Name: French silk pie recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 300ml thickened cream; 240g dark chocolate; 4 eggs; 250.00 ml caster sugar; 180g butter, softened; 1 tsp vanilla paste; Dark chocolate curls, to garnish; 125g cold butter, cubed; 332.50 ml plain flour; 60.00 ml cold water

by Greer Worsley Last updated on 09/06/2022

This decadent French silk pie gets its name from the smoothness of the chocolate mousse filling. Don’t skip over any of the steps involved, such as cooling the cream and whipping the butter, to ensure you get the texture just right. - Greer Worsley

Ingredients

300ml thickened cream
240g dark chocolate
4 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
180g butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla paste
Dark chocolate curls, to garnish

For pastry

125g cold butter, cubed
1 1/3 cups plain flour
3 tbsp cold water

Method

Step 1

To make pastry, place butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor and blitz into a fine crumb. Add water and pulse until the mixture comes together into a smooth dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead briefly, then shape into a flat disc, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 2

Remove pastry from fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a circle approx 35cm in diameter. Lift and drape into a deep 23-24cm pie dish and gently ease the pastry so it is smooth and even. Fold over the excess pastry to form a lip around the edge, and use your fingers to shape into a fluted pattern. The pastry rim should sit up a little higher than the dish. Use a fork to prick the base all over. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Step 3

Preheat oven to 180C. Remove pastry-lined pie dish from freezer and place a sheet of baking paper directly onto the pastry. Fill this with baking weights or dried legumes or rice. Bake for 12 minutes until the pastry is set but pale. Remove baking paper and weights, then return the pie to the oven for a further 8-10 minutes until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely.
Step 4

To make filling, in a stand mixer or using hand-held beaters, whip cream until thick. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a small bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, bein g careful to ensure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Set aside to cool.
Step 5

In another bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Place this over a saucepan of simmering water and continue whisking for 4-5 minutes until mixture reaches about 70C. Set aside to cool slightly, then add the melted chocolate and stir to combine.
Step 6

In a stand mixer or using hand-held beaters, whip butter for 3 minutes until pale and very creamy. Beat in vanilla. Add chocolate egg mixture and beat to combine. Then gently fold through the cold whipped cream. Pour into cooled pastry case and use an offset spatula or palette knife to smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least an hour to set.
Step 7

Garnish with dark chocolate curls before serving as is or with a dollop of extra whipped cream.

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

+ 2 hours refrigeration

This recipe makes a deep dish pie. You can take a shortcut by purchasing a pre-made pastry case from the bakery or freezer section of the supermarket, though it won’t be as deep and you may have some filling leftover.

There’s no need to worry about raw eggs in the moussey filling - as long as the egg and sugar mixture reaches 70C, they are safe to eat.

Recipe and photo by Greer Worsley.