Chocolate Cream PieYield: 8 servings Ingredients: |
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Directions:
Prepare 1 basic pie crust. Once you've placed the dough in the pie pan and crimped the edges, prick the bottom and sides of the pastry with the tines of a fork. Bake the empty pie crust in a 425 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove pie crust from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
While your pie pastry cools, prepare the cream filling. Beat 3 egg yolks in a small bowl, set aside. In a medium saucepan (a 2 quart works well), combine the 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch, and salt. Stir in the milk and add the chocolate. Cook over medium-low heat and stir continuously with a wire whisk until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat.
Using a spoon or small ladle, add a little of the hot chocolate mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Pour the hot mixture slowly into the eggs while stirring quickly all the while. You want to slowly raise the temperature of the egg yolks; if the eggs become too hot too quickly, they will scramble. After you have done this, slowly pour the egg mixture back into your saucepan, stirring well. Cook again, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until thickened, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the tablespoon of butter and teaspoon of vanilla.
Immediately pour the hot filling into your pie pan. (If you think you may have some lumps, you can pour the mixture through a strainer before putting it into the crust.) Smooth the top of the pie with a rubber spatula and cover the pie with a piece of plastic wrap. Press the plastic wrap over the warm filling so that it makes direct contact with the surface of the pudding - this will keep your pie smooth and pretty. This pie is best served chilled with fresh whipped cream.
