French Silk Pie

Growing up, Dr. Kevin's favorite holiday dessert was French Silk Pie.  In fact while In college, he and his twin brother would go to the local diner and split a whole pie between the two of them.  How far he has come in his food choices!  I wanted to carry on his old tradition with this nostalgic dessert made with real, whole food ingredients that is grain and sugar free.

Ingredients

Crust

2 1/2 cups almond flour

1/3 cup arrowroot

1/3 cup powdered coconut sugar, monkfruit sweetener, or birchbark xylitol

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, chilled

3 tablespoons water, chilled

5 tablespoons grassfed butter, room temperature

 

Combine almond flour, arrowroot, eggs, water, salt in a food processor.  Pulse about ten times to incorporate ingredients.  Dot the mixture with pieces of butter and pulse 5-10 times, until just incorporated.  Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and put it in the freezer for an hour.  

After an hour, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove the dough from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap.  There is plenty of dough to reserve about 1/4 for cut out shapes or lattice for the top of your pie.   Using your fingers and palms of your hands, press the dough evenly into a 9 inch pie plate.  If the dough gets sticky, dip your finger tips in cool water or arrowroot powder while you form the crust.  Crimp the edges.   Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.  

 

Pie Filling

2 1/2 teaspoons gelatin

1/4 cup cold, filtered water

1/3 cup boiling filtered water

3/4 cup coconut sugar OR 1/2 cup powdered xylitol or monkfruit sweetener plus 15 drops unrefined liquid stevia

2/3 cup organic cocoa powder

2 cups heavy cream, preferably raw & grassfed or coconut cream skimmed off chilled coconut milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract or scraped vanilla bean pod

 

                                      Bloomed gelatin

                                      Bloomed gelatin

In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup cold water and sprinkle gelatin over the surface.  Let gelatin stand and bloom for about 10 minutes.  In a small saucepan, bring 1/3 water to a boil.  As soon as it boils, remove from the heat and stir into the bloomed gelatin until well incorporated and set to the side.  

In a large bowl, combine cocoa, sweetener, whipping cream, and vanilla.  Mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer until just incorporated.  Pour gelatin mixture over the rest of the ingredients and continue to blend until smooth.  Pour or spoon into the prepared pie crust and make sure chocolate mixture is evenly distributed.  Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or until set.  Serve with fresh whipped cream or coconut whipped cream.  Store in the refrigerator.