Chocolate Strawberry Pie
by Emily Wert

INGREDIENTS

baked pie shell

1 cup chocolate chips

2 (8-oz) package cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups whipping cream

2 pint fresh strawberries

1 Tblsp half-and-half

1/4 cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt chocolate chips in microwave. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar and vanilla, mixing well. Add melted chocolate. Whip cream in separate bowl. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Whisk together or beat with wire whip mixer attachment until blended. Spread filling into prepared pie shell. Chill at least 8 hrs. Set aside 1 strawberry, cut remaining berries into thick slices (stem end to point). Arrange slices over filling in overlapping circles. Place whole strawberry in middle. Melt chocolate chips and half-and-half in microwave at 50% power for 1 min. Whisk until it forms a ganache. Drizzle over strawberries (can put in pastry bag with round icing tip, or in ziplock bag, cut off 1 corner).

BAKED PIE SHELL

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup butter flavored shortening

2 Tblsp water

Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry blender till it looks like peas. Stir in water with a fork, 1 Tblsp at a time, just till dough comes together. Roll out half of dough on floured cloth with covered rolling pin, till larger than pie pan. Fold dough in half with cloth, transfer to pie pan. Cut off excess dough, leaving 1 inch beyond pie plate edge. Fold dough hanging off pan in half, forming a rim around edge. Press between palm of one hand and side of index finger of other hand. Flute edges. (Pinch edge of pastry around index finger of one hand with thumb and forefinger of other hand to flute.) Pierce dough all over with fork. Bake at 400º for 8 min till lightly browned.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chocolate chips

2 (8-oz) package cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar

. . .

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt chocolate chips in microwave. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar and vanilla, mixing well. Add melted chocolate. Whip cream in separate bowl.

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