Each week I do a “Fun Fact Friday” post on my Facebook page,
Huntsville Hot Chocolates. Frequently
I’ll research and post on the history of a classic chocolate recipe. So today I decided to research the French
Silk Pie.
When I was in college we had a cook in the dining hall, Ms.
Lena, who made the most awesome French Silk Pie. College is quite honestly the first time I
remember having French Silk Pie and Ms. Lena’s was amazing. It had a flaky, buttery crust and a super rich
chocolate filling. If you saw French
Silk Pie on the menu, you knew it was an important dinner or the college had
special visitors on campus. It was one
of those kinds of pies. It was only made for special occasions or
company.
In my research, I found that the pie is perhaps not French
at all. The pie was actually a runner-up
in the 1951 Pillsbury Bake-Off® created by a Betty Cooper of Kensington,
Maryland. That’s where my research
ends. So in an effort to find out more
about how Ms. Cooper came up with the recipe, I’ve e-mailed Pillsbury to see if
they can shed some light on the original entrant and recipe. I love knowing the story behind a particular
recipe especially one that achieves status as a classic. I take inspiration from many different places
and wonder what prompted this home cook to make such a decadent pie? Was it
an accidental creation? Does she have a
French connection? Why did she enter the
contest?
I know there’s a story there, let’s just hope Pillsbury can
answer. Until then, here's
a link to Ms. Cooper's original recipe.
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