Someone asked for a recipe for French Silk Pie. This pie is ubiquitous
but seldom the real thing. It has gone the way of Key Lime Pie I fear.
I made this pie often as a youngster in the late 1950s. The recipe was
from one of my mother's Pillsbury Bake-Off annual pamphlets. I do not
have the pamphlet, however, I have a copy of Pillsbury's Best 1000
Recipes (Barb Schaller also has a copy of this wonderful book.) The
book is a consolidation of the annual booklets from 1949-1959.

French Silk Chocolate Pie was a Best of Class Winner by Mrs. K. E.
Cooper of Silver Springs, Maryland. I do not know in what year she
won. But here is the recipe:

"A magnificent chocolate pie--rich, creamy smooth and luscious, and
you don't cook the filling."

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes Makes 8-inch pie

Prepare recipe for One-Crust Pastry, using 8-inch pie pan; bake as
directed

Cream 1.2 cup butter or margarine [editoral comment here...this was
the 1950s. Do not use margarine if you make this pie. It must be real
butter] Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, creaming well

Blend in 2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened chocolate, melted and
thoroughly cooled, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add 2 eggs, one at a time; beat 5 minutes after each. (With mixer use
medium speed.)

Turn into pie shell. Chill 2 hours. Top with whipped cream and walnuts
if desired.

The photograph in the book shows the pie with a rim of whipped cream
and whole walnuts placed about 3 inches apart so that each piece of
cut pie gets one walnut.

It is important to make your own pastry dough. Do not buy a ready made
shell unless you are absolutely afraid to tackle pie dough...and I
know that there are many who are terrified of the thought of such an
undertaking.

I will also confess to altering the recipe over the years. I add a
third square (oz.) of chocolate because I prefer a more chocolate pie.
I also add mint extract to the filling when I add the vanilla. I frost
the entire top of the pie with whipped cream and decorate the top with
chocolate curls. And I happily skip the walnuts.

Now I wonder if Mrs. Cooper is still alive and if she realizes that
her recipe has become such a famous American dessert standard?