Chocolate Cream Pie

Chocolate Cream Pie

The first thing I had to do was make the pie crust. I started by mixing the flour and salt together. Then I cut in the lard after the flour and salt was mixed. After that I slowly put in some water to moisten. The next thing I did when the batter was all sticking together I rolled it into a ball. I then rubbed in flour on the pastry cloth and rolling pin cover so the dough wouldn't stick. Next I put the ball of dough on the counter and formed it into a disk. Then I set the dough on the pastry mat and rolled out my dough. Once I rolled it out I folded it over and placed it into my pie pan. I then cut the edges off the sides and crimped the sides with my fingers to create a finished edge and poked holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. I then let it bake in the oven for 12min at 350 degrees. After making the pie crust I started making the meringue and the pudding. I started off by measuring everything out so I would have it ready. I put egg whites in the mixer first and mixed it until they were frothy. While that was going I beat the yolks for my pudding. I combined the sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a saucepan then added in milk and cocoa while continuously mixing.  I turned on the stove to medium heat and mixed until It was thickened and bubbly. While stirring I added vanilla and cream of tarter into my meringue and let that mix until soft peaks formed. Once my pudding thickened I reduced the heat and stirred in some of the hot mixture into the yolks to temper. I then dumped the egg mixture into the saucepan and brought it back to a boil. I then removed it from the heat and stirred in butter and vanilla. Next I poured in the chocolate pudding mix into the pie crust. With the meringue I added sugar to form stiff peaks. Finally I spread the meringue on top of the pudding and cooked it in the oven for 12min at 350 degrees. I got this recipe from Mrs. Cummings and it had a very sweet taste. The chocolate took over most of the pie and  made it really rich. The pie crust enhances the flavor of the filling by giving it a sweet bread like taste with a flaky feel. The browned top on the meringue makes it look unique like it was torched like a brûlée. I would definitely make this recipe again, maybe for a holiday or special occasion.