Strawberry Chocolate Cream Pie

Ingredients:

For Crust:
6 tablespoons safflower oil
1 tbsp Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips
7 ounces dairy, gluten, nut free chocolate wafer cookies (about 30 cookies)
1 pint strawberries, trimmed and sliced into fourths lengthwise, not as quarters

For Filling:
1/3 cup Agave
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons Special Dark unsweetened cocoa powder*
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
4 egg yolks
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
3 ounces Enjoy Life dark chocolate bar, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Topping:

Small amount of Strawberry Polaner All-Fruit

1 pint strawberries, trimmed and sliced into fourths lengthwise, not as quarters

Cooking Instructions:

1. Lightly coat a 9-inch pie dish with safflower oil.

2. Heat the safflower oil mixed with the chocolate chips for 20 to 30 seconds, and stir until smooth.

3. Finely grind cookies in processor. Add chocolate mixture and process until crumbs are evenly moistened.

4. Press crumb mixture into prepared pie dish. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

5. Arrange half of the strawberry slices in a single layer on the bottom of the crust.

6. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan which your cooking pan can stably be on top of or fit into.

7. Whisk the agave, cornstarch, cocoa powder, spices, and salt in the cooking saucepan.

8. Beat the egg yolks and whisk them into the filling mixture.

9. Gradually whisk in the soy milk.

10. Cook the filling on top of the makeshift double boiler until the mixture thickens.  When I made it, it only took about five minutes to begin to thicken.

11. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the chocolate until smooth. Then whisk in the vanilla.

12. Cool 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

13. Carefully spoon the filling over the strawberries until the cream is level with the top edge of the crust .

14. Place plastic wrap directly against the cream to prevent a “film” from forming. Chill for an hour.

15. Remove the plastic wrap and layer the remaining strawberry pieces on top of the cream. Brush the strawberries with the melted Polaners All Fruit.

16. Chill the pie for a couple of hours to completely solidify the chocolate cream and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

* If using unsweetened chocolate soy or almond or other milk, omit the cocoa powder.