Old-Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie

Ingredients

Pastry

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Chocolate Filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 4 extra-large egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Meringue

• 5 extra-large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

• Prepare Pastry. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut shortening into flour with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas. Push mixture to one side of bowl.
• Drizzle 1 tablespoon water along edge of flour mixture. Use a fork to toss some of the flour mixture into water. Move mixture to opposite side of bowl and repeat with 2 more tablespoons of water.
• Gather the dough together with your hands. You can add a little more water if the mixture is too dry, but it is best to add as little water as possible. Shape dough into a disk and place on a lightly floured work surface.
• Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Trim excess pastry and fold edges under and crimp. Prick bottom and sides with a fork and bake for 9 minutes, until golden brown. Set pie crust aside to cool and reduce oven to 325 degrees.
• Prepare Chocolate Filling. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, unsweetened cocoa, and salt. Gradually whisk in both milks.
• Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute whisking continuously.
• Remove from heat and gradually whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks. Continue to add hot mixture to egg yolks while whisking constantly until approximately 1/4 of the mixture has been added to the egg yolks.
• Pour egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk well.
• Cook mixture, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap and keep warm.
• Prepare meringue. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves.
• Pour chocolate filling into pie crust. Spread meringue over filling, sealing the edges. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, or until meringue is golden. Cool completely before slicing.

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