Fat Pie

I have interesting names for food. It's true. Yesterday it's "That Spinach Thing", today it's Fat Pie. I call 'em like I see 'em.

As far as I'm aware, Fat Pie got it's name from my maternal grandfather. I believe the actual title of the dessert is Chocolate Silk Pie, but everyone knows that's not as much fun to say. The story, as I understand it, was that a very long time ago, my mom made this pie for my grandparents, and my grandfather took one bite, said something like "wow! This is one Fat Pie!" and the name just stuck. Ever since I first had it, that's what I've called it, and that's what my friends and family have called it. It's one of the more well-known dishes amongst friends and family that I have.

All right, now that we've gotten that out of the way, gather 'round, everyone. It's story time. This pie has gained somewhat of a cult popularity status among friends. I loved having one for my birthday, and discovered that my friends in college loved when I got one. So my sophomore year in college, my mom made me a pie that came in a sheet pan instead of a round pie plate, so I could share. That year, my room had a little roof deck that we'd kind of illegally use for extra space when we had parties. In the winter, it also made for great freezer/fridge space when we wanted to keep something cold. When I got the pie, it didn't fit in the cube fridge my roommate had, so I covered it, put it in a box, covered the box with towels and rocks to keep it stable, and went about my day. The next morning while I was at breakfast, my next door neighbor came down to the dining room (back in the day, each dorm at MHC had it's own dining room...pretty cool) and told me "uh, Linda...you might want to check on your pie that's out the window. I think some squirrels found it."

Turns out EVERYONE loves fat pie.

I ran back upstairs to find the box partially open, and opened the tin foil to find a paw print in the corner. I was horrified. Some stupid squirrel was eating (or attempting to eat) my pie! I was determined to keep the pie though, so in a moment of college chaos, I got a knife, and to my roommate's horror, cut that piece out (wide, wide base, people! I wasn't that crazy). Then I re-cut the pie so that the untouched, untainted pieces were still okay. And then I had another piece despite what had just happened. That is how much I love this pie.

No one else touched the tin from that moment out, however. I think mom had to make a new pie so people wouldn't have to eat the "tainted" one. But look, it's 11 years later and I'm still alive. That story has been retold over and over and people are still hysterical that I found squirrels trying to eat that pie.

When I wanted to make this recipe myself, I had graduated from college (and lived in an apartment with a real full size fridge and freezer, no outdoor roof freezer, thankyouverymuch)and I can't remember what the occasion was. I couldn't find the recipe in my mom's recipe collection, and panicked at the thought that I wouldn't be able to recreate it. Many of her recipes (including this one) she had memorized and quite unfortunately disappeared when she passed away. Luckily, after a friend had tried the pie back in college, she asked me for the recipe, so at that time, I got Mom on the phone, she told it to me, and I passed it along (and back then, I of course didn't keep the recipe for me!). Thank goodness that friend still had the recipe over 3 years later when I went to make it! It sits in my arsenal of recipes, one of my most favorite ones, and I hesitate to give it out because it is a)one of my most favorites and b) because really, there's so much eggs and butter in this thing that I don't usually like to give up how much is in it! But all in moderation. It's a Special Occasion Pie. It reminds me of many good times and it's so good. I hope if you make this pie it makes good memories for you too.









It is an incredibly rich, incredibly good dessert. Another bonus is that it's a no-bake dessert and it has whipped cream to go on top (which I haven't put on yet because it hasn't been served-actually it's sitting in my sister's freezer until it will get eaten in a few days because I'm out of freezer space!). Plus, this is one of those desserts where you will TOTALLY want to lick the beaters clean once you finish mixing everything together. Don't think for one second I didn't do that-it totally brought me back to my childhood, where that was always my job :). I promise you will not regret having this dessert AT ALL-it is the kind of thing everyone should have at least once.



Fat Pie (or, if you want to be more sophisticated, Chocolate Silk Pie) (original recipe author unknown-but feel free to give my mom the credit)

(this recipe will yield 2 pies in a round pie plate, or one if you use a longer sheet pan. This time around I used the pie plates)

Crust:
-1 package of Oreo cookies, crushed fine (use a blender or a food processor-I have found that I can crush the entire package at once in a food processor, or a sleeve at a time if I use the blender)
-1 stick of butter, melted

Combine crushed Oreos and butter well and divide evenly into two round pie plates or in one big rectangular pan. Make sure you pack the mixture well-use a spoon or your fingers to press the crust into the pan and up the sides. Freeze or refrigerate until you are ready to fill the pie shells.

Filling:

Beat 2 sticks of softened butter and 1 1/2 c. sugar until fluffy (use an electric hand mixer if you have one, or a stand-up mixer-this will make the process much easier, I promise).
Add 2 tsp. vanilla, and then add 4 squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted (I use the Baker's brand-about 4 oz total. You can either melt it over a double boiler or use the microwave and check every 20-30 seconds until melted totally-and make sure you melt it completely. Nothing's worse than finding a chunk of unmelted, unsweetened chocolate!).
Add 6 eggs, one at a time. Beat each egg for 2 minutes at a medium high speed before adding the next egg.
Put filling into the pan(s) and refrigerate/freeze until ready to use. These may be made a few days ahead if needed.

Whipped Cream topping:
Beat 2 c. heavy cream with 1/2 c. confectioner's sugar to desired consistency. Add whipped cream to pie when ready to serve. :)