all in a day
I was packing a few last kitchen items Tuesday evening when I looked up to see a nice rosy glow on James Peak. It’s been a while since I’ve had the leisure to notice sunset because our time has been sucked up with a project of sorts.
sunset on james peak
Early Wednesday morning, we piled a bunch of stuff, ourselves, two mountain bikes, and the dog into two cars and headed west because we had an appointment at noon. Jeremy took Kaweah in the Outback (Subie) and I followed in the WRX (Roo). He told me later that she faced backwards for the first 30 minutes to see where I was before she settled down for the 4.5 hour drive.
the view from the gas station at copper mountain
road trippin’ through colorado
we closed on a great little place in crested butte!
i celebrated with a raspberry lime fizzy drink avec umbrella
This post is coming to you from the new Crested Butte branch of use real butter! Butter headquarters remains in Nederland (near Boulder), but I’ll be working periodically from the CB office too. We’re still unpacking stuff, but Kaweah really digs the new place and every window has a view of a towering snowy mountain (because we are surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains). So let’s celebrate with some pie – some French silk pie. It’s super smooth which might be why it has “silk” in the name, but if you’ve ever chomped on silk (which I have), it’s got NOTHING on this pie!
am i right?
Start with the crust. I made a chocolate cookie crumb crust. Actually, I originally crushed a bunch of organic chocolate graham cracker bunnies (Annie’s brand), but the color was too light for what I had in mind. Those crumbs went into a bag for later projects and I resorted to an organic Oreo cookie (Newman-O’s). You know the drill, split the cookies open and scrape off the cream filling, then introduce the chocolate cookies to the food processor.
for the crust: organic oreos, butter, sugar, vanilla extract
scrape away the cream filling
combine cookie crumbs, sugar, vanilla, and melted butter
press into a pie plate or baking pan and bake
Now on to the silky (but really, they mean buttery, delicate, airy, melt-in-your-mouth) filling. If you care at all about making good food, then I suggest using quality dark chocolate. Also, if you care at all about quality dark chocolate, don’t tank a batch of filling by combining the ingredients in the wrong order like I did. That ended badly.
filling: chocolate, vanilla, sugar, butter, espresso powder, eggs, cream
chop the chocolate
stir vanilla and espresso powder into melted chocolate
Now beat the butter and sugar together until they are in a light and fluffy coexistence. Then add the chocolate mixture. Then add the eggs. Don’t add the eggs before the chocolate, because that is what I did the first time and it sucked. Now when you beat the eggs in, the mixture will curdle and look like a major fail, but you have to let it continue beating for the full 3-5 minutes. Eventually, your filling with turn into a smooth and sexy chocolate filling. Finally, fold in whipped cream. This made my filling turn fluffy rather than smooth despite making sure I whipped the cream to soft peaks, but it all works out. Trust me.
beat the sugar into the butter
add the chocolate mixture
add the eggs (first two then one)
folding into whipped cream
Pile the filling onto the crust. You can do this in a pie plate or a baking pan or a springform pan – totally up to you. The filling is smoothed and then refrigerated. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, but overnight is better. When you are ready to serve the pie, whip some heavy cream to top it off however you like.
pour the filling onto the crust
smooth the top
just before serving, whip some cream
decorate the pie however you like
If you don’t have the patience or skill to make chocolate scrolls – never fear! Grate or shred some chocolate onto the whipped cream and call it good. I like chocolate scrolls, but I do not like making them. I must admit that chocolate scrolls (or ruffles, but I have yet to produce consistently attractive chocolate ruffles) do add a little height to the pie, which is always nice. So there you have it! And how does it taste? The taste is excellent, but the texture is divine. Not bad for a French silk pie which is neither French nor silk!
different tempting layers
from above
french silk pie, at your service
French Silk Pie
[print recipe]
adapted from this recipe at The Kitchn
cookie crust
2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
4 oz. unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsps sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
chocolate filling
8 oz. dark chocolate
1/4 tsp espresso powder
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
3/4 cup (6 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup heavy whipping cream
whipped cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tbsps sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
Make the crust: Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk the ingredients together in a medium bowl until combined. It should look like wet topsoil. Press the crust evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate or a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Set aside until ready to use.
Make the filling: Melt the dark chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat on the stove or in a medium bowl on low power for a minute at a time in the microwave, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the espresso powder and vanilla extract. Set aside. Beat the butter on medium with a paddle attachment in a stand mixer for a minute. Add the sugar and beat for another 3-5 minutes until fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl down as necessary. Add the chocolate and beat until it is completely incorporated into the butter and sugar mixture. Add 2 of the 3 eggs to the bowl and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes (don’t underbeat). Add the last egg and beat on medium for 3 minutes (again, do not underbeat – it will actually become silky). Whip the cream in another bowl to medium peaks. Fold the chilled whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until you can no longer see streaks of whipped cream or chocolate. Pour the filling onto the crust and smooth the top. Cover the pie and refrigerate overnight.
Make the whipped cream: Right before you are ready to serve the pie, combine the whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip until stiff peaks form (wet, not dry – dry means you overwhipped it and it will break rather than flow).
Pipe or top the pie with the whipped cream. Garnish the cake with shaved chocolate or chocolate curls. Serves 12.
more goodness from the use real butter archives
|
chocolate espresso pecan pie |
|
blueberry pie |
|
bourbon peach hand pies |
|
butterscotch and milk chocolate puddings |
May 23rd, 2013 at 12:15 am
Oh man this looks fantastic! So exciting about the new house. XO
May 23rd, 2013 at 12:45 am
Best wishes to your new HQ =P I love your stories about Kaweah, makes me wish I weren’t allergic and that I had a dog growing up!
May 23rd, 2013 at 4:28 am
Congratulations on the new headquarters!!!
May 23rd, 2013 at 5:03 am
Looking forward to seeing photos of CB. Pup looks sooooo happy! Congrats on this new chapter of your life.
May 23rd, 2013 at 5:31 am
I’ve been wanting to try a recipe like this for so long! Love this idea!
May 23rd, 2013 at 5:36 am
Looks delicious, and congrats on the new house!
May 23rd, 2013 at 6:42 am
1) Yum! Will have to make this sometime. 2) My husband and I were living in CB ski bumming when we met and a year later we celebrated there with a big outdoor party. It holds a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to see more of your stunning photos from that neck of the woods!
May 23rd, 2013 at 6:57 am
Ok…. not sure what I love more…
1) Kawaeh facing backwards for 30 min….
2) “Roo” and “Subie”
3) the new CB diggs…
4) or this awesome pie (made w/ organic Oreos of course!)
Doesn’t matter, love it all! The house looks wonderful and I know you’ll be very inspired there! Love CB!
May 23rd, 2013 at 7:26 am
Congrats on your new headquarters! This pie looks divine!
May 23rd, 2013 at 7:28 am
Congrats on the new hq! Glad the three of you are enjoying it.
Also, is naming Subarus a law? Our blue Legacy has been ‘Subie’ since it first came home.
May 23rd, 2013 at 8:14 am
Damn, girl! That looks amazingly good! And your new place isn’t half bad either. Congrats!
May 23rd, 2013 at 8:15 am
Whaaat? You DID NOT make your own oreos this time? :-) (could not resist)
Congrats on the new place, looks awesome!
May 23rd, 2013 at 8:32 am
Congratulations!
May 23rd, 2013 at 9:00 am
Congrats on the new place! Can’t wait for a tour of the new “neighborhood!”
May 23rd, 2013 at 9:49 am
Congrats on the new branch!!! Can’t wait to see the magic you put in it!
“Different tempting layers” just about sums this dessert up just right!
May 23rd, 2013 at 1:45 pm
So happy for you!
May 23rd, 2013 at 3:01 pm
Congrats! And this pie looks absolutely amazing. I think I’m going to make it for a dinner party tomorrow night.
May 23rd, 2013 at 4:32 pm
Congratulations! This pie looks like the perfect way to celebrate. I’ve only ever had silk pies at diners (…I know…) and I’m sure they can’t compare to a homemade version!
May 23rd, 2013 at 6:27 pm
Great pie and great news about the CB home. I know y’all will love it. Gosh, I will continue to wonder how you have time to do so much living in one home, now two!
May 23rd, 2013 at 7:08 pm
Congrats on the new home!!
May 23rd, 2013 at 9:33 pm
Oh, Jen! This was a most fabulous post on so many levels. First of all, congratulations to you, Jeremy, and K-pup. A place in CB! We went for a long weekend this winter and want to return this summer. We went to the Montanya Rum distillery and have to go back. I was going to ask you for advice on the best time to go. We want to see the wildflowers but not be mobbed by the crowds, Secondly, French Silk Pie? Incredible. I first made it back in the 60’s from a Pillsbury Bake-Off recipe. It’s been a staple in my repertoire ever since. Organic Oreos? Who knew? I made a chocolate peanut butter pie for Pi Day this year and tried Oreos for the crust. I didn’t remove the filling and it worked just fine.
May 24th, 2013 at 1:30 am
This looks soo good!!!!
May 24th, 2013 at 5:23 am
I have to ask….what did you do with that plateful of cream filling? Please tell me you didn’t throw that goodness out!!!
May 24th, 2013 at 8:18 am
Enjoy your second office!!!!! Sounds like a sanctuary! Are wildflowers starting? Any, by the way….YUM!
May 24th, 2013 at 9:59 am
Congrats on the new house! It looks and sounds amazing.
I love your stories about Kaweah. She’s the sweetest!
May 24th, 2013 at 11:48 am
Great recipe. Great house. Love Crested Butte. Don’t know you, but must admit, it seems so you! Congrats!
May 24th, 2013 at 12:02 pm
about the eggs on the filing, how do they cook or don’t cook? love colorado!
May 24th, 2013 at 12:29 pm
I spent some time in Nederland when I was a young hippy. That would have been 22 years ago!
I’ve not been to Crested Butte, but when I see pictures, I want to cry from the beauty of it.
Congratulations!
Thanks for another great recipe :)
May 24th, 2013 at 2:35 pm
Gorgeous!! I think I”m going to be craving this pie all night!!
May 24th, 2013 at 3:34 pm
Seems to me that you have found a piece of heaven with your new abode. How wonderful! Incidentally, is it possible to use pasteurized eggs in lieu of the raw eggs without any degradation in texture or flavor? With Crohn’s, I am concerned about potential Salmonella risks. Thank you for another excellent recipe.
May 25th, 2013 at 10:08 pm
Congratulations!
Oh, that pie is beautiful, just like the second abode.
:)
May 26th, 2013 at 5:50 pm
Not that I would judge for scraping the cream filling off (and…eating it??!!), but you can throw the whole cookie in to make crust. I used Oreos all the time to make a chocolate cookie crust and just use the whole cookie and it is DE-LICIOUS!
May 27th, 2013 at 11:04 am
I will try to make it.
May 27th, 2013 at 11:36 am
Congratulations! Your new place looks wonderful! And your pie photos are stunning. Your photos always are, but these especially! Thanks for always being an inspiration to take care with each component used in cooking…. beginning with the right ingredients makes for much better eating. So awesome! I’m really taking it to heart. xo!
May 27th, 2013 at 12:36 pm
Thanks, everyone! We’re pretty excited about the new place too :) xo
Erin – I think everyone calls their subie “Subie”. But when we got the second car, we had to come up with something else, so Roo seemed appropriate (Subie & Roo) ;)
sallybr – I was tempted! but being so short on time, I went for the organic O’s :)
Rose – the wildflower festival is usually in early to mid July, so that’s typically a good bet and I haven’t found it to be terribly busy (then again, I hike in). But there are so many species that are peaking at different times that you will probably find a good amount of flowers wherever you go starting in mid June through August. We saw tiny larkspur and bluebells popping up while we were there this past week. I think it’s going to be a good year! Thanks for the tip on the oreos :)
Kelley – uh… I threw it out :) Jeremy wanted to eat it, but I wouldn’t let him.
jill – yes, the very earliest of them are just showing, but nothing major. Give it another month and it will be gangbusters.
lilly – the eggs are raw in this recipe, but you can use pasteurized eggs if you are concerned.
JaneM – yes, you can use pasteurized eggs according to the recipe at The Kitchn. I’m not sure how much it differs, but they probably wouldn’t list it as an option if it really compromised the texture/flavor.
Jen – thanks for the tip!
Sophie – thank you :)
May 30th, 2013 at 4:54 pm
the pie looks scrumptious! and congrats on your new place! :)
July 31st, 2013 at 7:02 am
I made this french silk recipe and piped it into chocolate shells and served it with fresh fruit on top. It was a huge hit! Thanks for such an excellent recipe and for making it printable. Well done!
August 9th, 2013 at 7:47 am
Great view from the gas station. The snowy peaks must have been at such a high altitude. Thanks for posting and good luck with future travels.
March 18th, 2014 at 4:32 am
Is the espresso powder really necessary? I am very sensitive to coffee, is it possible to substitute or make it without?
March 18th, 2014 at 11:56 pm
Michele – I think you could get away with omitting it. It’s such a small amount anyway.
July 9th, 2014 at 3:39 pm
NOW THiS iS JUSSST FAN TAB U LUSSS.. and i feel slightly guilty cuz i said that VERY thing on another chocolate recipe….BUT THiS MY DEAR iS SUPERLY DUPERLY fantabulUSS…i saved it and named it “off the chain french silk pie”
November 18th, 2014 at 2:41 pm
what percent of dark chocolate did you use?
November 19th, 2014 at 11:16 am
Kathryn – at least 65%, but I don’t remember exactly.
November 26th, 2014 at 2:55 pm
My son’s and I (9 and 6) decided to make a French silk pie this year. Though I am a baker, I’ve never tried this one. We looked over several recipes and decided this one was our favorite. It has been prepped and is in the fridge and looks WONDERFUL! Fingers crossed mine turns out half as good as yours! :)
November 26th, 2014 at 10:07 pm
[…] uses a pre-made Oreo crust so it is no bake and easy to make! The recipe I used was adapted from userealbutter.com. If you have extra time, this blog has the recipe for a homemade Oreo […]
December 20th, 2014 at 3:35 pm
May i ask why do you remove the cream filling? We’ve always left it in for the oreo-style pie crust.
December 20th, 2014 at 6:13 pm
Kathleen – you can certainly leave it in, but I prefer the straight cookie crust without the creme filling.
January 25th, 2015 at 6:54 am
How did you get the pie out of the springform pan so well? Lovely pie but can’t figure out if I will be able to get it from sticking!!
January 28th, 2015 at 11:58 pm
natalie – I ran a warm knife along the edges before releasing the pie from the sides. When you loosen the ring, just loosen it a little and check to see if anything is sticking – if it is, give it a quick swipe with a warm/hot sharp knife to release.
November 25th, 2015 at 7:19 am
I made the filling and mixed the butter and sugar for about five minutes and added the chocolate mixture etc…and it is really gritty. Will the sugar melt into the mixture from the moisture after a few hours sitting in the fridge?
November 25th, 2015 at 8:54 am
Emily – I don’t know, it might. I think the main thing is to beat the mixture after the addition of the eggs until it is smooth.
November 22nd, 2016 at 1:33 pm
Hello there,
I am very interested in giving this recipe a try! I am concerned though because i do not have the attachments/tools you used. I don’t have a stand mixer; I only have a regular hand held mixer. Would that do fine mixing everything up in this recipe or will it not turn out right? :(
November 22nd, 2016 at 1:44 pm
Ashley – a handheld mixer should work. If the butter is too thick for the beaters, then try beating it by hand with a spoon until it softens enough, then switch to your mixer.
September 27th, 2017 at 7:53 pm
I just made this pie for a work function and it turned out perfectly! I used a triple chocolate mix of dark, milk and white chocolate and it turned out lovely. Only note is, as I am not a classically trained chef, I was unaware the chocolate would seize when the extract was added. It was a solid lump but once added to the butter/sugar mixture it went liquid again. You may want to add a note to add the extract to the whipping cream portion of the filling instead of directly to the chocolate if the extract is alcohol based and not oil based like mine was. :)
December 24th, 2017 at 5:56 pm
I made it this morning and the only problem i had was whilst adding the vanilla, the melted chocolate seized up! So after checking other recipes, i added the vanilla to the batter/mousse before adding the melted chocolate.
December 24th, 2017 at 5:58 pm
Hahaha, I guess i should have read all the comments…
November 21st, 2018 at 7:44 am
I’ve made this for 3 years for Christmas, my family raves over and don’t believe I made it. It is the most delicious chocolate concoction I have ever made. Thank you for that. The only thing I wish I could fix is the Oreo crust, it is always so hard to cut thru. Wish there was away to soften it up. Maybe keeping cream I. Oreos would help??
November 29th, 2018 at 8:12 am
Heidi – I think if you keep the cream in, the crust might be easier to cut. Alternatively, you could try baking a chocolate short crust? I guess it’s striking the balance between holding together and being easy to break through with a knife. Maybe use a bread knife (serrated) for cutting/serving pieces?