Minny’s Chocolate Pie

The American Pie Council is a professional organization dedicated solely to “preserving America’s Pie heritage and promoting America’s love affair with pies.”  Anyone who loves pie can be a member.  As a lifetime member you gain access to recipes, marketing and research.  The APC also hosts the national pie championship in which amateur, professional and commercial bakers compete for the best pies in the country.  While I have never entered their annual championship, I am a member of the organization.  I once won a Blue Ribbon for an apple pie in a local county fair so I often dream about competing again.

A few weeks ago I received an email from The American Pie Council reminding me that National Pie Day is coming up on January 23, 2014.  They “encouraged members and pie lovers everywhere to teach someone to make a pie in honor of this special day.  Passing on the tradition of pie making in an important part of our culture and a mission of The American Pie Council.”


Inspired by the American Pie Council’s great suggestion, I talked my daughter Allie into letting me teach her to make a pie.  To be honest she is not a big pie lover but will eat chocolate pecan once a year.  I’ve always loved to bake pies, as I guess you know, so it meant a lot to me that she said yes!

Ingredients

• For the Pie Crust:
• 1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons Crisco solid shortening
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 5 tablespoons ice cold water
• For the filling:
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ¾ cup evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Whipped cream for serving

Instructions

1. Combine the flour, Crisco, butter and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 5 seconds. Do not over process. You want the butter to still be in small chunks. Add the ice cold water and pulse for 5 more seconds or until the dough comes together. If needed add one more tablespoon of water. Gather the dough into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, start in the center of the dough and gently push towards 12 o'clock. Starting again in the center, roll the dough towards you, at 6 o'clock. Turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat. Keep rolling until you have a circle several inches larger than your pie plate.
3. ...................................

for full recipes please see : www.savingdessert.com