Chocolate Cream Meringue Pies

First, make the pie crust: Preheat the oven to 200 F.

In a medium bowl, add the egg white and cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer until foamy and soft peaks start to form. Slowly stream in the sugar while continuing to beat on medium speed. When it has reached stiff peaks, stop mixing.

At this point, you can scrape it into a piping bag. If you’re not using a piping bag, have two spoons ready. Use two spoons (or the piping bag) to make six even-sized circles of meringue on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Make sure to make a divot in the middle of each to hold the chocolate filling later.

Bake for 45 minutes, and then turn off oven and let the meringues cool in the oven for another hour or so. If your oven runs hot, the meringues may brown a bit but it’s totally fine. The meringues shouldn’t be sticky to the touch, but they may be gooey on the inside (this is delicious).

While the meringues bake, make the chocolate filling. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and half of the water. Whisk very well and vigorously to avoid lumps. Set aside.

Next, add the remaining water, sugar, cocoa powder and corn syrup into a small saucepan. Whisk together well, then add the corn starch-water mixture. Turn the heat on medium-low, and bring the mixture up to a simmer while constantly stirring. The mixture should thicken slightly, but it will thicken further later. Let it simmer for 1 minute while constantly stirring.

Then, turn off the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla extract and chopped chocolate. Pour the mixture into a bowl, press plastic wrap on the surface and chill in the fridge until ready to use. Chill for a minimum of 4 hours.

Before serving, make the whipped cream by beating together the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in a small bowl using a mixer. Continue until soft peaks form.

To assemble, place each meringue crust on a plate. Top each with a scoop of chocolate pudding and a generous dollop of whipped cream. Dig in.