So, what are you doing for your Valentine on Thursday? Candy? Flowers? A romantic candlelight dinner?
Whatever your plans, I hope there’s room for this decadent pie. It would be the perfect way to cap off a day of loving gestures. And your beloved will be smitten. (As if you could go wrong with any recipe that has both chocolate and silk in the title, right?)
If you’ve never eaten this pie before, it’s a little hard to categorize. It’s not really a chiffon pie, but it has much in common with the airy texture of one. It’s quite creamy, too, like a cheesecake, but it’s lighter and it’s not baked. Imagine a cloud-like chocolate frosting masquerading as a pie. Hard to find fault with that.
Pastry-phobes take note: there’s no pastry to roll. Many versions of this pie do use a pastry crust, but I’ve used a chocolate Oreo crust instead. If there’s anything difficult about the recipe at all, it’s that there’s a fair amount of beating involved. I suppose you could do it, but I’ve never even tried doing this with a hand held electric mixer. I’ve always used my stand mixer.
I like to put a puddle of vanilla custard sauce on the plate along with the pie. Not that it’s really necessary; just another excuse to serve my favorite dessert sauce. But the sauce provides a colorful backdrop, and I like the way it looks when you float your little hearts in it. (Tip: don’t sweeten the whipped cream if you’re making it from scratch. The combination of the pie and sauce is already plenty sweet enough.)
Happy Valentine’s Day.
NOTE: Here’s where you can find the recipe for VANILLA CUSTARD SAUCE
Ingredients
- PLEASE NOTE: this recipe contains raw eggs. While eating raw eggs is not an uncommon practice, some sources frown upon it. Especially in the case of young children, the elderly, or pregnant women, there is an added risk. Please research this subject carefully first if you have any concerns. (safeeggs.com is a good source.) Alternatively, many stores now carry pasteurized eggs in the shell, a good choice if you want to avoid the risk associated with eating raw eggs.
- OREO CRUMB CRUST
- 3 cups coarsely broken up Oreo cookies (18 to 20 cookies)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
- Big pinch of cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon milk
- FILLING
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (not squishy soft)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Whipped cream, for garnish
- VANILLA CUSTARD SAUCE, optional (see link above recipe)
Instructions
- MAKE THE CRUST: Preheat the oven to 350°. Get out a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan and butter the bottom and sides. Set aside.
- Put the Oreo cookies in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse repeatedly in long bursts to make fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl. Mix in the nuts and cinnamon. Add the butter and mix well, first with a fork and then by rubbing the mixture well by hand. Add the milk and rub again until the crumbs clump together when pressed between your fingers.
- Transfer the crumbs to your pie pan, pressing them evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Place the pan on the center oven rack and bake the crust for 7 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Cool, then refrigerate until needed.
- MAKE THE FILLING: Put the chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over, not in, barely simmering water. Melt the chocolate, smoothing it with a whisk. Remove the insert and let the chocolate cool, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy, gradually adding the sugar. Continue to beat, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is light-textured, about 5 minutes. Scrape the melted chocolate into the butter mixture and beat for 30 seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes after each addition. The filling should be very light and creamy. Add the vanilla and salt and blend for 10 seconds to incorporate.
- Scrape the filling into the chilled pie shell and smooth the top with a spoon. Cover loosely with tented aluminum foil and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. Slice and serve with plenty of whipped cream and the custard sauce, if using. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
