Dad's Chocolate Cream Pie And Variations

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk, scalded
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 3 slightly beaten egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (9 inch) baked pie crusts
• 3 stiffly beaten egg whites
• 6 tablespoons sugar

Recipe

• 1 mix cornstarch, 1 cup sugar and salt.
• 2 melt unsweetened chocolate in scalded milk.
• 3 gradually add milk.
• 4 cook in double boiler till thick, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
• 5 slowly add small amount of hot mixture to egg yolks.
• 6 stir into remaining hot mixture.
• 7 cook 5 minutes.
• 8 cool.
• 9 add butter and vanilla.
• 10 pour into shell and spread with meringue made out of whites and 6 tablespoons sugar.
• 11 bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes.
• 12 ** for butterscotch: omit chocolate. substitute brown sugar for sugar and increase butter to 3 tablespoons.
• 13 ** for caramel: omit chocolate. decrease sugar to 2/3 cup and caramelize 1/4 cup of sugar and add to scalded milk.
• 14 *** for coconut: omit chocolate. decrease sugar to 2/3 cup. add 1 cup moist, shredded coconut to filling. sprinkle 1/2 cup coconut on meringue before browning.