French Silk Pie
My little brother A came to Boston for a visit a couple weeks ago. Although, I suppose calling him my little brother is a bit misleading. He’s growing up fast and just graduated high school this past May. And he towers over the entire family at 6’4″.
As with most people who come to visit, I asked A if he wanted me to bake him something while he was here. He immediately responded “French Silk Pie”. Now I’ve never actually had French Silk Pie let alone baked one. Apparently, it’s A’s favorite dessert though. He’s even baked them himself in the past.
After I found out he had baked his own French Silk Pie, I decided it would be more fun to bake the pie together than for me to bake it for him. I figured we could get some quality sibling bonding time in the kitchen.
A and I had a good time making this pie. He had never made a crust from scratch before and this one was really easy. You just crush up some nuts, mix in some butter, and press it into the pie plate. It can’t get much easier than that!
We whipped up the mousse and filled the shell. Then came the painful part, letting it set. We ended up letting the pie chill in the fridge overnight. The next night after dinner, we topped it with some freshly whipped cream and chocolate shavings. I can’t comment on how this compares to other French Silk Pies out there, but everyone really enjoyed this pie. I’m pretty sure A had 3 pieces himself before heading back to the Midwest.
One Year Ago: Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Two Years Ago: Red White and Blue No-Bake Frozen Cupcakes
French Silk Pie
Yield: 8
Ingredients:
For the Crust
8 Tbsp chilled salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1/3 cup pecan halves
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
For the Filling
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
Whipped cream, for serving
Chocolate curls, for serving
Directions:
For the Crust
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-inch pie plate; set aside. Grind pecans in a food processor, or chop very finely with a knife. In a medium bowl, combine flour, pecans, sugar, and salt. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press firmly into prepared pie plate. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For the Filling
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With machine running, gradually add melted chocolate and the vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating at medium speed for five minutes after each addition. Pour filling into cooled pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap, and transfer to the refrigerator to cool for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Just before serving, top pie with whipped cream, and decorate with chocolate curls.
Recipe from Martha Stewart
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
These look and sounds great! Also thanks for the link to the cupcake carrier! I’ve been wanting to buy one for awhile now but didn’t like that Wilton’s only held 12.
Those paper cupcake liners are so pretty! I keep seeing recipes from that book and I really want to get myself a copy!
Do you think you could add a few extra ounces of chocolate to the frosting without messing up the texture?
I just posted cupcakes from that book today too! And I also have the Wilton cupcake carrier. Not to thrilled with it either, but I got it because I needed something to carry a huge sheet cake in. I would love a double decker.
Your cupcakes look great, as always! I need to work on my frosting skills. (Hence the reason I posted a recipe that could be frosted in a “rustic” style!)
Jessica – Definitely check out that carrier. Not sure if you guys have a Container Store, but I think BB&B carries it now too.
Cate – I’m not sure if more chocolate would ruin the texture… Possibly. I was underwhelmed when I tasted the frosting by itself, but when it was on the cupcake, it was really good. The subtle flavor paired really well with this cupcake. I just really prefer my chocolate frosting to be really chocolatey!
Erin – Thanks! I’m always try to improve my skills. This was the first time I’ve tried the rosette. I usually pipe from the outside in.
Yay, for packages in the mail and new kitchens!
I like how you frosted the cupcakes, very pretty. I haven’t made SMBC yet but I’m gonna soon. Sounds good!
Happy Friday!
~ingrid
I need that cupcake carrier!! Thanks for the link to it!! Ive been on the out look for a great one for a while!
These are great cupcakes! Well done!!
These look awesome! What icing tip did you use, if you don’t mind me asking?
I used my trusty old 1M tip for the frosting.
Awesome, thank you!
The frosting is so delicate looking. Just the way Martha Stewart would like it.
love the recioes and will definately try them but as i live in the uk please could you give me imperial measures rather than cupa and sticks thanks:)
Fiona
when I make chocolate SMBC I actually use cocoa powder. I think it gives it a stronger chocolate flavor without messing with the texture. Maybe you could try adding some cocoa powder if the melted chocolate doesn’t taste bold enough.
also, I saw those snap n’ stack cupcake carriers at my local Meijer and bought 2. they weren’t cheap so as I was driving home I was deciding if I was going to regret spending nearly $50 on the 2 of them, but I couldn’t be happier with them. they’re come in *so* handy.