Chocolate Chess Pie

• Pastry for a Single-Crust Pie
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Whipped cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare Pastry for a Single-Crust Pie; set aside.

2. For filling, in a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornmeal, flour, and salt. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into sugar mixture until smooth. Stir in pecans.

3. Pour filling into pastry-lined pie plate. Bake about 1 hour or until filling is set and crust is golden. If crust begins to brown too fast, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and cover edge of crust with foil. Cool pie on a wire rack. (Filling will fall slightly during cooling.) Chill within 2 hours. If desired, serve with whipped cream.

4. Makes: 8 to 10 servings

5. Pastry for Single-Crust Pie: In a medium bowl, stir together 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/3 cup shortening until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cold water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Sprinkle additional cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, over mixture until all of the dough is moistened (use 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water total). Form the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, flatten dough. Roll dough from center to edges into a 12-inch circle. To transfer pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate, being careful not to stretch pastry. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edge as desired.

6. Make-Ahead Tip: Cover and chill cooled pie for up to 24 hours.