Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pie
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 (9 inch) pie shell

Filling

1-1/4 c sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter

Meringue

3 egg whites
3 tb sugar
1 pinch cream of tartar

Directions

Mix together first 4 ingredients in a double boiler. Add milk and egg
yolks and cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly.
Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into baked pie shell. Chill. Beat
egg whites until stiff, gradually adding sugar and pinch of cream of
tartar. Spread over cooled chocolate filling and bake at 350°F until
lightly browned

This is the one I always make but put whipped cream on top instead of meringue:
OLD-FASHIONED CHOCOLATE MERINGUE PIE
1 1/4 cups + 6 TBL sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups milk
3 eggs, separated
3 TBL butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 baked 9" pastry shell
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Combine 1 1/4 cups sugar into the cocoa powder, cornstarch & salt in a heavy saucepan. Whisk to remove any lumps. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens & comes to a boil. Boil 1 minute, remove from the heat. Beat the egg yolks until thick & lemon colored. Stir 1/4 of the hot mixture into the yolks; add the yolks to the remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat & stir in the butter & vanilla. Pour into the pastry shell.
Preheat oven to 400°. Combine the egg whites & cream of tartar. Beat until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 6 TBL sugar, 1 TBL at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Spread over the filling, sealing to the edge of the pastry. Bake 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before serving.~~ From The Wild, Wild West.

My MIL is a chocolate pie fanatic - she adored this one:

GRANNY'S CHOCOLATE MERINGUE PIE

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 Tblsp. sugar
6 to 7 Tblsp. ice cold water

Filling:
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1-1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Pinch salt
3 cups milk
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Tblsp. butter

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Mix well. Add the shortening and mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water and let sit 1 minute. Either using a fork or your hands, carefully press the mixture together to form a soft ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough on the floured surface into a circle about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. Gently fold the circle of dough in half and then in half again so that you can lift it without tearing it, and unfold into a 9-inch by 2-inch deep-dish pie pan. Crimp the edges and place in the oven. Bake until golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
In a saucepan, combine the chocolate, 1 cup sugar, cornstarch and salt. Mix well. Stir in the milk. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Beat the egg yolks. Add 1/2 cup of the hot mixture to the egg yolks and mix well. Add the mixture back to the saucepan and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and butter. Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell and cool completely. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until chilled. Beat the egg whites, on medium speed, until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread the meringue evenly over the pie. Place in a preheated 350 degree F. oven, on the top rack and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and cut into individual servings.

Recipe courtesy of Felicia Willett, 1999 Â From Emeril Live, June 2000.