Chocolate meringue pie
Use a store-bought pie shell, pre-baked according to directions, or make your own.
Ingredients
For the chocolate filling...
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits and softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the meringue topping...
4 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
Directions
Make the chocolate filling
  1. In the top of a double-boiler, or in a metal bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, melt the bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates, stirring, until smooth. Remove from the heat.
  2. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks.
  3. In a medium, heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
  4. Add the milk in a stream, whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly to keep lumps from forming. Remove from the heat.
  5. Add 1 cup of the hot milk mixture to the yolks and whisk until smooth.
  6. Add the beaten yolk mixture to the saucepan with the hot milk and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer, whisking constantly, until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes.
  7. Remove yolk/milk mixture from the heat and whisk in the melted chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down on the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and cool completely.
  8. Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Make the meringue
  1. In a large non-reactive bowl using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks start to form.
  2. Slowly add the sugar while beating and continue to beat until glossy and stiff peaks form. (Be careful not to overbeat, as it will be difficult to spread.)
  3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  4. Spread the meringue over the chocolate pie, smoothing out to the pastry edges (so the meringue won't draw up during baking). With a dull knife, make decorative peaks in the meringue. Bake until meringue is golden, about 14 to 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 2 hours in refrigerator.
  6. Sprinkle with grated chocolate, and serve.