KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES – Choco cream pie dessert

This recipe is from the cookbook that my kids gave to me as a gift last Christmas - Best desserts from Good Housekeeping. It's actually called Chocolate Cream Pie that requires minimal baking, a bit of cooking and just some bit of assembling...the only problem was that it required a bit of time to make that we failed to anticipate (well, it was my daughter who read the recipe so I was unable to see that some time was needed to allow the filling to set)

My daughter started to crush the choco wafer cookies while I started cooking our dinner Sunday night, the recipe said 12 packs with 2 wafer cookies per pack but we did not use all that she crushed so I guess ten would suffice. Then I melted 4 tbsps butter in the microwave and added 1 tbsp sugar to the crushed cookies which my daughter pressed to a 9-inch pie plate. This was then popped into the oven for ten minutes at 375°F and allowed to cool.

Then in a heavy saucepan, my daughter combined 3/4 c of sugar, 1/3 c cornstarch, 1/2 tsp salt and 3 3/4 c milk that she stirred continuously until smooth and free of lumps. The pan was then brought to the fire and cooked over medium heat still stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened considerably. Let boil for a minute. In a small bowl, lightly beat 5 egg yolks. Then add 1/2 c of the now hot milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Slowly pour the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan, stirring rapidly to prevent curdling. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until very thick.

Remove saucepan from heat and stir in melted chocolate (3oz unsweetened), 2 tbsp butter, and 2 tsp vanilla until butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Pour hot chocolate filling into cooled crust and press plastic wrap onto surface to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate until filling is set, about 4 hours. Then with mixer at medium speed, beat 1 cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Spoon cream over choco filling and top with chocolate curls or shavings.

Truth to tell, it was my daughter who made most of this dessert herself, since as I said earlier, I was busy making our dinner. Our only problem came when we read that after pouring the choco cream mixture into the wafer crust, we had to wait for four hours while the filling sets inside the refrigerator... uh-oh so I guess our plans for dessert that night just went kaput! So the next day, it was my daughter who made the cream icing and added the chocolate shavings before we got home from the office...I guess she decided not to wait for me anymore and just did it herself. And the verdict – it tasted great! Kudos to my daughter for making this wonderful dessert all by herself!