Ingredients

serves 6-8

　　

Filling

1 cup sugar

　　3 tablespoons cocoa powder

　　2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

　　Pinch of salt

　　3 egg yolks, beaten

　　2 cups milk

　　1 tablespoon butter

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　One 9-inch baked pie crust

　　

Meringue

3 egg whites

　　1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

　　4 tablespoons sugar

　　

Step 1

For the filling, in a saucepan, stir together the sugar, cocoa, flour, and salt. Slowly stir in the beaten yolks and the milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Pour the filling into a bowl to cool. Pat waxed paper onto the surface of the filling to prevent a crust from forming. When cool, pour the filling into the pie crust.

　　

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they form soft peaks. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar at a time, beating constantly, until the whites form stiff peaks. Spoon the meringue over the pie filling, spreading it out to touch the crust all around. Bake until brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

　　The Lady & Sons, Too! by Paula Deen. © 2001 by Paula H. Deen. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Paula H. Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, started the Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons Restaurant, which is located in Savannah’s historic district and specializes in Southern cooking. Paula is the host of Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking and is a regular guest on QVC, where her cookbooks are one of the newtowrk’s biggest sellers.