Recipe: Easy as Pie Fillings: Chocolate

Lemon Meringue is certainly one of our favorites, but a girl needs chocolate!

I've tried several chocolate cream pies, some with whipped cream and some with a meringue topping. All of them have been fine. Everything you would expect: chocolaty, smooth, creamy. Until I found this recipe nothing had really wowed me. Then I found Ladd's Chocolate Pie from Ree Drummond of Food Network Magazine.

This pie had the “WOW” factor all the others had been lacking. Supremely chocolate. Rich and succulent. It beckons from the pie-tin, just sitting the refridgerator, calling me . . . You probably should not eat the entire slice you cut . . . I dare you not too!

Top it how like,but my favorite is with fresh whipped cream, barely sweetened.

Ladd's Chocolate Pie

As with the Lemon Meringue pie recipe, you will need to pre-bake the crust. This time it needs to cool before filling it. Aside from the crust here's what you will need:

• 1½ Cup granulated sugar (stick with cane sugars)
• ¼ Cup cornstarch
• 3 Cups whole milk
• 4 egg yolks, beaten with a fork
• If you want a meringue topping set the whites aside and I'll cover making meringue again at the bottom of this recipe.
• 6½ ounces of bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Pour in the milk, then the egg yolks. Cook to a boil stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the chocolate, the butter and the vanilla. Stir it well, until the chocolate is completely melted. Pour into the baked shell and chill at least 4 hours.

Serve this alone or top it with whipped cream or meringue.

This filling makes a nice pudding, but it is a bit rich so make the portions small. Adding whipped cream can reduce the richness too.

Enjoy!

Meringue Re-stated

The critical thing to remember when making meringue is that your bowl, whisp, egg beater. or whatever utensil you use have, must be completely grease and fat free. Any oily stuff will stop the meringue from stiffening and this includes any trace of yoke that might have snuck through when they we separated. Here's all you will need:

• The four egg whites left over from making the chocolate filling
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form when you lift the beater. While continuing to beat the  egg whites gradually add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice. Continue beating and add 3 Tablespoons of granulated sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form when you rise the beaters.

Spread quickly over the pie, don't over work the mixture but do seal the edges of the meringue mixture to the pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees until the meringue browns slightly or sweats. Remove from the oven and cool well before serving.