Chocolate curls look lovely on this pie, but if you want a simpler decoration, sprinkle with grated chocolate or garnish with chocolate espresso beans. The fancy piped cream may be replaced with dollops spread evenly over the pie top.
Making Curls
It’s important that the chocolate be at room temperature in order to make curls. To soften cold chocolate, hold it in your hand briefly to warm or let it stand at room temperature. Then, holding the block in one hand, pull across the chocolate in an easy motion with a vegetable peeler, letting the curls drop onto a piece of waxed paper or a chilled plate below.
Filling a Pastry Bag
Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Set a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip in a measuring cup. Fold down the top of the bag to form a collar. With a rubber spatula or a spoon, fill the pastry bag with whipped cream. Unfold the collar and twist the bag just above the filling. Squeeze the bag to push out excess air.
Piping the Cream
With one hand, grasp the pastry bag around the twisted closure. Set the other hand under the bag close to the tip. Pipe by squeezing with a continual, even pressure at the top of the bag and guiding from the bottom.
Making Patterns
To make star-shaped decorations, pipe whipped cream straight down onto the surface of the pie, lifting straight up after each squeeze. To make lines of cream, pipe at an angle, squeezing out the cream gently as you go. Sprinkle chocolate curls over cream.