Chocolate Chess Pie (Recipe)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs, beaten

1 5-ounce can (2/3 cup) evaporated milk

1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dash salt

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

Steps

1. Preheat the oven 325°.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and cocoa.  Add the eggs, evaporated milk, melted margarine or butter, vanilla and salt.

3. Carefully pour the mixture into a pastry-lined tart pan or pie plate.  Bake in the 325° oven about 50 minutes or until puffed over the entire surface.  Cool on a wire rack.

Tips:

Prebaking the pastry will help make the crust deliciously flaky.  Here's how to do it: Once you've positioned the pastry in the tart pan or pie plate, line the unpricked shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil.  Bake in a 450° oven for 5 minutes.  Remove the foil.  Bake for 5 to 7 minutes more or until the pastry is nearly done.  Remove the pastry from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325°.  Then add the filling and proceed according to this recipe.

For a love presentation, garnish each piece of the pie with some piped whipped cream and a little shaved milk chocolate.

For a dessert truly "made in heaven," top this brownie-like pie with a scoop of butter pecan or other nut-flavored ice cream.