Easy Chocolate Pie

Yield: 6-8 servings INGREDIENTS

1sheet of packaged pie crust dough, such as Pillsbury, refrigerated and rolled out

1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 4tablespoons unsalted butter, melted but not hot 2 large eggs, beaten

3⁄4 cup evaporated milk

1teaspoon vanilla extract

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

For serving: sweetened whipped cream

PROCEDURE

1: Preheat the oven to 350degrees. Ease the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges decoratively, or use tines of a fork to partially flatten, making a pattern in the process. Gently prick the crust with a fork on bottom at about 4-inch intervals. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Remove the foil and weights and bake for about 5minutes longer, just until the crust is dry but not browned.

2: Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt until smooth. I do this in a stand mixer, beating the mixture on medium-high speed for 2 minutes and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

3: Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a tiny bit jiggly in the center. To prevent crust edges from overbrowning, cover the crust edges with strips of foil halfway through baking, or use a pie shield (a ring that fits over the edge of the crust after it has browned but before the rest of the pie is cooked). Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream. The chocolate pie can be refrigerated overnight.

Source: Adapted from Food and Wine magazine