Growing up, a holiday at my house just wasn't a holiday without my grandma's chocolate pudding pie. I still make it at holiday time, but have lightened it up while intensifying the chocolate flavor.

Cooking spray
14 graham cracker squares (7 full sheets)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1?3 cup boiling water
2?3 cup plus ½ teaspoon sugar
1?3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup cornstarch
1?8 teaspoon salt
3 cups lowfat milk
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup well-chilled heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

To make the crust, in a food processor, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and water, and process until the crumbs clump together. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pie plate and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the gelatin in a small bowl, add the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, mix 2?3 cup of the sugar, the cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually add half of the milk, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the rest of the milk. Turn the heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the bittersweet chocolate and stir until it is melted. Stir in the vanilla and the gelatin slurry. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and let set for 3 hours in the refrigerator.

Whip the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. When it is about halfway to soft peaks, add the remaining ½ teaspoon sugar, then continue whipping until it barely holds a soft peak. Put the whipped cream in a plastic bag, concentrating it in one corner of the bag. Snip that corner off the bag and squeeze the whipped cream out of the bag in a decorative pattern around the pie. The pie should be stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 2 to 3 days.

SERVES 8
MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE;
SERVING SIZE: 1 SLICE

PER SERVING
CALORIES: 255; TOTAL FAT: 11G
MONO: 2.5G,
POLY: 0.7G;
SAT: 5.7G,
PROTEIN: 7G;
CARB: 35G;
FIBER: 2G;
CHOL: 23MG;
SODIUM: 165MG

GOOD SOURCE OF
CALCIUM, PROTEIN, VITAMIN D

Copyright © 2008 by Ellie Krieger.