Chocolate Pie

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/4 cup sugar (if using a sweetener only use 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp cornstarch

5 tbsp cocoa

4 egg yolks

3/4 stick butter or 6 tbsp

1 tsp vanilla extract

Meringue

4 egg whites, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar (if using sweetener use 2 tbsp)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 recipe of stabilizer 

Stabilizer for Meringue

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup  water

Never Fail Pie Crust (make 3 crust depending on sizes)

   This recipe came from my mother's church cookbook 1987

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/14 cups Crisco, or any shortening

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar

6 tbsp ice water ( may have to use more)

Pie Crust

In a large bowl add flour, salt, shortening, beaten egg, vinegar and ice water. I put water in a cup with ice and then measure out what I need. 

Using a pastry blender or a fork to mix into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap three balls and refrigerate till it's chilled.

Remove from refrigerator and roll out on a floured mat. Roll two inches larger than your pie plate. Fold in half and put in a pie plate. Pinch edges and using a fork prick the sides and bottom of dough. You can use pie weights instead of pricking the dough but fill the pan fill so the edges won't fall down.

 Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until light brown.

Pie Filling

Crack eggs and put egg whites into an electric mixer bowl, put yolks in a medium microwaveable bowl. Add milk in with the egg yolks. Beat  until eggs are combined. Put in the microwave for 1 minute, this is to get milk warm. In a small bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch and cocoa.

Remove the milk bowl from the microwave and whisk in the dry ingredients. Return the bowl to the microwave and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and bowl and using a whisk stir the filling. The filling should be getting thick. It probably will need one more minute in the microwave but be careful not to cook until it's too thick cause when it gets cold it will thicken up. This timing is for a 1200 watt microwave. If yours is smaller you will have to cook longer. Usually it takes about 5 minutes total in the microwave.

Remove from the microwave when it's creamy thick and sdd butter and vanilla extract. Stir till butter is melted.

Pour filling into a cooled pie crust. Your pie filing should still be hot when you add the meringue.

Meringue

In the  electric mixer where your egg whites are, add the cream of tartar and beat for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add the sugar, beat for another 3 minutes. Add vanilla while the mixer is running.

While you're making the meringue, make your stabilizer.

In a small saucepan add cornstarch and water. Stir well to dissolve the cornstarch. Over medium heat cook and stir constantly until it turns clear and thick. You don't want it thin but not too thick, The longer you cook it the thicker it will get. 

While mixing is still running add a spoonful at a time till you use it all and beat until it's well combined.

Spoon over the hot pie filling, sealing the edges well. Using the back of the spoon make indentations in the meringue forming peaks.

Place in a 350 degrees oven for 15 minutes or until the meringue is brown.