Chocolate-Avocado Mousse Pie, Coconut-Macadamia Crust

This chocolate pie gets all its creaminess from avocado rather than any dairy product, and the result consistently surprises anyone who hasn't seen the ingredient list. It's assembled in layers, with thin banana slices in the middle and red fruit on top, which makes it look far more complicated than it actually is. The crust starts with shredded coconut ground into a fine powder, to which you add the nuts, a touch of salt and a hint of cayenne, before binding it all with dates until you get a crumbly, cookie-like texture that holds together when pressed. The filling, meanwhile, comes together in one go in the food processor: avocados, vanilla, salt, raw cacao and a sweetener, blended until no lumps remain. If you'd rather skip cacao altogether, carob powder does the same job with a milder, naturally sweet flavor, provided you use a bit more of it. One hour in the fridge before slicing is enough, and the whole thing freezes well if you want to prepare it ahead of time.

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, or 1 cup activated almonds or hazelnuts
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup pitted dates, firmly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• Optional, for a richer crust: 1 teaspoon cacao butter or coconut oil

For the filling

• 2 large avocados, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1/2 cup raw cacao powder, or 3/4 cup carob powder
• 1/2 cup plus a little more whole cane sugar or agave syrup

For assembly and finishing

• 4 to 6 bananas, cut lengthwise into thin slices (3 to 4 per banana)
• 250 g strawberries
• A few mint leaves

Method

The crust

1. Process the shredded coconut in a food processor fitted with the S-blade until you get a fine powder.
2. Add the nuts, salt and cayenne, and process until you get a coarse, meal-like texture.
3. Finely chop the dates if needed, spread them over the mixture and process until you get crumbs that hold together when pressed.
4. Press firmly into a 23 cm tart tin and place in the freezer or fridge while you prepare the filling.

The filling

1. Combine all the filling ingredients in the food processor fitted with the S-blade and process until perfectly smooth.

Assembly

1. Divide the filling into two roughly equal portions.
2. Spread the first half over the chilled crust.
3. Arrange the banana slices evenly over this layer.
4. Cover with the remaining filling, then finish with mint leaves and fresh strawberries, raspberries or a red-fruit coulis.

Tip

Allow at least one hour in the fridge before slicing, otherwise the layers slide over each other. The pie freezes very well: wrap it once set, and let it sit for about thirty minutes in the fridge before serving.

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