Orange Mint Chocolate Pie [GF]

In Minnesota, where I hail from, dessert is as integral to a good holiday meal as stuffed poultry; hence, I offer my readers a recipe for yet another gluten-free, dairy-free pie, the filling for which is pretty much a combination of chocolate and tofu.  The merits of combining silken tofu and dark chocolate in a food processor — primarily that the resulting substance is essentially indistinguishable in terms of flavor, color, and consistency from chocolate mousse — have been celebrated to such an extent that I need elaborate on them no further here.  However, in an effort to fuse the holy trinity of chocolate, orange, and mint together in pie form, I've elaborated a bit on the standard tofu-mousse pie.  The result is sort of a chiffon pie consisting of several, differently-flavored strata, and I consider it a success.  It's a tad involved, but it was certainly worth the effort.

A few comments are in order.  First, the amounts specified for each ingredient given in the mousse and orange filling recipes below are actually enough to yield two 12-inch pies, though the amounts specified in the crust recipe are per single pie.  Second, I used Mari-nu silken tofu in making the mousse, which I recommend to anyone attempting to re-create this dessert, and I add an extra admonition that it's crucial for it to be firm tofu in order to get the consistency correct.  The gelatin packet (which I discovered in a cupboard and whose precise size remains to me therefore a mystery) was roughly the size of a tea bag.  I should also add that this is the only non-vegan ingredient involved (and that it was added at the last minute, as I was fishing around the kitchen for gelling agents), so the recipe it should be readily adaptable to those for whom the triturated hooves of miscellaneous ungulates aren't particularly appetizing.

Finally, since this recipe was devised on the fly, so to speak, I'm not certain of the precise amounts of sugar, salt, and corn-starch that I ended up adding to the orange filling.  Anybody trying to follow this recipe should feel free to play around with the numbers given below and adjust them as he or she sees fit.  Furthermore, I'm not really sure that the powdered sugar is necessary (i.e. that it can't be replaced with more regular old refined white sugar), so feel free to experiment with that as well.   

Mousse

• Two 12 oz. packages of silken tofu
• 12 oz. dark chocolate
• ¼ tsp. salt

Orange gel

• Five medium-sized oranges
• 2 oz. fresh mint, minced, plus additional leaves for garnish
• ¾-1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 packet gelatin
• 3-5 Tbsp. corn starch
• ½ tsp. salt (or to taste)

Crust (per pie)

• 1½ cup rice flour
• 6 Tbsp. vegan butter substitute, cooled
• 4 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. salt

Begin by preparing the crust, the instructions for which are included as part of the pineapple pie recipe I provided a little while ago.  Make sure to allow the crust to cool to room temperature after pre-baking.

To make the mousse, begin by placing the tofu blocks in a food processor.  Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan under low heat, and then set it aside for a moment to cool.  After a moment or two, add the chocolate (as well at the salt) to the food processor and blend the ingredients together therein until they reach a mousse-like consistency.  Allow the mousse to cool.

To make the orange filling, begin by peeling all five oranges and place four of them (the fifth will be used to garnish the tops of the pies), along with the salt, in a blender or juicer.  Take the peels of the oranges and grate them to produce 2 tsp. of fresh orange zest.  Strain the resulting liquid into a medium-sized saucepan, add the (standard, non-powdered) sugar, minced mint, and orange zest and cook the mixture down for 20-30 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  Once the volume of liquid has been significantly reduced, slowly stir in the corn starch and powdered sugar.  When the mixture has thickened noticeably, stir in the gelatin and immediately remove from heat.  Allow 5-15 min. for the mixture to cool, though not much more than that, as the gelatin should not set until the filling has been added to the pies.

Pour roughly a quarter of the mousse into each pie crust and spread it into an even layer in each.  Gently spread half of the orange filling in a thin layer on top the mousse on each pie, covering it entirely, but not disturbing the mousse in the process.  Allow 15-20 min. for the filling to set, then spread half of the remaining mousse over the filling covering on each pie.  Finally, cut the remaining peeled orange into thin slices and garnish the tops of the pies with these slices and a few min leaves.  Place the pie in the refrigerator and allow it to cool for at least a couple of hours before serving.