Originally posted Feb 22, 2018 My dear mother-in-law Kris sent me this email a while back: “Hi Karen! “I’m sending you this [French Silk Pie] recipe my mom made all the time when I was growing up. She made this in a graham cracker crust though, not a regular pastry crust. It’s much better in a graham cracker crust. It’s super easy, very very rich and really delicious. I’ve made it a lot ever since I left home. It was a favorite dessert in college and our early married life because I usually had everything on hand in my pantry. I think you’ll love how delicious it is. I was looking through my hand written recipes and found this one. It’s right next to Almond Roca Bars! “Be sure and serve it with whipped cream.”
Pretty convincing recommendation right?? At least it was for me! (Those of you who are long time readers know that when Kris gives you a recipe, it’s gonna be a good one.) This pie does NOT disappoint. It’s one of those classic recipes that you’ve heard of but might never have taken the chance to try (it was for me). Well folks. It’s a classic FOR A REASON.
How to make French Silk Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
I made a couple of very slight changes on this version: I made a thicker graham cracker crust (because I’m obsessed with graham crust. I think this is how I’ll make them all from now on!) and I used stabilized whipped cream. That’s just a fancy way of saying that I added cream cheese to my whipped cream. (Cream cheese! The secret ingredient in so many things!! Creamy Mashed Potatoes! The Softest Sugar Cookies of Your Life! Make Ahead Scrambled Eggs! Pound Cake!)
You know how you can keep Cool Whip in the fridge for a couple days and it won’t deflate or get separated? Real whipped cream breaks down when it’s not perfectly fresh. I used cream cheese whipped cream because I wanted the whipped cream to look and act more like Cool Whip, but not actually be Cool Whip. (Not that I have anything against Cool Whip, actually. Stuff is delicious.) But I wanted to go au naturale here, mostly because this pie has “French” in the title and I thought the entire country might come swooping down on me. Just kidding, no it’s really because the whipped cream is a star ingredient in this pie, not a background filler ingredient, so you really want the perfectly creamy-vanilla flavor to shine, you know? Sorry Cool Whip, you are really good but just not French Silk level.
I almost forgot to talk about the eggs! The eggs are not cooked in this recipe. (GASP!!) So maybe don’t feed it to your great grandma. OR, use farm fresh eggs and you are pretty much guaranteed to be safe. If you are really, really worried about it, you can pasteurize your own eggs.
One more thing, don’t forget the chocolate curls! They are really easy to make and totally amp up the impressiveness of your pie. Enjoy!
You might like these other chocolatey recipes!
Chocolate Honey Chiffon Pie « this is very similar to today’s recipe but has a subtle honey flavor! It is so good! Also you can read about the time I couldn’t find the elevator button at Ikea. Riveting stuff, guys. Flourless Chocolate Cake with Ganache THE Chocolate Chip Pie « a Nestle classic that will blow your mind. The Best Chocolate Cake I’ve Ever Had « no lie. Sensationally Smooth Chocolate Cheesecake « So very smooth The Only Texas Sheet Cake You’ll Ever Need Mississippi Mud Cake Absolutely The Best Brownie Recipe I Have Ever Made « Speaks for itself. Chocolate Brownie Pie from Will Cook for Smiles Chocolate Covered Pretzel Pie from Tidy Mom
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