Chocolate Cream Pie

Today I invited Mom, Molly and the boys to dinner.  I wanted them to meet the new addition to our family - Mai.  Mai is a foreign exchange student that will be staying with us for the next few months.

Mai was born in Vietnam, but lives in Prague, Czech Republic.  She is a very sweet girl.  Mai's favorite food is spaghetti - wow!  She is in the right house!  For dessert, we decided on chocolate cream pie.

Here are the ingredients:

Crust -

1 package of chocolate graham crackers
1/2 stick butter, cold


Filling -

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon cocoa
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping -

3 cups heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar

In your food processor, mix the graham crackers.  When they are ground to a fine crumb, add the butter, one tablespoon at a time.  Mix until the ingredients stay together when pressed.

Press into a well greased pie plate.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

While the pie crust is baking, start the filling.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter, 1/2 cup cream, chocolate chips, and cocoa together.  When that is melted, add the vanilla.

In a larger saucepan whisk the sugar, cornstarch, salt, cream and half and half.  Heat until just ready to boil.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks.  Take a little of the cream mixture and temper the eggs.  This means that you are warming the eggs up before adding the yolks to the saucepan.  To temper the eggs, take a little of the cream mixture and pour it into the yolks, whisking constantly.  Then, add to the cream mixture.

Pour the chocolate into the cream mixture.

Heat until boiling, then remove from heat.  It should start to resemble a pudding consistency.  It will continue to thicken as it cools.  When it is warm, not hot, pour into the pie plate.  Place in the refrigerator and let it chill.

When the pie is cool, make the topping.  Put the heavy cream into your mixer.  Add the powdered sugar.  Mix until the ingredients resemble the consistency of whipped cream.  Put on top of the pie.  Add shaved chocolate for decorations.

The boys gave their approval!

This pie was definitely worth it!  It was yummy with a double m!  Enjoy!