I’ve been on a pie kick this summer. When my friend Jason posted the recipe for Easy as Silk Pie, a simpler re-imagining of French Silk Pie, I decided that I didn’t want to wait too long to make this recipe. The simplicity of this recipe appealed to me. There’s only 4 ingredients! The pie was just half-and-half (or cream), gelatin, sugar, and chocolate, melted together and chilled in a pie crust.
Now, I do enjoy making traditional stirred custard for pies now that I’ve done it a few times, and I enjoy recipes that take lots of ingredients as well. However, some of the recipes I enjoy most are simple, either in their steps, or their ingredient lists.
[This post contains affiliate links. I may make a commission for purchases made through links on this post.]
The instructions for this recipe were simple. Soak gelatin in the half-and-half. Add sugar and heat. Add chocolate and stir until melted thoroughly. Pour into pie crust and chill. This took me about 20 minutes at the stove, because I wanted to be sure to go slowly. The most difficult thing was melting the remaining chocolate flecks that kept floating to the top. I used a milk frother (affiliate link) along the surface briefly to mix it in, since it seemed like it just needed a little friction to dissolve the rest of the way. I poured it into the pie crust, cooled it a little before I put it in the fridge, and covered it with plastic wrap after it was set.
This pie tasted delicious, with a pure taste of chocolate. However, I personally didn’t care too much for the texture. It was too much of a gelatin texture for my liking. I wonder if I cooked it longer than I should have, and that made it a little too firm for my tastes. Alex liked it, so this may just be a matter of me being picky. In any case, it was simpler than a traditional custard pie, and it tasted good, so give this a try.
📖 Recipe
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half
- 1 packet unflavored gelatin
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 ounces chocolate (chopped into small pieces)
- 1 9- inch tart or pie shell (baked and cooled)
- whipped cream (for topping)
- chocolate shavings (optional, for topping)
-
Pour half-and-half into a saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over it. Allow gelatin to bloom for 5 minutes.
-
Add sugar and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add chocolate and stir, over low heat, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
-
Pour filling into the baked tart or pie shell and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings before serving.
Adapted from Jason Brechin
Leave a Reply