Chocolate Meringue Pie

Let me preface this post with the fact that I am much more of a chocolate mousse pie kind of girl than a chocolate pudding pie kind of girl which is what this pie turned out to be. So, although it wasn't my favorite, it was still pretty damn delicious.

Chocolate Meringue Pie
from Martha Stewart

Yield Serves 8 to 12

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe Flaky Pie Dough (recipe below)
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 cups whole milk
• 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 large egg whites, room temperature
• Pinch of cream of tartar

Directions

1.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into a 12-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edges so that there is a 1-inch overhang. Fold under, and crimp with your fingers. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prick bottom of crust all over with a fork. Freeze 15 minutes. Line with parchment, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are just golden, about 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment. Return to oven, and bake until center is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

3.  Whisk 1 cup sugar, the flour, and cocoa. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup milk until smooth and thick. Whisk in egg yolks.

4.  Heat butter, salt, and remaining 1 1/2 cups milk in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until butter has melted. Add about 1/4 cup butter mixture to the cocoa mixture, and whisk until smooth. Add cocoa-butter mixture to pan, and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and beginning to bubble, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and whisk in vanilla. Pour through a fine sieve into cooled pie crust. Let cool completely. Refrigerate for 1 hour. *I would recommend refrigerating for much longer, up to overnight*

5. Preheat broiler. Put egg whites, remaining 2/3 cup sugar, and the cream of tartar into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar has dissolved and mixture reaches 160 degrees. Remove from heat. Beat on medium-low speed for 5 minutes. Raise speed, and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Spoon onto pie, making sure meringue touches crust. Broil until browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute. *Meringue tastes better if its refrigerated after being browned, at least 30 minutes*

Flaky Pie Dough

from Martha Stewart

Yield Makes enough for two 9-inch pies

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water

Directions

1. Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream until dough just holds together (no longer than 30 seconds).
2. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days). Dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

*This crust is super simple to make, the longest part is the refrigeration.