Recipe: Black bottom pie

Total time: 50 minutes plus chilling

Servings: 10

Note: From Charles Perry. Published March 2, 2005. Adapted from a recipe that ran in The Times Nov. 14, 1932.

1 3/4 cups milk

3/4 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

3/4 cup Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin soaked in 1/4 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream, divided

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1 (9-inch) graham cracker pie crust

2 tablespoons grated chocolate for garnish

1. Scald the milk in a saucepan.

2. Stir together the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until smooth. Mix a little of the hot milk with the eggs, then stir the mixture into the milk.

3. Sift the cocoa into a bowl. Add a little of the hot milk mixture and stir, then add the cocoa mixture to the milk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Remove from heat. Stir the gelatin into the hot custard. Place the pan over a bowl of ice. Chill, stirring occasionally, until the custard forms a mound when dropped from a spoon.

5. Whip 1 cup cream until it forms stiff peaks. Fold into the custard.

6. Fill the pie crust with the custard mixture and refrigerate until set, several hours or overnight.

7. In a small bowl, whip the remaining 1 cup cream. Stir in the powdered sugar. Spread evenly over the filling and sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Each serving: 417 calories; 6 grams protein; 37 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 30 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 147 mg. cholesterol; 120 mg. sodium.