Chocolate Cream Pie

I should have posted this recipe before Thanksgiving... because Thanksgiving is the season for pies, but you never really NEED an excuse (or holiday, for that matter) to make a scrumptious pie, says I.

This recipe comes from my husband's BFF's wife. Yes, my husband has a best friend, namely Del Post. Del is Aaron's long lost soul mate and luckily they were put together as mission companions in Spain. I love how much they love each other. Nicole, Del's wife, would be my BFF if we lived closer. We both have 3 boys the same ages. We both supported our husbands through law school together while living only 2 short hours away. When graduation came, we moved to Vegas and they stayed put... and we really miss them! Eventually (when the Posts decided to move down south) Aaron and Del will be business partners and Nicole and I will sit together on porches, drinking lemonade in our rocking chairs... It only the Posts understood how important it is for them to move away from the cold northwest. Nobody in their right mind wants to live in Montana, anyway.

Back to the chocolate cream pie recipe... I don't have permission to share it with the blogging world, so I hope it's not a secret 50 generation family recipe. It should be, though because it's THAT GooooooD (and easy.)

Pie Crust:
1 1/4 C. Shortening
3 C. Flour
1 tsp. salt
*Cut flour and salt into shortening until mixture is crumbly.
Combine:
1 egg (well beaten)
1 Tbs. vinegar
5 Tbs. water
*Mix egg mixture into flour mixture until pie dough forms. This makes four single crusts or two double crusts. So divide into four and roll out. For cream pies, bake pie crust at 400 degress for ~10 minutes or until lightly golden browned.


Chocolate Cream Pie Filling:

Using a heavy saucepan:
*Combine and wisk together in the saucepan (I like to use the flat bottom kind to keept the cream filling from burning... Nicole's words, not mine. But I agree with everything she says :)

1/4 c. flour
1 c. sugar
2 Tbs. cornstarch
6 Tbs. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt


In a separate bowl combine:

3 c. milk
3 egg yolks

mix really well together so eggs don't burn.


Slowly add milk/yolk mixture to saucepan and turn on med/high heat. Using wisk, stir constantly, keeping the wisk on the bottom of the pan to keep the milk from scalding. Stir until mixture becomes thick and starts to boil. Boil for 1 minute, remove from heat.



Add:

1/2 cube butter
2 tsp. vanilla

stir until butter is melted and mixed in.



Cool pudding in sink of ice water (still in pan) and cover directly on top with saran wrap. (be sure not to run water on your pudding) After about 15-20 minutes, pour into pie shell, cover, and refrigerate for three hours.

Top with whipped cream before serving and if you want to make it look really fancy, add chocolate shavings on top. Marie Calendar... move over.

If it sounds too complicated, let me assure you, it's not. I love recipes where you have EVERYTHING on hand. This is totally doable and OH! so yummy!

Happy baking.