Chocolate Pie

Instructions

• STIR flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and lard. Using your fingertips, work mixture until finely crumbled. Stir in ice water just until pastry can be formed into a ball, adding more ice water if needed. Dough should not be sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and press into disc. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

• POSITION rack at bottom of oven, then preheat to 400F.

• ROLL out dough into a 13-in. circle on a lightly floured surface. Lift onto a 9-in. pie plate and press dough over bottom and up sides of plate, leaving a 1-in. overhang. Fold overhang under and flute edge. Freeze for 15 min. Prick pastry all over with a fork. Line with a large square of foil to cover, then fill with dried beans and bake on bottom rack for 20 min. Remove foil and weights and bake until crust is golden, about 10 min. Let cool on a rack.

• HEAT 2 ½ cups milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan set over medium, stirring until sugar dissolves and bubbles start to form around the sides of the pan, about 5 min. Add chocolate and stir constantly until chocolate is melted, 4 min. Remove from heat.

• WHISK yolks, cocoa, cornstarch and remaining ½ cup milk in a medium bowl. Whisk constantly while quickly adding one-third of hot chocolate mixture. Pour mixture back into the pot and set over medium.

• WHISKING constantly, bring the pudding to a gentle boil and continue to stir until it thickens, 1 to 2 min. Stir in vanilla. Pour hot mixture into baked shell. Place plastic wrap directly onto pudding to prevent skin forming and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.