My grandmother, Mimi, was the greatest cook that ever walked the planet. 

Remember the scene from Disney’s Ratatouille, where the food critic takes his first bite of the movie’s signature dish and it’s so spectacular, so luscious, so absolutely perfect that it whisks him back to fond memories of his mother’s kitchen as a young boy.   Here’s the scene on YouTube.

Every time I make Mimi’s chocolate pie I am transformed back to sitting on her kitchen counter, as a little girl, and watching her master this scrumptious dessert.  

It takes a lot time to make it, since you have to stir the chocolate for a while, but with each stir, I think about Mimi and the efforts and love she put into everything that came from her kitchen.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 heaping Tbsp flour
• 3 heaping Tbsp cocoa
• Pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups milk (1 can Carnation milk and whole milk to make the 3 cups)
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• baked pie crust
  
  

STEPS:

• In large pan stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa and salt.
  
  
• Separate eggs.  Place aside the whites for meringue topping. Beat the egg yolks.
  
  
• Add milk and eggs to dry ingredients in pan.  
  
  
• Cook on medium heat, slowly stirring constantly until it starts to “bubble”
  
  
• Add butter and vanilla and thoroughly mix until butter is melted.
  
  
• Pour thickened mixture into the baked pie crust.
  
  
• Beat egg whites until stiff adding 1 tsp of sugar before finishing.
  
  
• Spread meringue on top of pie thoroughly covering the chocolate.
  
  
• Bake until meringue is brown.