I love Vietnamese bean desserts, but my husband Lulu's not a huge fan. Vietnamese desserts aren't sweet enough to his taste. So in the spirit of compromise, I created a pie inspired by Asian red bean desserts, but to an American's tastes.
First, I baked the pie crust, then spread in a generous amount of chocolate spread, and finally completed the dessert with a layer of sweetened red beans.
The ration in this recipe is very easy to remember: 1 can sweetened red beans, 1 can of evaporated milk, 2 eggs, sugar and a little grated ginger. It's not your standard pie, but it's absolutely delicious.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
For the pie crust: Line a pie pan with parchment paper. Place the pie crust. Press the dough well into the sides of the mold. Prick the dough with a fork and top with ceramic pie weights (or dried beans). Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and bake for about 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Remove the pie weights and discard the pieces of parchment paper. Spread Nutella inside the pie crust. Set aside.
Prepping the ginger: Clean the ginger and remove any dirt. Peel the ginger root with a paring knife (or the edge of a spoon). Grate the ginger with a fine mesh microplane. Gather about 1 tablespoon of grated ginger root. Set aside.
For the red bean filling:
Using a blender, combine the red beans with ½ cup of evaporated milk. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs with sugar. Add the red bean purée, the remaining evaporated milk and salt.
Assembly time: Fill the pie with the red bean filling. Bake at 375°F for about 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350°F and cook for an additional 40 minutes.
Allow the pie to cool for 2 hours.
Enjoy with a pumpkin spice latte.
Bon appétit!
You could also replace the red beans with pumpkin purée for a more traditional dessert.