Belonging Cookbook: Marjory's French Chocolate Cream Pie

written by Erica Richmond
Photo: Marjory on her birthday

We asked Marjory how people in Peterborough could be more connected and she didn’t hesitate with her answer: “through food”. She believes that events where food is served, such as seasonal dinners hosted by Nourish, bring people together and help them feel that they are part of something; a community.

In her own family, the menu item that signifies belonging is French Chocolate Cream Pie. Handed down from her mother, this is a family recipe tradition. The first time Marjory made it herself was at Christmas time and her son’s friends were over. Her ‘adopted kids’ devoured it and now request it every holiday season! She even bakes a special made-to-order chocolate cream pie each year for a friend’s birthday.

As a child, Marjory remembers waiting for hours, often overnight, for the rich chocolatey pie to chill properly. Once she began to make it on her own, she asked her mother why she waited so long? Her mother laughed in typical jokester fashion and said, “I only did that because otherwise you kids would have eaten it all immediately!”

“I think it’s the chocolate that brings us together in this recipe; we LOVE chocolate in our family!” (Editors note: Hooray for chocolate!!)

This is the first time she’s shared the recipe and Marjory believes this cookbook is the best way to pass it along to all of her friends and extended family. But not only that, she hopes that others who read it, will feel that they belong to the family tradition as well.

French Chocolate Cream Pie

Ingredients

1 pastry shell baked for 5 minutes to brown or Use a Graham Crust. I prefer the Graham Crust
1/2 cup butter softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp  vanilla
2 eggs
2 squares unsweetened chocolate

Method

1. Measure butter, sugar and vanilla in mixing bowl. Beat on Medium speed until fluffy and blended.
2. Add one egg beat on medium for 5 minutes scraping bowls often.
3. Add 2nd egg beat on medium for 5 minutes scraping bowl again often.
4. Turn mixer on High and beat for another 5 minutes.
5. Melt 2 squares of chocolate over low heat, once melted let it cool for a few minutes.
6. Add to mixture and blend on low speed scraping bowl often.
7. Pour into baked pastry shell.
8. Chill for several hours. (or overnight if you want it to last longer!)

Recipe provided by: Marjory (a.k.a. Maggie) (a.k.a. Mawdukes to all her son’s friends)