I have seen people eat all of the filling out of a slice of pie and leave the crust behind. But that is not me. When it comes to pie, I want as much crust as I can get, which is why I love slab pie so much! Because the pie is so much bigger and the filling is so much thinner, the ratio of crust to filling is ideal. (Or at least I certainly think so.) And a French Silk Pie illustrates that point perfectly… While the filling of a normal French Silk Pie can feel like a bit much, with a slab pie, it’s the perfect dose of rich chocolatey flavor backed by crispy crust. And it feeds a crowd, which is always a plus. (Whether you actually have a crowd or just want more slices for yourself.)
Here’s a nice thing — you can use your favorite pastry recipe OR storebought crust for this; it’s totally up to you. But whatever route you’ll go, you’ll need the equivalent of two crusts. If you’re using storebought, just stack the crusts together and roll them out into a rectangle that’s slightly larger than your baking sheet. (Which should be a half sheet pan, which is about 13×18 inches.)
INGREDIENTS
- 2 9-inch pie crusts, softened
FOR THE FILLING:
- 10 oz bittersweet chocolate, plus more for topping
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
PREPARATION
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a half sheet pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, stack pie crusts on top of each other and roll out into a rectangle that’s slightly larger than your baking pan. Place crust in pan, pressing into the corners, cut off excess dough, and crimp.
- Line crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until slightly golden, about 15-17 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before filling.
- In a microwave-safe container, melt the chocolate in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until nearly melted. Then, stir until completely melted. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk sugar and eggs together. Reduce heat to low, and stirring constantly, heat until sugar has dissolved and mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract until smooth. Let cool until warm, stirring occasionally.
- While chocolate cools, add butter to a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Gradually pour in the chocolate mixture, then beat on high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer until it starts to thicken. Add powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Fold 1 1/2 cups of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and reserve the rest for topping.
- Spread chocolate mixture into cooled pie crust and chill until set, 1-2 hours. Top with remaining whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired, before serving. Enjoy!
