Poinsettia Pie

Poinsettia Pie is the dessert that doubles as the table centerpiece. Built on a chocolate wafer crust faintly perfumed with peppermint extract, the filling is a creme de menthe chiffon, lightened with whipped egg whites and folded with whipped cream into a cool pale-green mousse. The showstopper is the topping: red-tinted white chocolate leaves and dark chocolate leaves arranged into the unmistakable shape of a poinsettia flower, with a yellow candy in the center for the bloom.

The chocolate leaves are made by brushing tempered chocolate onto real lemon leaves (food-safe ones, available from florists), chilling them, and peeling away the leaf to reveal a perfect leaf-shaped chocolate. White chocolate gets tinted with red food coloring for the flower petals, semisweet stays dark for the green leaves of the plant.

The chiffon technique is what makes the filling work. Egg yolks get tempered into hot gelatin syrup, cooked just until coating, then mixed with creme de menthe and folded with sweetened beaten whites and whipped cream. Eight hours minimum chill is required for the gelatin to fully set.

Pro Tips

• Use only nontoxic, food-safe leaves like lemon, magnolia, or rose for the chocolate leaves. Florist shops carry these specifically for cake decoration.
• Brush the chocolate on the underside of the leaves where the veins are most prominent. The veins transfer to the chocolate beautifully.
• Temper the chocolate by melting two-thirds, then stirring in the rest off heat. This prevents bloom and gives leaves a glossy snap.
• Make the leaves a day ahead and refrigerate. Working with set chocolate is much easier than racing against melting.

Variations

• Swap creme de menthe for Bailey’s Irish Cream and tint the filling pale tan for a different holiday look.
• Use Frangelico and tint pale yellow with a few drops of food coloring for a hazelnut chiffon.
• Skip the chocolate leaves and top with crushed peppermint candies and whipped cream for an easier presentation.