French Silk Pie
How to make French Silk Pie
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 150g
¼ tsp sea salt
1 TBS granulated sugar 12g
½ cup shortening chilled (113g)
3-4 TBS ice water
Chocolate Silk Pie Filling:
¾ cup butter softened (170g)
¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
1 cup powdered sugar 120g
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate melted (113g)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
3 eggs room temperature
¾ cup whipping cream whipped (180 ml, measured in liquid state, then whipped)
Whipped topping:
1 ¼ cups whipping cream measured in liquid state, then whipped (300 ml)
½ cup powdered sugar 60g
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions:
Crust:
In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse until combined.
Add the chilled shortening and cold water to the food processor, and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal and begins to stick together.
Remove the dough from the processor and form it into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface and place it into a deep, 9-inch, round pie plate. Pinch the edges to form a crust.
Prick the dough with a fork or add pie weights on top of the crust.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until it just begins to brown. If any bubbles form, gently deflate them by pricking with a fork or sharp knife.
Set aside to cool.
Whipped Cream:
Whip 3/4 cup of the whipping cream in a standing mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment on high until stiff peaks form.
Transfer the whipped cream to an airtight container and set aside in the refrigerator.
Whipped Topping:
In the bowl of a standing mixer, add 1 1/4 cups of whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
Beat on low speed, then increase the speed to high as the mixture begins to thicken.
Beat on high speed for 1-2 minutes, or until soft peaks form.
Transfer to another bowl, or to a large piping bag, and set aside in the refrigerator.
French Silk Pie:
Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Set aside to cool.
Cream the butter, sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla together with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the melted chocolate and beat for 60 seconds, pausing and scraping down the sides once halfway through.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed for 2 minutes after each addition.
Fold in 3/4 cup of whipped cream by hand until the mixture is uniform throughout.
Assembling the French Silk Pie:
Evenly spread the chocolate filling into the baked and cooled pie crust.
Top with the whipped topping in one of two ways: either simply spread the whipped topping over the pie with a spatula, or pipe the whipped topping on top with a decorator’s tip to make a pretty design.
Place the pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Serve cold and enjoy!
Note: To ensure the filling sets properly, it’s important to refrigerate the pie for the full amount of time indicated in the recipe.
Notes:
Make sure the butter is softened before beginning the recipe. Softened butter will blend more easily with the sugar and other ingredients.
It’s important to use room temperature eggs to avoid any lumps in the filling. If you forget to bring the eggs to room temperature, you can place them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
When whipping the cream, make sure not to overwhip it. Overwhipped cream can turn into butter, which will not be suitable for this recipe.
If you want to save time, you can use a store-bought crust instead of making your own.