Page 354 - Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented

2
. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip
the cream to stiff peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and

set it aside. In the same bowl of the stand mixer, whip the egg
yolks, sugar, almond extract, and salt until light and aerated.
3
. Pour the honey into a small saucepan and heat it over low heat

until it starts to gently boil. With the mixer still running, carefully
pour the honey down the side of the bowl into the egg-yolk mixture.
Turn the mixer speed to high and beat until the mixture has cooled.

4
. Fold in the melted chocolate and then quickly fold in the whipped
cream. Take care that each element is similar in temperature;
otherwise, your chocolate can seize, and you’ll end up with little
chunks of hard chocolate in your filling. (This is still tasty but not
ideal.)

5
. Transfer the filling to a large pastry bag fitted with a large open tip.

Pipe an even layer of filling (about 1 inch/2.5 cm thick) inside each
of
the 8 cake rings, right on top of the round of pastry. Place a
reserved round of pastry on top of the first layer of filling in each
cake ring.
Press gently. The fit is very snug and the puff is delicate, but you
want the second layer of pastry to sit on top of the filling. (I

sometimes trim the edges of the remaining rounds of pastry very
carefully, to make inserting them into the rings easier; if you choose
to do this, be careful to cut as evenly as possible.) Pipe another 1-
inch (2.5-cm) layer of filling onto the second round of pastry inside
each ring. Top with the last 8 rounds, pressing gently. If the last
round of pastry doesn’t reach the top of the ring, divide the

remaining filling evenly among the rings and, using a small offset
spatula, gently scrape the top to make it even.
6
. Freeze the pies until set, about 2 hours.