What could be more American than apple pie? The pie is something of a corner stone dessert of the American way1, and to make a simle chocolate custard pie is a somewhat complicated process.

The key to creating anything is good preparation.2 One should assemble all ingredients prior to the making of this pie, otherwise, mishaps may cause an incomplete or unsatsifying pie.

To start, one must  first bake a pie crust. A homemade pie crust must be homemade to ensure a flakey freshness that cannot be provided by a store-bought pie crust. In my favorite, a teaspoon of salt and 2 cups of flour are mixed together, and then an addition of ¾ cup of shortening until it looks similar to breadcrumbs. The shortening must be added in this way, otherwise, it will not be distributed evenly throughout the crust. Then a tablespoon of water is added and the mixture is pulled into a a ball, using the water as an adhesive agent.3  Then one should flour a flat surface, to prevent sticking, and the dough should be rolled to an even thickness and placed into a pie dish and baked in an oven at 425 degrees Farhenheit for 15 minutes to achieve a flakey golden crust. Then the pie crust is complete.4

For the chocolatey pie filling, ½ cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of flour, and ¼ teaspoon of salt should be mixed together in a large saucepan, followed by the addition of 2 cups of milk. The whole mixture should be then stirred. Then, two squares of chopped unsweetened chocolate should be added to the mixture and the whole thing heated until the chocolate is melted and then boils. Three egg yolks are then required and put into the heated liquid and throughly stirred into it. The heated mixture will thicken due to the yolks. The mixture should be removed from the heat when it creates mounds when dropped from a spoon, and three tablespoons of butter and one teaspoon of vanilla should be added for taste.5 The final mixture should be poured into the previously prepared pie crust.

The final creation is the something between a fondue and pudding, and delicious chocolate concoction able to be topped with any fruit or cream, and is an all occasion dessert.