Holy Chocolate Meringue Pie Batman

This weekend I rented "Julie and Julia." It was pretty cute. Not amazing. In fact, it didn't really inspire me to cook the way "Chocolate" made me dip chocolate while watching it or "Waitress" made me create lots of pies. BUT, they did make a point in there to talk about the glories of butter. In the movie, Julie, makes a Chocolate Cream Pie for her husband and talks about how no matter how bad her day is at work, she knows that if she adds yolks to chocolate and cream, it will, without a doubt, thicken. Well I could care less but it sure made me hungry.

And so was born, Chocolate Meringue Pie. I found a recipe online that was from Ebony Magazine. I added a teaspoon of chili powder to the dry ingredients to bump it up a bit. And as usual, I used a Marie Calendars pie shell. Someday. Mark my words. Someday I will make my own.

It was absolutely divine. My husband, who hates chocolate, (I know, right?) said it was good, and I believed him. He ate the whole thing. It was so pretty too!!! And then I cut it and it fell apart. Hmf. I am actually eating a slice while I write this. It's my lunch. I am fine with it. What? Look at those heaping peaks of perfectly golden meringue. Humina humina.

1 9 inch baked pastry shell

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks slightly beaten
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla

Meringue Topping
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar

Combine sugar, flour, cocoa, chili powder and salt in medium saucepan; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils; remove from heat. Stir half of the mixture into beaten egg yolks; return mixture to sauce pan. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until mixture boils; boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool for 10 minutes, pour into pie shell.

Heat oven to 350° F. Meanwhile, prepare meringue topping: In a small mixer bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread this on warm pie filling, carefully sealing to the edges of crust.

Bake 5 to 8 minutes, or just until meringue is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature; chill for several hours. Refrigerate leftovers.