Reduced-Fat French Silk Pie
By Cristin WalshPublished on June 9, 2014
Time
1 hour, plus 30 minutes cooling and 3 hours chilling
Yield
Serves 8
Ingredients
CRUST
4 ounces crisp breadsticks 3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted1 ounce ⅓ less fat cream cheese (neufchatel), softenedFILLING
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin ½ cup 2 percent low-fat milk 7 ounces ⅓ less fat cream cheese (neufchatel), softened¾ cup (5 ¼ ounces) sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped3 large egg whites ¼ teaspoon cream of tartarBefore You Begin
Purchase cracker-style breadsticks for the crust, not the soft, freshly baked variety.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch pie plate with vegetable oil spray. Process breadsticks and sugar in food processor to fine crumbs, about 30 seconds. Add butter and cream cheese and pulse until combined, about 8 pulses. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs into bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake until crust is fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating plate halfway through baking. Let crust cool completely on wire rack, about 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup milk in small bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Whisk cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Combine chocolate and remaining 1/4 cup milk in medium bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, about 90 seconds. Microwave gelatin mixture until melted, about 10 seconds. Stir gelatin mixture into chocolate mixture. Whisk chocolate mixture into cream cheese mixture until smooth.
- Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently fold whipped egg whites into chocolate mixture in 2 additions until no white streaks remain. Pour filling into crust. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve.
for the crust
for the filling
Time
1 hour, plus 30 minutes cooling and 3 hours chillingYield
Serves 8Ingredients
CRUST
4 ounces crisp breadsticks
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 ounce ⅓ less fat cream cheese (neufchatel), softened
FILLING
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
½ cup 2 percent low-fat milk
7 ounces ⅓ less fat cream cheese (neufchatel), softened
¾ cup (5 ¼ ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
CRUST
4 ounces crisp breadsticks
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 ounce ⅓ less fat cream cheese (neufchatel), softened
FILLING
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
½ cup 2 percent low-fat milk
7 ounces ⅓ less fat cream cheese (neufchatel), softened
¾ cup (5 ¼ ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
CRUST
4 ounces crisp breadsticks
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 ounce ⅓ less fat cream cheese (neufchatel), softened
FILLING
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
½ cup 2 percent low-fat milk
7 ounces ⅓ less fat cream cheese (neufchatel), softened
¾ cup (5 ¼ ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
To lighten this notoriously decadent pie, we first swapped out the two sticks of butter from the original Pillsbury contest recipe for low-fat cream cheese. We lowered the fat content by removing the yolks from the three eggs in the original recipe. Whipping the egg whites lightened the filling, and the addition of gelatin made for a perfectly sliceable pie.
Before You Begin
Purchase cracker-style breadsticks for the crust, not the soft, freshly baked variety.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch pie plate with vegetable oil spray. Process breadsticks and sugar in food processor to fine crumbs, about 30 seconds. Add butter and cream cheese and pulse until combined, about 8 pulses. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs into bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake until crust is fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating plate halfway through baking. Let crust cool completely on wire rack, about 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup milk in small bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Whisk cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Combine chocolate and remaining 1/4 cup milk in medium bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, about 90 seconds. Microwave gelatin mixture until melted, about 10 seconds. Stir gelatin mixture into chocolate mixture. Whisk chocolate mixture into cream cheese mixture until smooth.
- Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently fold whipped egg whites into chocolate mixture in 2 additions until no white streaks remain. Pour filling into crust. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve.
for the crust
for the filling
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