Chocolate Meringue Pie

My friend, Kate, gave me this recipe. I don't know where she got it but I tried it and it was great. I made it for my little brothers birthday party as a treat and he and his friends all loved it. It was a little messy though especially for younger kids. It also takes a long time to make but I think that it is well worth it. 

Ingredients:
Pie crust:
-1 pie pastry (single crust)

Pudding:
-2 cups sugar
-6 TBSP flour
-6 TBSP cocoa
-1 tsp salt
-6 egg yolks
-4 cups milk
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-2 oz unsalted butter

Meringue:
-5oz egg whites
-10oz sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Pie Crust: Roll out pastry into a 12 inch circle and put into a 9 inch pie pan. Place in freezer for 20-25 minutes. Line with foil and fill it with dried beans (used as weights) and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Lower temperature to 350 and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Remove foil and beans and continue baking for 10-20 minutes or until fully baked. Let cool.

Pudding: Mix flour, cocoa, salt in medium bowl. Add egg yolks. Add milk (1/2 cup at a time to prevent lumps). Pour into saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and starting to boil. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Pour through strainer into bowl. Pour into the pie shell and chill in fridge for 4 hours or until firm.

Meringue: Place sugar and egg whites in a kitchen-aid bowl (The first time I was hoping to make these, I didn't have it so I just bought it at Walmart). Place bowl in a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring constantly. Check temperature regularly. When the whites of the egg reach 140 degrees, remove from heat and whip until the meringue has cooled and tripled in volume. Beat in vanilla. Spread over pudding and shape peaks using fingers. Use a propane torch to lightly toast the peaks. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.