Jenn's French Silk Pie

I have a friend named Jenn.  Jenn's super power is baking. Seriously, the goods coming out of her kitchen should be sold in a bakery, the kind where people wait in line before it opens and hope that they arrived early enough to bring something home.  Recently I got to watch and enjoy her process creating the most smooth, rich, and airy French silk pie. I've always enjoyed but never made this pie, a chocolate lover's dream. This is definitely a dessert to wow your friends and family-homemade crust, an irresistible chocolate filling, rich cream, and even fancy chocolate curls to top it off.

She was following her grandma's recipe, which led us to a funny discovery. When she and her mom were trying to get the recipe, they had a bit of trouble finding specifics such as temperature and timing. Her grandmother somehow just "knew".  I remember my own grandmother being the same way. Measuring was done by feel, and timing was purely based on a hunch. Fortunately Jenn is a self-proclaimed OCD chef and has figured out a precise method for us to follow. 

Her trick for a no-fuss pie crust is so simple that it's genius. Roll the pie in between layers of wax paper and then use the wax paper to help you transfer it to the pie pan. I wish I had known this a few crusts ago...

Grandma Bump's Pie Crust:

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 c. cold milk

1. Mix together with a pastry cutter until dough forms.

2. Roll out between pieces of wax paper. 

3. Transfer to pie plate. Form crust edges. 

4. Poke holes in the dough with a fork (that's pretty important). 

5. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and then watch and continue baking until it's a light golden brown.

French Silk Pie Filling
3 squares (1 oz/each) Unsweetened Chocolate
1 c. butter (softened)
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

1. In saucepan (or microwave) melt chocolate. Set aside to cool to room temp or slightly warmer.

2. In bowl, beat butter on medium until fluffy. 

3. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. 

4. Beat in cooled chocolate and vanilla until blended. 

5. Add eggs-1 at a time. Beat for two minutes after you've added each egg. 

 6. Scoop into pie shell and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Whipped topping:
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 T. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

**Jenn's Tip*** PUT A METAL MIXING BOWL AND THE BEATERS IN THE FREEZER FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES prior to whipping the cream. It seriously helps!

1. Put the cream in the bowl and whip until it starts to peak. 

2. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until it's peaking. 

3. The T of powdered sugar is to taste. I did a little bit more than a tablespoon but not much. The pie itself was pretty sweet so I didn't need the whipped topping to be too sweet. Consider what you are using the topping for and how sweet it should be to determine how much powdered sugar to add.

Chocolate Curls:
3 squares (1 oz/each) Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1 T Crisco

1. Put both ingredients in a microwavable bowl and microwave until the Crisco is melted (about 45 seconds to a minute).

2. Mix together with a fork. 

3. Pour onto the back of a metal cake pan (at least a 9' x 13'') and spread pretty thin. 

4. Place in the freezer for 2 or 3 minutes. You shouldn't easily be able to make fingerprints in the chocolate when you pull it out. 

5. Use a small spatula and slowly press along the chocolate. It should curl up. You may have to play with the temperature a bit. If the chocolate is too frozen it won't curl. If it's too soft, it gets pretty sticky.

So Jenn was such a super baker that she had extra versions of the crust and pie filling already chilled, so that I didn't have to wait. It was just like a cooking show, not kidding. This also meant that I got to take home an ENTIRE PIE with me! (I will not be sharing how quickly that pie disappeared from my fridge, but if you've been reading my blog for any length of time I'm sure you can guess.) Jenn will be back this holiday season displaying her dessert super powers again with us.