French Silk Pie

Although I'm not a fan of double crust fruit pies I do enjoy Lemon Meringue, Kentucky Derbe and this Chocolate Pie. I first discovered French Silk Pie in the late 70s, I think, and made it regularly, raw eggs and all, with no problems, even in Ecuador. But somewhere along the line it became incorrect to make things with raw eggs (although I continue to do so, and I eat cookie dough!), so someone came up with this recipe for "Today's French Silk Pie." It's rich, chocolatey and a small piece is enough. With a cup of tea, it's a perfect afternoon treat.

French Silk Pie - today's version

1 cup whipping cream

1 6-oz package semi sweet chocolate chips (or use Baker's squares)

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

2 beaten egg yolks

3 Tablespoons whipping cream

1 baked 8 or 9 inch pastry shell (or use a graham wafer crumb crust)

In heavy 2 quart saucepan combine the 1 cup of whipping cream, chocolate, butter and sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring until chocolate is melted (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir about half of mixture into the egg yolks. Return all to saucepan. Continue cooking over medium low heat until slightly thicken and nearly bubbly (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat. Mixture may appear to separate. Stir in the 3 Tablespoons of cream. 

Place pan in a bowl of ice water, stir occasionally until mixture stiffens and becomes hard to stir (20 minutes). Note: This always takes longer and I usually end up putting the pot in the refrigerator. It needs to be stiff enough to whip but not completely firm. 

Transfer mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Beat on high for 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy (I usually beat it a bit longer). Spread in pie crust. Cover and chill about 5 hours or until firm. 

Garnish with whipping cream, chocolate curls and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. This is very rich, tiny pieces are wonderful!