Grandma Chocolate Meringue pie

Today on my Holiday Food Blog : it’s all about Southern Pie :

My Grandmother was the Pie lady in town and my Mother tried. Since yesterday was Pie day I am celebrating with :

My Grandmother’s famous Chocolate Pie is below !

10 to 12 (3-inch) frozen unbaked pastry tart shells or 1 (9-inch) frozen unbaked pie shell
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 large eggs, separated
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 425 degrees.

Place the frozen tart shells in their aluminum pans on a baking pan. Prick the shells with a fork a few times on the bottom and sides. Bake until the shells are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely before removing the shells from their pans. (If using a 9-inch pie shell, follow package directions for baking.) Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

For the filling, whisk together 1 cup of the sugar with the flour and salt in a small bowl.

In a saucepan heat the milk over medium heat until it just begins to steam, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it melts. While whisking constantly, gradually pour the sugar mixture into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Place the pan back over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. While whisking constantly, pour a generous tablespoon of the hot chocolate mixture into the yolks. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the remaining hot chocolate mixture until smooth. Place the pan over low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.

Meanwhile, prepare the meringue: In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. While the mixer is running, pour in the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, and continue beating on high until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.

Ladle the chocolate filling into the cooled tart shells and cover with meringue. Make sure the meringue meets the pie crust to completely cover the filling. Bake until the meringue is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Let the tarts cool for at least 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, lift the tarts out of their aluminum pans, and place on a rack to cool completely. Serve.

Kitchen tips:

Why is my chocolate pie watery?

You need to cook the filling long enough so the mixture coagulates (that happens at 160 degrees), but if you cook it too long, and don’t stir the mixture enough (stirring keeps the temperature down), you’ll overcook the custard: Overcooking breaks down those all-important proteins, and that’s when the weeping starts.

How do you keep meringue from sliding off a pie?

Remove the paper once you’re ready to top the pie; the meringue will bond together with the rough surface of the filling as the pie cools, which will keep the meringue from sliding off when you go to slice it. 4. Make sure the pie has cooled completely before you slice it; otherwise, you will have a mess on your hands.

How do you keep a pie crust from getting soggy on the bottom?

Blind Bake

is by a process called blind baking. Blind baking means you pre-bake the crust (sometimes covered with parchment or foil and weighed down with pie weights to prevent the crust from bubbling up) so that it sets and crisps up before you add any wet filling