Chocolate Pie with Meringue

This is the chocolate pie your grandmother made: a thick, glossy custard filling cooked on the stovetop with real unsweetened chocolate melted into scalded milk, thickened with flour and egg yolks, then poured into a baked pie shell and crowned with billowy meringue.

Melting the chocolate directly into the hot milk creates a smooth, intense base that’s richer than cocoa powder alone. The flour-and-sugar mixture thickens the custard as it cooks, but you need to stir constantly and let it boil for a full two minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Tempering the egg yolks by adding a little hot mixture first prevents scrambling when they hit the pan.

The meringue goes on while the filling is still slightly warm so it bonds to the surface. Cream of tartar stabilizes the whipped egg whites, and a quick bake until the peaks turn golden brown finishes the pie with that classic diner look.

Pro Tips

• Scald the milk (heat until tiny bubbles form at the edges) before adding the chocolate. It melts faster and more evenly in hot milk
• Temper the egg yolks slowly. Add a spoonful of hot filling at a time, whisking constantly, before pouring them back into the pot
• Spread the meringue all the way to the edges of the crust so it seals completely. Gaps cause the meringue to shrink and weep
• If using Hershey’s chocolate, bump the sugar up to at least 1¼ cups. Different brands have different bitterness levels

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of instant espresso powder to the milk for a mocha chocolate pie
• Use a chocolate cookie crumb crust instead of pastry for double chocolate from top to bottom
• Skip the meringue and top with fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings for a simpler finish