Contest-Winning German Chocolate Pie

Ingredients

  • FILLING:
  • Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)
  • 4 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1-1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • TOPPING:
  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1-1/3 cups flaked coconut, toasted
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry
dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim
pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge.

Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie
weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil
and weights; bake 4-6 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on
a wire rack.

For filling, in a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until
smooth. Stir in vanilla. In a small heavy saucepan, mix sugar and
cornstarch. Whisk in whole milk. Cook and stir over medium heat
until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2
minutes longer. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks;
return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook
and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate mixture.