Almost Chocolate French Silk Pie Food

FRENCH SILK PIE

Steps:

• To make the crust, stir together chocolate crumbs and butter. Press into a 9" pie plate and up the sides. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan, whisk together sugar, eggs, cocoa and 1 cup cream until smooth.
• Place saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened (you will know when it's thick!).
• Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl and stir in chocolate, butter and vanilla until smooth.
• Set aside or refrigerate until cooled to room temperature -- 1-2 hours on the counter or 30-40 minutes in the refrigerator -- stirring occasionally.
• Whip chocolate mixture on high speed until slightly lightened in color -- about 5 minutes.
• Whip remaining 1 cup cream until stiff peaks form, and gently fold into chocolate mixture in two batches.
• Spread into prepared pie crust and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight, until set. Garnish with additional sweetened whipped cream before serving if desired.

ALMOST CHOCOLATE FRENCH SILK PIE

Steps:

• Bake Pie shell according to package directions for an empty pie shell (cool).
• Mix pudding mix & skim milk (making sure to mix until smooth and without lumps).
• Add Chocolate Whipped topping to pudding.
• Pour into cooled pie shell.
• Refridgerate for 1 hour.
• Before serving, top with 1 cup of whipped topping.

CHOCOLATE SILK PIE

Steps:

• Fill a medium pot with 1 inch water over medium heat. Whisk the eggs with 1/2 cup of the sugar and the water or coffee in a large heatproof bowl that will fit over the pot without touching the water. Place the bowl over the simmering water and continue whisking constantly until the eggs become thick and fluffy, and a drizzle of the mixture will hold its shape and sit on top of the custard, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool, whisking occasionally so the eggs do not scramble.
• Combine the butter, salt and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl and beat in a stand mixer or with hand beaters on medium-high speed until fluffy. Pour in the chocolate and 1 1/4 teaspoons of the vanilla and continue to beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until combined. Add the custard and continue to beat until the filling is thick, fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Spread into the pie crust and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until cold and set, 2 to 3 hours. Before serving, whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla until it forms soft peaks. Spread over the pie filling and garnish with chocolate shavings.

FRENCH SILK PIE

Steps:

• I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin making this pie. Make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out and blind baking (next step).
• On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (use the 2nd pie crust for another recipe!). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is completely smooth. To make a lovely thick edge, I do not trim excess dough around the edges. Instead, fold the excess dough back over the edge and use your hands to mold the edge into a nice thick rim around the pie. Crimp the edges with a fork or use your fingers to flute the edges. Carefully line the inside of the pie with two pieces of parchment paper or aluminum foil, as shown in the photos above, then pour in the pie weights. Make sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Chill the dough in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 30 minutes- this helps prevent the crust from shrinking. (You can actually fill with pie weights before or after chilling, it doesn't make a difference.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
• Bake the cold pie crust (with weights!) for 15 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper/aluminum foil (with the weights) out of the pie. Prick all over the bottom of the pie crust with a fork, which is called "docking" the pie crust and helps prevent air bubbles. Brush the edges of the crust with egg wash. Return the crust to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 12-15 more minutes.
• Cool pie crust completely. You can do this up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover cooled crust tightly and refrigerate until ready to fill.
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Stiff peaks hold their peak shape and do not droop. Set whipped cream in the refrigerator (covered or uncovered, doesn't matter) until step 8. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate. You can melt it in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave: place the chopped chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 20 second increments in the microwave, stopping and stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Set aside until the end of the next step.
• Whisk eggs and sugar together in a heatproof bowl or the top piece of a double boiler. Place over a pot of simmering water (or the bottom part of your double boiler) on medium heat. Do not let the surface of simmering water touch the bottom of the heatproof bowl. Whisking constantly, cook the egg mixture until it reaches 160°F (71°C) on an instant read thermometer, about 10-11 minutes. Do not stop whisking or the eggs may solidify. If the steam gets too hot over your hand, use an oven mitt. Carefully remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. After cooling, slowly stir in the melted chocolate. To prevent curdling, cool for another 10 minutes before using in the next step.
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat on medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl. With the mixer running on low speed, pour in the chocolate/egg mixture and then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream until combined.
• Spread filling into cooled pie crust. (A small offset spatula is helpful for this.) Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours or overnight until chilled and thickened. Pie may be refrigerated for up to 2 days before serving.
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts. Pipe or spread the whipped cream on top. Garnish with chocolate curls (see notes), if desired. Serve immediately or chill the pie uncovered up to a few hours.
• Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.