CHOCOLATE MIXING RECIPES

Steps:

• In a medium pot, whisk together chocolate, cocoa, sugar and chile. Place pan over medium-low heat and whisk until chocolate begins to melt. Slowly whisk in milk, then cream. Drop in cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer.
• Remove pot from heat. Cover pot tightly and steep 1 hour. Whisk in vanilla and taste for sweetness, adding more sugar if you like. Warm over low heat before straining and serving hot, with marshmallows or whipped cream if desired.

Steps:

• Bake the pie shell on 375 to 400 degree temp. This should take approximately 10 to 15 minutes so begin watching your pie shell that last 5 minutes due to varying ovens.
• In a microwaveable mixing bowl, mix cornstarch, cocoa, sugar and salt thoroughly-- breaking up all cornstarch lumps; stir in slightly beaten egg yolks. With an electric mixer, mix all together as you add a tablespoon of the whole milk. (Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with spatula to blend all thoroughly.) Add another tablespoon of whole milk and mix all very thoroughly and then add another tablespoon of the milk until the pie filling is very creamy and without any lumps. Now slowly add a 1/2 cup of milk at a time until all milk is thoroughly blended in.
• Place mixing bowl of uncooked pie filling in the micorwave and cook on high for 3 minutes. Stir using a spatula, raking down the sides of the bowl. Cook on HIGH for 3 more minutes, stopping around the 1 1/2 minute mark to blend the chocolate pie filling together. Continue to cook on high for another 1 1/2 minutes or until the chocolate pie filling is thick like pudding. *TIP* (Sometimes, I pull the bowl out of the microwave oven around the 4th to 5th minute to mix the pie filling very thoroughly with the electric mixer.)
• Once it is cooked, which it should be cooked around the 6th to 7th minute, add two tablespoons of butter and then 1 teaspoon of vanilla; stir and allow to cool at room temperature an hour or two.
• Add cooked and cooled pie filling to cooked pastry pie shell.
• *Meringue* To make meringue, beat the 3 egg whites until stiff (approximately 4 to 5 minutes. (When you begin beating on high speed of mixer, add your 1/4th tsp of Cream of Tarter and then slowly add a tablespoon of sugar at a time until 1/2 cup of sugar is blended.) Bake in oven @ 375 to 400 degrees for several minutes to 5 minutes, until meringue is light golden brown. Chill in refrigerator for several hours before serving. For more tips on making meringue, check out my recipe on how to make Coconut Cream Pie. The meringue recipe is more in depth.