Fudge pie that ministers to your soul

(I’m hoping that you didn’t notice there wasn’t a food post yesterday. . . . because I sort of got a little confused about the days of the week—you know, with having Monday off and all—and wrote something else. But never fear! Your food post is here today!)

I’m from the Midwest, which is actually a special place where we make cobbler with both and top and bottom crust, love baseball and basketball over football, and rarely if ever think about the Civil War. Then, I moved to the South and realized that I wasn’t in Missouri anymore. Here, people refer to people as Northerners and Southerners and might actually know where the Mason-Dixon Line is. This is the only place I’ve ever been asked what side my state was on during the Civil War (border state, people!).

But the South is also a very special place. It’s the place where they serve things like chess pie, which I’d never had until I moved to Nashville. Something else I’d never heard of before moving to the South? Fudge pie. I spent a whole lot of time the first few years I was here trying to get people to tell me what the difference was between chocolate pie and fudge pie. After making my first fudge pie this weekend, I can tell you this: chocolate pie is more of a custard; fudge pie is thicker and bakes up a little more brownie-like. I was so happy with the results of my first fudge pie, I think I’ll be making it again. And you can, too!

I used Paula Deen’s recipe for fudge pie. You can see it here.

1. Gather your ingredients for the filling. You’ll need 2 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used three tablespoons cocoa and two tablespoons oil, which is the equivalent of 2 ounces of baking chocolate); 1 stick butter; 1 cup sugar; and 2 beaten eggs. You also need an unbaked pie crust. You can buy that at the store, or you can make your own using your favorite pie crust recipe. I used a crust I’d made a few weeks earlier using the Pioneer Woman’s recipe and had stuck in the freezer. A few minutes on the counter and the pie crust is ready to be rolled out.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat. When the butter is completely incorporated, remove the pan from heat.

3. Mix in the sugar (1 cup).

4. Add the eggs and beat well. I did this by hand and all was well. You just need to make sure everything gets incorporated.

5. Roll out your crust and put it in the pie pan.

6. Pour the filling into the crust.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes until the pie is set in the center.

8. Serve warm or cold. A delightful topping is homemade whipped cream. (And I’ve got a lot of it if you’d like to stop by for a piece of pie. . . .)