Chocolate Amaretto Crunch Pie

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 3/4 cup finely ground amaretti cookie (italian macaroons, about 4 1/2 oz.)
• 2/3 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 eggs, separated, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 10 strawberries

Recipe

• 1 for crust.
• 2 preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 3 combine cookies,almonds,sugar, flour and salt in food processor.
• 4 with machine running, add butter through feed tube and mix 20 seconds.
• 5 pat mixture onto bottom and sides of 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
• 6 bake 15 minutes; cool crust completely.
• 7 for filling.
• 8 melt chocolate in large bowl set over pan of gently simmering water; stir until smooth and remove from over water.
• 9 beat in yolks, mixture may bind.
• 10 using electric mixer, beat in liqueur; mixture will smooth out.
• 11 using clean,dry beaters, beat whites with 1 tablespoon sugar until soft peaks form.
• 12 gently fold whites into chocolate mixture.
• 13 using clean,dry beaters, beat cream with remaining sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
• 14 fold 1 cup into chocolate mixture.
• 15 cover and refrigerate remaining cream.
• 16 to assemble.
• 17 spoon filling into crust; cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours.
• 18 (can be prepared 1 day ahead.).
• 19 just before serving, spoon remaining cream into pastry bag fitted with large star tip.
• 20 pipe 10 rosettes atop pie, top each with a strawberry and serve.