Sometimes a pie is more than just a pie. Cooking for people with simple tastes can be a blessing. Especially when it allows us to indulge our own inner children and cravings. A chocolate dessert was called for and with these crisp autumn evenings I had pudding on my mind. Chocolate pudding to be exact. It's a childhood favorite, devoured in diners with a tower of whipped cream and a crisp wafer cookie. Instead of the cookies I decided to put the pudding in a pie crust. The smell of woodsmoke riding on currents of cold air evoked images of campfires and roasting marshmallows. It was a quick leap to blanket them over the top of the pie and broil them to a delicious gooey topping.
And yes, these two pictures look different because in my impatience I put the pie too close to the flames the first time and set the whole thing on fire. Sound familiar? Blackened marshamllows were never my idea of a party. Not to worry though, a quick stint in the refrigerator and the burnt marshmallows peeled away. Thank goodness for the do-over! The guests loved it and cleaned their plates. It tasted as decadent as it looks. It was rich and creamy, loaded with bittersweet chocolate, contrasting with the delicate buttery crust and finished with sticky marshmallow-y goodness. But what a sugar rush, I was bouncing off the walls for hours after eating this one.
