Lighter Chocolate Silk Pie Lacks Fat But Not Flavor

French Silk Chocolate Pie is one of the world’s ultimate chocolate indulgences. Made of butter, sugar, chocolate and eggs, it melts in your mouth like candy. However, the dreamy dessert has a dark side: It’s loaded with fat and calories.

This revamped version of Lighter Chocolate Silk Pie uses fat-free cream cheese instead of butter, and the filling is made with one egg and two egg whites in place of two whole eggs. The new pie filling also is baked, which reduces the risk of salmonella poisoning from raw eggs.

A typical ready-made, flour-and-butter pie crust can add about 120 calories and 12 grams of fat to an already fattening dessert. The revised recipe calls for a modified graham-cracker crust that adds only 55 calories and less than one gram of fat per serving.

Even with about half the calories and fat of the original, Lighter Chocolate Silk Pie has the same delicious texture and deep chocolate flavor. All that’s really missing is the guilt.

Lighter Chocolate Silk Pie

Crust:

11 whole graham crackers

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 egg white

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package fat-free cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 whole egg

2 egg whites

1 (2-ounce) square unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts or almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor or blender, grind the graham crackers into fine crumbs. Add the granulated sugar and egg white and blend until the crumbs are damp.

Press the mixture evenly across the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan (use a sheet of wax paper to prevent the crumbs from sticking to your fingers). Bake the empty pie crust for 7 minutes, until the edges are crisp and brown. Allow to cool.

In a food processor or blender, combine the fat-free cream cheese and powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the whole egg, egg whites and vanilla, beating after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the pie is lightly set. Remove from oven and cool 20 minutes. Refrigerate and allow to chill thoroughly, at least 2 hours.

Whip the heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. Spread the cream over the top of the pie and sprinkle with chopped walnuts or almonds.

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (including crust): 219 calories, 8 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrate, 9 grams fat (37 percent fat calories), 45 milligrams cholesterol, 260 milligrams sodium.

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