Chocolate Cream Pie

Source: Cooking Light, November 1999

Crust:
40 (10 full sheets) graham crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted
1 large egg white

Filling:
2 cups fat-free milk, divided
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (I use Dutch Process)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
3/4 teaspoon grated semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and egg white; pulse 6 times or just until moist. Press crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes; cool on a wire rack 15 minutes.

To prepare filling, combine 1/2 cup milk, 2/3 cup sugar, and next 4 ingredients (2/3 cup sugar through egg) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat. Gradually add hot milk to sugar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan. Add chopped chocolate; cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared crust; cover surface of filling with plastic wrap. Chill 3 hours or until cold. Remove plastic wrap; spread whipped topping evenly over filling. Sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Note: If you want to serve this with a dessert wine, try Thomas "Razz," nonvintage Washington State. It's made from raspberries, which go well with chocolate. If your wine shop doesn't carry it, ask them to order it for you.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 242(30% from fat); FAT 8g (sat 4.6g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 5g; CHOLESTEROL 30mg; CALCIUM 83mg; SODIUM 189mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 38.5g

My notes: I once looked at the nutritional information on a chocolate silk pie and was floored by how much fat was in each slice (due to the large amounts of heavy cream) - something like 30 grams of fat per slice! I do like to indulge once in a while, but a half or full day's worth of fat in one little slice of pie - it was just too much. This lightened version isn't nearly as rich, but it's very good and it doesn't leave me wishing I was eating the full-fat version. I use Dutch-process cocoa for an even richer flavor and a nice, deep chocolate color.