Method (pastry)

1. Add some water into a glass and add in a few ice cubes. This is your ice-water for the pastry.
2. Add the flour, chilled block butter and sugar to food processor with the “S” blade. Pulse on low a few times to combine, it will be quite crumbly. 
3. Add in 1-3 tablespoons of ice water into the mix. Only add enough that the mixture clumps together into a soft dough. When it begins to clump together, stop mixing!
4. Transfer the dough onto a clean, lightly floured worktop and shape with clean hands into a ball. Don’t use your hands too much or the warmth will heat up the butter and melt the pastry. This can result in a less flakey dough when baked. You want to keep the pastry as chilled as possible. 
5. Dust a rolling pin with some flour then roll the dough into a large circle shape. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add some flour under the dough to prevent it from sticking. You want the dough to be around 1/8 inch thick and larger in size than the pie dish. My dish is approx 27cm.
6. Carefully lift up and drape the pastry into the pie dish. Gently press the dough down so that it lines the base and sides of the pie dish. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, you can fix it when it’s in the dish. 
7. Use some kitchen scissors or a sharp knife to trim off any excess / overhanging dough. Use your fingers to crimp the edges of the pastry for a decorative effect (watch the video here for reference). 
8. Place into the freezer until the pastry is rock solid, approximately 1-2 hours. This is essential, as this will prevent the pastry from shrinking when baking.
9. Cut a large circle of grease proof paper and place into the pie dish so that the pastry (base and sides) is covered, then repeat with some foil, fill with baking beans or rice. The foil and grease proof will prevent the rice or baking beans from sticking to the pastry. The beans / rice will weigh the pastry down.
10. Preheat your oven to 180°C fan. Once the pastry is solid, bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, check to see if the pastry is turning golden in colour (make sure it isn’t burning). Lift up the paper and foil, being careful not to get any rice or baking beans in the pie. Brush the edges of the pastry with some dairy-free milk and sprinkle with some sugar (optional but helps with crunch and browning). Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until the pastry looks flakey and is golden brown in colour. 
11. Allow it to cool fully at room temperature, ready for the filling.

Method (chocolate filling)

1. Fill a small saucepan 1/4 full with water and place on the hob over medium heat. Add the dairy-free chocolate into a heat proof bowl. Place the bowl over the pan, creating a bain-marie. Allow the chocolate to melt, stirring with a heat proof spatula. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
2. Add the melted chocolate, silken tofu, sugar and milk into a high speed blender and blend until silky smooth. You might need to stop and scrape down the mixer a few times.
3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pie dish and level out with the back of a spoon.
4. Transfer the pie into the fridge and allow to chill until set and firm, approximately 4 hours or overnight.

Method (Cream topping)

1. Add the vegan cream into a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment and whip on high speed until thick. You can also whip it by hand using an electric hand whisk.
2. Spoon the cream on top of the chocolate filling and swirl around. 
3. Grate some dairy-free chocolate over the top of the pie.
4. Use a sharp knife to slice the pie into slices and serve.