Chocolate Pie

Chocolate pie was one of my family's favorite birthday desserts. Every year, it seemed that either my mother or father would request this. I always picked some crazy looking cake with a cool picture. Now that I'm a well-seasoned adult, I understand the allure of this pie....

Rich, chocolate pudding. Much better than the kind you make from a box. Darker, thicker, more chocolatey. It is what I made for my birthday this year. We've had this recipe in our family for-ev-er. It's another handwritten-on-an-index-card recipe. I have no idea where it came from. I'm just glad I have it.

Chocolate Pie
Source unknown

9-inch baked pie shell

6 oz unsweetened chocolate
2/3 c sugar
½ c flour
2 2/3 c whole milk
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbs butter
4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

1 c whipping cream, chilled
¼ c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Melt chocolate in top of a double boiler. Add sugar, flour, milk, salt, and butter to the melted chocolate. Blend with a whisk and cook over the bubbling water until thick, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with a whisk. Continue beating the yolks, and gradually add in 1 c of the chocolate mixture (amount doesn’t need to be precise). Add the chocolate-egg yolk mixture back the rest of the chocolate in the double boiler. Cook another 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly. Pour into the baked pie shell. Chill until firm.

Place whipped cream in a bowl that has been chilled (15 minutes in the freezer does the trick). Beat with a hand mixer until it begins to thicken. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and continue to beat until whipped cream reaches desired consistency. Use whipped cream to decorate the pie.