Amazing Chocolate Meringue Pie

This chocolate cream pie is the diner-counter classic, the kind that disappears in slices off a glass cake stand. A stovetop custard of cocoa, milk, sugar, cornstarch, and a couple of beaten eggs cooks into a glossy filling that sets up firm in the fridge without ever needing a melted chocolate bar.

The technique that separates this from a lumpy pudding pie is tempering. Stir half the hot chocolate mixture into the beaten eggs first, then send the warmed eggs back into the pot. That step heats them gently enough to thicken without scrambling, and it keeps the filling silky from edge to center.

Butter and vanilla go in last, off the heat, to give the custard its glossy shine and rounded flavor. Pour straight into a fully baked pie shell, press a sheet of plastic wrap right against the surface to keep a skin from forming, and chill for at least two hours before slicing. A crown of softly whipped cream and a few chocolate curls turns it into a celebration. Pairs hard with a glass of cold milk or a hot mug of coffee.

Pro Tips

• Sift the cocoa with the sugar before adding to the milk. Cocoa clumps if it hits liquid dry and you will fight lumps all the way through.
• Stir constantly once it starts to thicken or the bottom scorches in seconds. A flat-edged silicone spatula reaches the corners of the pan.
• Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cooling filling. A surface skin will pull when you slice.
• Use a baked, fully cooled pie shell. Hot pastry plus hot filling equals a soggy bottom every time.

Variations

• Use a chocolate cookie crust for a deeper, double-chocolate pie.
• Stir in a tablespoon of espresso powder with the cocoa for a mocha cream pie.
• Top with a torched meringue (4 whites, ½ cup sugar) for the full meringue pie experience the title suggests.