Heavenly Chocolate Pie

Back in the 60s my great aunt Justine had a temp job at Nestle's headquarters in White Plains, NY where they gave her a slender chocolate cookbook with wiro binding as a thank you.  Because she did not cook, she gave it to my mother who tried the recipe for Heavenly Chocolate Pie, which became a Christmas Day favorite in our house.  This morning was my first time making it and it turned out beautifully:

Because short on time, I used a store-bought graham cracker crust which must be a little more shallow than what we usually use - I had enough filling left for four tartlettes. Normally, the crust is not hard to make.

Heavenly Chocolate Pie

Crust:

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/3 c. melted butter

1/4 c. brown sugar

Mix together and reserve 2 tablespoons for topping. Press the rest on bottom and sides of 9” pie plate. Chill while making the filling.

Filling:

Melt 1 6-oz package semi-sweets.  Cool approximately 10 minutes.

Blend 1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, 1/2 c. brown sugar.  Beat in 2 egg yolks. Stir in cooled semi-sweets.

Beat the 2 egg whites until stiff.  Beat in 1/4 c. brown sugar.  Fold into chocolate mixture.

Whip 1 c. heavy cream.  Fold into chocolate mixture along with 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top. Chill several hours or overnight.

Over the years, my mother has decided the pie has the best consistency if you make it the night before.  Don't let the egg yolks scare you - we have eaten this for years with nothing but deliciousness to show for it.  The cookbook fell apart due to overuse although I can't remember what other recipes we made from it (I didn't remember what the cover looked like until I looked in Google Images).

Yesterday when I got home from work this green gadget was waiting for me with the mail.  At first, I couldn't imagine what it was (clearly, not a Christmas tree ornament).  Then I remembered my mother had said she was going to drop something off to help me make the pie.  I found her email and learned it was an egg separator.  Although I think of myself as a very nimble egg separator, I found this gadget very helpful.

Enjoy!  Merry Christmas!

(recipe copyright to Nestle)