French Silk Pie Bars

For the Crust:
12 Tbsp (1.5 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar

For the Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp vanilla
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces

For the Topping:
1/2 tsp gelatin
2 Tbsp cold water
1 cup heavy cream
4-5 Tbsp powdered sugar

For the Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degF. Line an 8″x8″ pan with parchment paper.

Pulse crust ingredients in food processor 8-10 times until combined. Press crust in to bottom of pan.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

For the Filling:
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave (use 30 second intervals at medium power). Set aside.

Beat the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Place in small bowl and chill in the fridge.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together eggs, sugar, and water until pale yellow and slightly thickened (~6 minutes). Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water and heat mixture to 160 degF, whisking occasionally.

Put bowl on to mixer and beat on medium speed until cooled to room temperature and thickened, about 8 minutes. While beating, add in the chocolate and vanilla. Beat in butter, one piece at a time. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in whipped cream.

Pour mixture over cooled crust and smooth top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours.

For the Topping:
In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water to soften for 2 minutes. Head 15 seconds in the microwave and whisk to dissolve gelatin. Whip the cream to stiff peaks, adding the gelatin and powdered sugar while whipping.

Spread or pipe on top of bars and chill until set. Decorate with chocolate sprinkles or curls.