Monday, December 5, 2011

Chocolate Silk Pie


I had every intention of sharing this pie with you right after Thanksgiving but it just sort got pushed to the side. That however has no reflection on how amazing this is. I must admit I'm not much of a chocolate pie fan, I like to stick to my standard apple or pumpkin especially at Thanksgiving time. My job generally is to supply the desserts in our families and I wanted to try something a little different this year. So that leads me to this particular recipe, everyone likes chocolate right?

This was my first experience at making chocolate silk pie and I think I've found the perfect recipe. I love the smooth and silky custard base, the filling is rich but nice and fluffy. You definitely will be satisfied with a just a small piece. The pie itself was pretty easy to pull together. Yes, you spend a bit of time whipping but I think the end result is worth it!

Chocolate Silk Pie

Ingredients:

Pie dough:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
4-5 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into 8 pieces

Whipped topping or freshly whipped cream, for serving

Directions:

For the pie dough:
Process flour, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add the shortening and process until mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, cut the butter into flour until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse crumbs. Turn the mixture into a medium bowl. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons water over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix. Press down the dough with broad side of spatula until the dough sticks together, add up to 1 tablespoon more water if dough will not come together. Flatten the dough into a 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days, before rolling.

For the pie/filling:
Roll the chilled pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough. Trim, fold and crimp the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F and adjust an oven rack to low-middle position. Line the chilled pie shell with parchment paper so that it lays over the edges of the dough. Fill with pie weights(or rice) and bake until the surface of the dough no longer looks wet, 20-25 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper and return the pie crust to the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 10-12 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

To make the filling, add the cream to the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate.

Combine the eggs, sugar and water in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.  With a hand mixer on medium speed, beat until the egg mixture is thickened and reads 160 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and continue to beat until the egg mixture is fluffy and cooled to room temperature, about 6-8 minutes.

Add the melted chocolate and the vanilla to cooled egg mixture and beat until well blended. Beat in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until well combined. Using a spatula, gently fold in the chilled whipped cream until no streaks remain. Transfer the filling to the baked pie shell. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours. Slice and serve with whipped topping or freshly whipped cream if desired.

Source: Pie dough, Baking Illustrated Cookbook, Pie from Cook's Illustrated Entertaining, Spring 2011

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