French Silk Pie
No pictures. It’s not worth the effort. They _look_ great. The filling is great. The crust is a disaster.
Since I got the recipe from a random website (Sally’s Baking), here’s the filling:
French Silk Pie Filling (aka chocolate custard)
From: Sally’s Baking
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
two 4-ounce quality bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate bars (113g each), finely chopped
4 large eggs
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
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 microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second increments, stopping and stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Set aside until the end of the next step.
Cook the eggs: 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 the 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. If the steam gets too hot over your hand, use an oven mitt. (If you do not have an instant read thermometer, lightly and quickly dip your finger—it’s very hot, be careful—and rub the mixture between your thumb and finger. You shouldn’t feel any sugar granules.) 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 handheld 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 silicone spatula, fold in the whipped cream until combined.
I made double that for two pies. There was a bit extra; the Laird and I just ate it as custard. I had some leftover Grand Marnier that I threw in while eggs were pasteurizing (so the alcohol would boil off). It wasn’t much, maybe a 1/4 cup, but I think it made a big, positive difference in the flavor. I couldn’t taste the orange at all. If I didn’t know what it was, I would be able to identify it, but it added some depth to an otherwise all-chocolate flavor.
I was really hoping for a great crust because this is just parbaked. There is no second pass in the oven to over cook it. It _looked_ perfect. It flaked up while baking. It was golden brown. It was a rock.
I’m getting irritated with pie crust. I added 10g of water (70 instead of 60) to it to make it workable and that seems to have turned it into concrete. Next time, I’m going to use the Joy of Cooking pie crust recipe. I have no idea what it is, right now, but making minor tweaks to my recipe is not working so I’m starting over. Note that for this I used my pie crust recipe, not Sally’s.
Crochet group got one, which is how I know the crust is a rock. The other is for Jessica at dance. She asked me for one, so she gets one. The reactions of everyone else should be amusing, but no one else has ever asked.
Marked Up 