Favorite Chocolate Pie

Gram would make the wondrous chocolate pie. Rich and chocolaty. You know the kind you can only eat a small sliver. 

Unfortunately, she never wrote down that recipe. I have spent a year scouring the Internet for a recipe with a similar taste and texture. I think I finally found it, and not online. 

This is from a small maybe out of print cookbook called "The Great Flavors of Arkansas".

Ingredients

for pie

1 9 in pie shell, baked

3 tbs flour

3/4 cups sugar

3 tbs cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

3 egg yolks

1 can evaporated milk

2 cans of water (use evaporated milk can)

1/2 tsp vanilla

6 tbs sugar

for meringue

3 eggs whites

1/2 cup sugar

 1/8 tsp cream of tarter

Directions

Mix flour sugar and cocoa and salt. Blend egg yolks milk and water. Combine flour mixture and egg yolk mixture in a double boiler. Cook until thickened--about 2 minutes. Add vanilla. Cool slightly pour into pie shell. Refrigerate to cool. 

Meanwhile beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add sugar and cream of tarter.  Top pie. Bake 15 minutes until meringue is slightly browned.

Gram's Raisin Pie

Old fashioned raisin pie is unusual, not in the main stream. One really has to like raisins to enjoy.

One of the pies my Grandpa loved was raisin pie. Gram would make a custard on the stove and then add the raisins. I found this one online. It is very similar, but Gram didn't bake hers. She'd bake the pie shell while she cooked the custard,  then add the custard and let it cool to set. I picked this one out because of the evaporated milk. in other words it gives it the right flavor.


Ingredients

1 cup of raisins
1/4 c. butter, softened
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. evaporated milk
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 unbaked (9 inch) pastry shell
Whipped cream, optional

Directions

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour, and mix thoroughly. Stir in milk, water and vanilla and raisins.
Pour custard mixture into pastry shell. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Cool. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Yield: 1 (9 inch) pie.
Top with Whipped Cream, optional.