226g (or 1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
300g (or 1½ cups) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
For the chocolate curls:
90g (or 3 ounces) dark chocolate
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
For the whipped cream:
180ml (or ¾ cup) whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
Start with the crust:
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Stir together to combine. Using a pastry cutter, work the shortening into the flour until there are pea- to hazelnut-sized pieces of shortening visible in the dough.
Add the water, egg and vinegar and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the dough comes together.
Divide the dough in two equal chunks, shape the chunks into flat discs and wrap each disc in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to chill for about one hour.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (standard oven setting) and place an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. My oven has four rack positions, so I placed the rack on the second shelf from the bottom.
Once the dough has chilled, roll it out between two lightly floured pieces of baking parchment until it’s about 30-cm/12-inches in diameter. By rolling it between two sheets of baking parchment, the dough is less likely to stick.
Gently peel the top sheet of parchment off of the dough, then lightly flour the dough and place the parchment back on. Flip the dough (including the two pieces of parchment), peel the other piece of parchment off the dough and lightly flour this side of the dough too.
Carefully transfer the floured dough to a 9-inch pie dish, allowing it to ‘fall’ into the dish, instead of pushing the center of the dough down. Fold the overhanging dough underneath the dough to form the pie crust. Crimp the edge to make the crust look pretty. If you don’t know how, check out some youtube video’s.
Crumble up a large piece of baking parchment. Smooth the parchment out again and use it to line the pie crust. Snug the lining right up against the edges and sides of the crust. Fill the parchment with the uncooked rice or pie weights. Make sure the rice covers the bottom and presses against the sides of the crust. This will ensure that the bottom of the crust won’t rise and the sides won’t collapse.
Bake the crust for about 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are light golden.
Remove the pie crust from the oven and remove the pie weights (the rice) by lifting the parchment out of the pie dish by its four corners. Transfer the rice to a plate to cool.
Place the crust back in the oven for another 5-7 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust has turned a golden brown.
Once baked, remove the crust from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Once the crust has cooled, proceed with the filling:
In the bowl of a double boiler, melt the chocolate until stirrable. You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave (it’s actually easier) but I don’t have a microwave. Allow the chocolate to cool to body temperature.
In the meantime, combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix together until fluffy. This should take about two minutes. Add the cooled (but slightly warm) chocolate and the vanilla and mix again for two minutes.
Add the first egg and mix for exactly five minutes with your mixer set to medium-speed. After the five minutes, add the second egg and mix for another five minutes. Once the egg is properly mixed in, so after the five minutes, mix in the third egg, mixing for another five minutes. Finally, add the fourth egg and, again, mix for five minutes until the mixture is fluffy, smooth and cloudy. When you rub some of the mousse between your fingers, you should no longer feel any sugar crystals.
Plop the mousse into the cooled pie crust, smooth the it out and place the pie in the fridge for at least two hours. I actually left mine in the fridge overnight.
In the meantime, make the chocolate curls:
In the bowl of a double boiler, combine the chocolate and shortening. Heat until the shortening and chocolate have melted. Stir together.
Pour the melted mixture onto a flipped metal cookie sheet or baking sheet (so you’re pouring it onto the bottom). Spread the chocolate in a thin layer with a spatula and place the cookie sheet in the fridge until the chocolate mixture has set, about 15 minutes.
To test whether the chocolate is ready, do the fingerprint test. When you press your finger onto the chocolate, it should leave a slight mark, but not an actual depression.
Using a sharp-edged spatula, scrape the chocolate from the bottom of the pan. If the chocolate is too cold, it will crumble. In that case, allow it to warm up a little by leaving it for two minutes. If the chocolate is too warm, it will get too soft to curl. In that case, place it back in the fridge for a couple of minutes.
Scrape along the bottom of the pan until you have a plate full of curls. Place the curls in the fridge until use.
When you’re ready to serve, whip up the cream with the sugar. Pipe little cream roses along the edge of the pie and pile the chocolate curls into the center. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 162g Calories: 746
Recipe by The Tough Cookie at https://thetoughcookie.com/2014/05/16/french-silk-pie/