chocolate pudding pie [recipe] to top off a full day

{written last night...}

It's the end of the day, I'm sitting on my couch looking out the window at the golden glow of the setting sun.  It's so beautiful tonight.  Amera is playing some evening piano.  Summer break usually makes for unusual playing times.  I'm enjoying this bit of rest after a very busy day, this time to sit and reflect.

Joelle heartily sings to the tune of the music, not words...just beautiful sounds.  Isabel sits in her bouncer chair watching her sister and doing little "raspberries" with her lips and tongue.  Such sweet little baby noises she makes.

Amera and I had somewhat planned to look up a tutorial on how to crochet stars for a project I want to do, but we are both feeling tired and obviously feeling like doing other things. ;)

Brienne sits at the dining room table working on a book she is writing.  The others have all gone off to bed to look at books.  It's a new practice they have.  Every night they ask me "Can we look at books?"  And they get so excited when I say yes.  I admit, that brings my heart joy.  Sometimes, it's just the little things in life...

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Like this pie I made yesterday.  It's downright delicious, I knew from the first bite that this recipe is a keeper!  It's also simple and fun to make.  I didn't get very detailed with my pie crust.  I also used a deep dish pie plate, which is why my crust looks smaller than the dish.  But it held the filling well and I liked the way it came out.  This was my first time making my own pudding from scratch, and my first time shaving chocolate.  I used a paring knife to shave the chocolate.  Later, I googled it and apparently a vegetable/potato peeler works well.  I think I'll do that next time!

chocolate pudding pie

ingredients for pie crust:
1/2 cup, plus 6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 stick butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt

directions for pie crust:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Using a handheld mixer, blend the flour, butter, oil and salt together until crumbly.
Add 1/8 cup cold water and mix just until a ball of dough forms.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough and transfer to a pie plate.
Bake for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool completely.

ingredients for filling:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups whole milk
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces (I used Ghirardelli)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 oz. (approx.) of shaved bittersweet chocolate, for garnishing

directions for filling:
Whisk together the cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a heavy saucepan.
Gradually whisk in the milk.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly.
The mixutre will begin to bubble as it gets hotter, continue to whisk for 2 minutes to thicken.
You should have a thick pudding mixture at this point...remove the pan from heat and whisk in
the bittersweet chocolate pieces and the vanilla extract until smooth.
Pour the filling into the pie crust and chill for at least two hours.  The longer, the better in my opinion!
By the way, you can cover the pie with a piece of wax paper to avoid a "skin" developing on top.

Just before serving, beat the whipping cream with the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar until soft peaks form.  The longer you beat it, the thicker it becomes.  I like it nice and thick!  Spoon it onto the pie and garnish with the chocolate shavings.  Enjoy!