Do you guys have those moments in your life that you always think back to when you’re referencing past events? Like…was that before or after my first child was born? Was that before or after we moved across the country? Or got married? Or started a new job or bought a house?
Five years ago (and honestly, in so many ways, it feels like a lifetime ago), my husband and I had just moved to Louisiana. We had a 3-year-old who is now 8 (yes, I can do simple math) and a baby who is now 5 (again with the simple math). We were living in a teeeeeny tiny little rental house, the economy was on the verge of collapsing, and I didn’t know a single soul.
On the other side of the country, there was my friend Sara, who had a 2-year-old and was verypregnant with her second baby.
And we just decided to start putting recipes up on a blog, just for fun, kind of to keep ourselves sane.
I don’t know about the sane part, but the blog part is still here, 5 years, one name change (who’s been here since we were The Daily Bite??), at least 4 logo designs, 2 cookbooks, and 793 recipes later.
There’s no way to explain what a blessing this blog has been in our lives. It’s forced us to learn things we never thought we’d have to learn, do scary and wonderful things we never thought we’d do, and get to know people we never would have the chance to meet otherwise. You guys, if we didn’t have people reading this, this whole blog project would have fallen to the wayside a long time ago. You have read and loved and supported us, you’ve cooked and laughed and cried with us and we truly can’t thank you enough. For all those of you who we’ve had the chance to meet, or talk to, or email, we’ve loved it. For those of you who lurk in the shadows, that’s okay–we love you, too.
We’re not Oprah, so giving everyone a car is out of the question. Instead, I’m giving you pie. The catch is that you have to make it yourself.
I have not had French Silk Pie since I was a single lass in college and my roommate Sara (not Our Best Bites Sara…our only experience with being roommates is two nights in a hotel in Des Moines) made it so our apartment could impress an apartment full of guys. Why haven’t I made it in the past…um…12 1/2 years (it hurts to write those numbers)? Because it has raw eggs in it. And you guys know how I feel about cooked eggs, let alone raw eggs.
The whole raw egg issue is a hot topic. We’ve talked raw eggs before and opinions on the safety of raw eggs is all over the map. Here are the opinions and options you’re likely to run across (DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE NOT OUR BEST BITES’ OPINIONS! If you eat raw eggs and get sick and sue us, that’ll be a bummer for everyone!):
1) The chance of contracting salmonella from raw eggs is very small, so don’t worry about it.
2) If you eat raw farm-fresh eggs, you should be fine.
3) French people eat raw eggs all the time and they’re fine. Anyone who worries about contracting diseases from raw eggs are pansies. Now go away or they shall taunt us a second time.
3) If you wash eggs with antibacterial soap, it will kill the germs.
4) You can “pasteurize” the eggs by an elaborate microwave method that probably works and sounds like something that would make me not want to eat eggs for 10 years.
5) You can buy pasteurized eggs that are safe to eat raw.
I personally have never known anyone to get sick from eating raw eggs, but I still don’t do it or advocate it., but I have deep-rooted egg-related neuroses that may require therapy. And up until recently, I haven’t been able to find pasteurized eggs, until I stumbled (not literally…that would have been messy) upon them at my beloved Kroger.
They are expensive. For me, they’re not everyday eggs. But I can be 95% okay with eating French Silk Pie now, until I actually eat it, at which point I am 123% okay with eating it because it is the most delicious and decadent and best pie of all the pies.
For the crust, you’re going to need a stick of cold, salted butter, grated with a cheese grater…
all-purpose flour, brown sugar, salt, and pecans that have been finely chopped or ground (not into pecan butter, just into crumbs) in a blender or food processor.
Preheat oven to 325. Butter, grease, or spray a 9″ pie plate and set aside.
Combine the crust ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and combine with your fingers until coarse crumbs form.
Press into the prepared pie plate, using your fingers or the base of a glass to evenly form a crust.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is becoming golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
For the filling, you’ll need 1 1/2 sticks of salted butter, 1 cup sugar, vanilla, 3 eggs, and 3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate that’s been melted and cooled (so it’s still liquid, just not hot chocolatey liquid).
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the 1 1/2 sticks of butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the melted chocolate
and mix until combined.
Add 1 egg and beat for 5 minutes. Add the second egg and beat for another 5 minutes, and then add the third egg, beating for another 5 minutes. Yes, that is 15 minutes of beating. No, you may not cheat and not mix it for that long; only sadness will befall you. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape the chocolate filling into the pie crust.
Carefully cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, top with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Makes 8 slices.
Thank you guys, again, for 5 of the most amazing years of our lives! Here’s to many more years of delicious fun-filled blog friendship in the future!
French Silk Pie
Recipe from Martha Stewart
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 stick salted butter, grated
1/3 cup pecan halves, coarsely ground in blender or food processor or finely chopped
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
1 1/2 sticks salted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs (pasteurized if possible)
Sweetened whipped cream
Shaved chocolate curls
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325. Butter, grease, or spray a 9″ pie plate and set aside.
Combine the crust ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and combine with your fingers until coarse crumbs form. Press into the prepared pie plate, using your fingers or the base of a glass to evenly form a crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is becoming golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the 1 1/2 sticks of butter, vanilla, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the melted chocolate and mix until combined. Add 1 egg and beat for 5 minutes. Add the second egg and beat for another 5 minutes, and then add the third egg, beating for another 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape the chocolate filling into the pie crust. Carefully cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, top with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Makes 8 slices.
Questions & Reviews
We’ve been making French Silk Pie for years! It’s the family favorite! But we always make it when my mom and all sisters are in the kitchen cooking together… because we double it and then eat half the pie filling before it even gets to the shell! But since we doubled it, there’s always enough! 😉 So as we cook other items, we get a finger dip of filling here and a spoon dip there, and the guys are none the wiser! So yummy you can’t help but dip a finger or two! Happy Birthday ladies! YOU are a blessing to us! Thank you!!
Happy birthday!! Love this blog sooo much!
I recently saw a recipe for French Silk Pie that heated the eggs, with the sugar, to 160° in a double boiler to make them safe for the pie. Basically this method, used for making swiss meringue buttercream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBBoRMWcfNc
Except using the whole egg instead of just the whites. In case you’re interested.
Happy Blogging Birthday! You have provided us with so many wonderful recipes 🙂 And this pie, yum!
I remember when you were The Daily Bite. You had to remember all the dashes or else you would go to some vampire website! You guys have seriously improved my cooking skills! My husband and girls thank you!!!
HA! Oh, my gosh, that was so funny.
All those egg comments are funny because I JUST read an article about European eggs vs. eggs in America and how both would be illegal in the other location. America requires washing of eggs and keeping cold. European forbids washing eggs (because of the protective coating that they come out with would be removed) and keeps them room temp near other baking ingredients. And by the end of the article, I couldn’t really determine if one way was more RIGHT or more SAFE than another, I was just kinda “Wow. Eggs are more complicated than I thought.” Although, America HAS made it a priority to ship eggs to stores MUCH faster than before which also increases safety. The older the egg, the greater the risk of contamination or bacteria growth. I’ll probably splurge on the pasteurized ones to be extra cautious (since I’ve got little ones with less experienced immune systems) and make….MORE PIE! hehehe or maybe make some other things that have raw eggs in them….I can’t think of many….the original Orange Julius….ceasar dressing…..hmmm. Maybe I’ll make a LOT of pie and freeze some for later.
I use egg beaters and my recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla. Sometimes I do half vanilla and half almond. So good! Oh, mine also uses cream of tarter- I don’t know what that does for the pie.
Uhhhh, I thought for the WHOLE FIRST HALF of this post that you were SAYING GOODBYE. You cannot do this to me. Forget the pie. I need a Valium. 🙂
I’m SO SORRY, haha! No, we’re not going anywhere…I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. 🙂
The honest truth is, I regularly lick the beaters and eat cookie dough even though I know you’re not “supposed” to. But the thought of serving up a dish that has so much raw egg in it still makes me nervous. This pie looks soooo stinkin’ amazing, though, I just have to try it. I’ll have to search around for some pasteurized eggs or get egg beaters or something so I don’t have to worry about anyone getting sick. If that makes me a pansy, so be it. 😉 Thanks for always posting so many delicious recipes, guys. 😀
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! And this totally looks lovely!!
Happy blog birthday! This should be a national hopiday for all the help you ladies have given out over the years! :). Quick question, because I too have raw egg phobias (maybe there’s a support group?), but could I sub in the pasturized egg stuff in the carton? I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the name of it. Or would that just be weird and sad?
Egg Beaters!
Wow! 5 years! How life changes! Glad to have “known” you for 4 of those years. Your first cookbook was a housewarming gift to myself when we moved into our new house (that we built while i was pregnant! Moved in 3 days before our (10 day overdue ) baby was born. I’ve got similar egg issues that kept me from trying Caesar salad until about a year ago. Even though I “know” it’s safe.
I’ve made French Silk Pie before with Egg Beaters since they are pasteurized and it turned out great! I realize that there aren’t any yolks in them, but they are safe, relatively inexpensive, and pretty readily available. It gives the equivalent measurements of a real egg right on the package too! We’ve also used them in homemade strawberry ice cream that called for raw eggs, and it also turned out great.
Same here, I’ve used a recipe for many years with the Egg Beaters. It is a family favorite at Thanksgiving. Works great every time.
Happy birthday! Love your blog and recipes! The pie looks great. I’ve never had a French silk pie before. Looks delicious.
This is crazy. I have to make a pie tonight for something and I was thinking…I sure wish Best Bites had a French Silk Pie Recipe. This morning I woke up, and my wish came true. Perfect timing. Wow. Can’t write to test it out.
Oh my goodness!! That looks amazing!!!!!!!
YUM! and… Happy Birthday! You’re my most favorite food blog of all time.
Ohhh french silk…. I could kiss you! I am way excited to make this!!! Happy bday too!
Just make sure it’s not a French kiss. 😉
Happy Birthday!! Love you girls, so many of your recipes have become staples around my house!
Happy Birthday OBB!!!
Yesterday while I was making a chocolate pie (your chocolate mousse recipe in an oreo cookie crust with crushed oreos on top — easy and delicious) for our family pi day celebration I was thinking it’s too bad pi day is on a Thursday and OBB isn’t posting a pie for it. I’m glad I was wrong and you were posting anyway, even if it was for your birthday and not for pi day. Happy birthday and I can’t wait to try the pie!
Happy birthday! This pie looks so yummy. Is this a dumb question…do you measure the nuts before or after you grind them into crumbs?
Not dumb at all! Before. 🙂
Happy birthday guys!! And what a fabulous way to celebrate!
This is my favorite pie, though I always make it with a graham cracker crust. I made it for Thanksgiving at my in laws’ once. When someone told me it was delicious, instead of saying “thank you” I replied, “I know, right?!” Years later, they still tease me about how “humble” I am. Love your site, love your cookbooks. Happy birthday!
HA! I love that story. This pie TOTALLY deserves it, though–no humility for French silk pie.
So, since this was posted so late, I don’t know if the birthday for the blog is 3/14 or 3/15, but if it was 3/14, this is totally apropos, since 3/14 is pi(e) day. Get it? Ok, I know I’m a nerd. But if it’s 3/14, you should post a birthday pi(e) every year! Thanks for the recipes. And really, it’s not just the food I come here for (since I don’t eat cheese or chocolate, and they come into play quite a bit here)- I love the posts themselves- totally my type of writing and personality.
Thanks!
So, I have to ask, did you do pie because of the date? Today (Well, yesterday now), is Pie Day (3.14).
I wanted to so pie, and then realized what day it was, so it was a happy coincidence. 🙂
It looks yum! But raw eggs aren’t really my thing….at all!
Hooray, I can’t wait to make this..I have tried a few different french silk pie recipes and they have been utter failures. Looking forward to one that works, as all your recipes have for me. Excited!
Ok…so this is totally random and has nothing to do with this amazing pie. The other day I was watching my Denver Time out for Women DVD and watched your presentations and remembered how totally you girls did. Hilarious! Anyway, that night I had a dream that you guys opened a super hip, fresh and airy restaurant(kind of like Sara’s new kitchen) in Chicago named, of course, Our Best Bites, but it wasn’t really Chicago, but in Europe on the street I grew up. And then I saw you two and was totally star struck and started babbling (kinda like I am now) about how much I love your blog and get this…your Reuben sandwich in the restaurant. I don’t even know if I’ve ever had one, or if you even posted a recipe like that. ANYWAY…how random and weird is that?!? Just so you don’t think I am a weird stalker, really…I dream a lot during the night, and ALL my dreams are super random, and weird…but very vivid and I remember them all. Weird!!!
Oh…and happy birthday to this awesome blog! You guys rock! Seriously!
Okay, that is hilarious. And your’re not gonna scare me; I’m the queen of having weird dreams about people. And you’re not crazy, we did have a corned beef panini. I ended up pulling it (maybe temporarily–the file is still there) for various reasons. 🙂
Happy birthday!!! Congratulations on all your success. It is well deserved. Thank you for all the amazing recipes:)