I've got a not-so-secret chocolate mousse recipe that always makes people think I've been whipping cream and making coverture for hours, but that actually involves Cool Whip and a candy bar. But last week, my girlfriend Bonnie knocked my Dark Secret Mousse off its pedestal: She found a chocolate dessert made with healthful tofu and dark chocolate that goes together in minutes, is delicious and fools everyone.

Whirred up in the blender or food processor, the chocolate-tofu mixture somehow sidesteps the chalkiness often associated with tofu. Bonnie got this recipe from artist Stan Zisk, who in turn had it from a friend who is an adventurous traveler originally from the West Coast.

Although the health benefits of both soy foods and dark chocolate are still under study, it has been suggested that both foods are good for you. Soy protein may help reduce "bad" cholesterol and isoflavones found in soy may have cancer-suppressing properties. Dark chocolate has been lauded for containing antioxidants that help protect cell walls.

Of course, dark chocolate does contain saturated fat and there is a pie crust involved here, although you could just treat this recipe as a sort of fudge; pour it into a buttered 8-by-8-inch dish and chill. This makes scant, very dense pie, not mousse-like but more fudgy.

Ghirardelli chocolate is specified here, but you can use any high-quality semi-sweet chocolate; I used Guittard. You can also use a different crust; I did a graham cracker crust.

Sources of quality chocolate include R. Field stores in Foodland (Beretania, Kailua) Hans Weiler Foods in Kalihi, and Epicure at Neiman Marcus.

STAN'S SECRET CHOCOLATE PIE