Amelia's French Silk Chocolate Pie

Amelia writes:
"We had house guests this weekend, old friends Bob and Patty, who recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary (while we were in Japan) and today (their day of departure) is Patty's birthday. 

We lured them to Cottage Grove, instead of us traveling to Tacoma, Washington, with a promise of Chocolate Chip Cookies warm from the oven each night before bed, Black Russians on the creek side patio, yummy salads, garlicky shrimp and Patty's choice of a home-cooked meal and dessert in celebration of her birthday. 

Patty's chosen dessert was "Chocolate Cream Pie" which was quickly amended to "French Silk Chocolate Pie."  "Pie?"  I thought.  "PIE??"  The word careened through my brain, making me feel woozy and inadequate...

#1-I do not "do" pie crust
#2-I do not have much practice making pie-style fillings (see #1 above) and,furthermore
#3 I do not know how even the French could possibly get Silk into a pie.  

I expressed my doubts and Patty assured me that it would be easy (where have I heard THAT before) and that she had made them before, etc.  So, I hauled out my laptop and went to Google where I was assaulted with a virtual avalanche of recipes.  Reading through the first page of hits, I came upon one that "cooked" the eggs while they were being beaten (to within an inch of their lives it turned out) over hot water in a double boiler, whipped, we later learned, into a ten-minute-frenzy of light, lemon-colored, creamy, silky, lusciousness.

After being beaten over the simmering water for ten minutes, the mixture is beaten for an Additional Eight Minutes off the heat.  More beating is then required when adding the chocolate.  And the butter.  With a hand mixer.  An eighteen minute beating meditation.  Practice ... in being fully present in the preparation of the pie.

Eighteen minutes of beating results in pie that is so rich, so light, so densely creamy and smooth that it is almost unbelievable.  Each bite is a marvel, an eyes-closed, silence please, transportation to a slightly different world ...

I adjusted the recipe slightly. (Those of you who are shocked, please raise your hands.)  I used a crust made of graham crackers and gingersnaps, crushed and bound with melted butter - instead of the fluted, pre-baked pastry shell called for in the recipe (and shown in the photos!!)  I added one square of unsweetened chocolate to the 8 ounces of bittersweet called for.  I added one tablespoon of brewed espresso in addition to the one tablespoon of vanilla extract called for. 

This pie is SO rich that it might reasonably be relegated to the stash of recipes that is made only once a year (or even less frequently).  Like Gramdma Rose's Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies.  Or New England Rum Pie.  Or ... ?    So - here you go, with one more note from this cook. Next time I will try making this with only a small amount of the butter called for - perhaps 2 tablespoons instead of 8.  I just want to see what the difference is.

Bon Apetit.  Amelia"

Kate says: The butter along with the eggs thickens the filling, so probably won't work to reduce the butter.