I’ve been wondering, as I come up on a year of this project, what makes a family recipe. For the longest time, before I started digging through my grandmother’s recipe cards, I considered “family recipes” to exclusively be anything that was a completely unique invention of the person cooking it—something that leapt out of their minds and onto the plate. And for the most part, the majority of my grandmothers’ recipes are like this. The ingredients lists and bare-bones instructions point to recipes that were passed down through watching and listening rather than reading.
But as I’ve been digging around my grandmothers’ recipe cards, I’ve realized that my idea of a family recipe is kind of narrow. Pasted onto notecards are cut-outs from newspapers and magazine and cake boxes of recipes that I’ve seen on my family’s tables since I was a child. They aren’t the invention of my grandmothers, sure. But they were repeat recipes that regularly wound up on our plates as we gathered for Sunday dinner. Isn’t that what a family recipe actually is?
While I love how democratized cooking has become, I do think that there’s a bit of snobbery that comes along with “true” and “authentic” personally-developed recipes. My view is that as long as you aren’t claiming recipes as yours that aren’t yours, and that you’re giving credit and respect to the person(s) or cultures that were first to create the dish, then why not share a dish that is meaningful to you, even if you didn’t create it?
Which brings me to French Silk Pie.
This was one of my grandmother’s recipes that actually comes from good ‘ol Pillsbury, circa 1999. I haven’t been able to find this exact recipe online anywhere, but I’m a fan because it doesn’t use raw eggs like most French Silk Pie recipes. Instead, you combine cornstarch and milk in a pan in order to gain the thickening action you need to create a yummy, fluffy pie. (A boon when you invite your pregnant friend and her husband over for dinner and don’t want give her or her baby salmonella.)
So is it a recipe that my grandmother created? No. But is it something that feels a part of my family? Yes—and to me, that’s the heart of a family recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 pre-made pie crust
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups milk
1 6 oz. package (or 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Grated chocolate for topping
INSTRUCTIONS
Fully blind-bake your pie crust fully according to package instructions. Let it cool completely.
In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch until well-combined. Gradually add milk, cooking over medium heat until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Add chocolate chips and vanilla, mixing until melted and smooth.
Pour mixture into a small bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, pressing it into the chocolate so that it create a tight seal. Cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Reserve 2 cups of whipped cream for topping.
Remove the plastic wrap from the chocolate mixture and beat until light and fluffy. Gently fold in your whipped cream until combines, and then spoon the mixture into your cooled pie tin.
Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 to 3 hours, or until set and ready to serve. Top with grated chocolate.