we tend to equate tahini with hummus or savory sauces, but in the Middle East, Asia, parts of Africa and Central and Eastern Europe, sesame is commonly used in desserts (oh, and in the messy kitchen: exhibit 1, carrot cake with tahini cream cheese frosting; exhibit 2, tahini date cookies; exhibit 3, tahini date milkshake; exhibit 4, tahini thumbprint cookies with fig jam; exhibit 5, tahini almond fudge squares… you get the point). Clearly, I love tahini-based sweets, and this pie was no exception. It’s incredibly rich and creamy, and the tahini flavor reminded some folks of peanut butter, which paired nicely on a plate with Jason’s strawberry basil pie for an adult “PB&J”. I drizzled it with date syrup, but you could also sprinkle it with pistachios, black sesame seeds or additional halva.
And one other tip I’ll give you as a reward for reading this far? Try this pie frozen. It will change your life.
Tahini Mousse Pie with Halva
Adapted from I Will Not Eat Oysters
FOR THE CRUST:
9oz package chocolate wafer cookies
7 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp finely ground coffee
1/4 tsp salt
FOR THE PIE FILLING/GARNISHING
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2/3 cup sesame paste (tahini)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 10.5 oz package of halva
Sweet date syrup
FOR THE CRUST: Pre-heat the oven to 350˚F. In a food processor, pulse the chocolate wafers to a fine flour, making sure there aren’t any large pieces. Add the melted butter,coffee, and salt and pulse until just combined. Press the mixture into a 9″ pie/tart pan with removable bottom. Pack it tightly! Place the shell in the freezer for 10 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature and place it in the fridge until you’re ready to fill.
FOR THE PIE FILLING: Place the 2 cups of heavy cream and the cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk the cream on medium at first and then up to high until medium peaks form. Don’t over whip the cream!
Transfer the whipped cream into a different bowl. Place the sesame paste, powdered sugar and vanilla in the mixer bowl. On low, mix until it starts to come together. While the mixer is running, slowly drizzle in the heavy cream (1/4 cup).
Fold in, by hand, 1/3 of the whipped cream mixture into the sesame mixture. Be a bit aggressive with this first addition to lighten the sesame mixture. Once almost combined, add an additional 1/3 of whipped cream to the mixture and continue folding, gently this time. Add the remaining 1/3 and fold until just combined.
FOR FINISHING: Pull out the shell from the fridge and pop it out of the pan. Break up the halva with a fork and scatter evenly along the bottom. Top with the mousse mixture and spread it over the halva. Set the pie in the fridge for at least 4 hours to set. Garnish with date syrup, and more halva if desired.
