Name: Chocolate Cream Tart (Made in a Microwave)
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 32 min
Yield: 8 sevings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups milk (skim, 2%, whole or any combination); 4 tablespoons flour; 1 cup sugar; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons cocoa (Kay uses regular, I prefer Dutch); 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso (Kay doesn't use, I do for a deeper chocolate flavor); 3 egg yolks; 2 tablespoons butter (Kay adds 4 tablespoons); 1 teaspoon vanilla (Mexican vanilla if you have it); 20 squares (5.5 ounces or 1-1/2 cups) graham crackers; 1/4 cup melted butter; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 cup whipping cream; 2 tablespoons powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla

This Chocolate Cream Tart is made in a microwave so it’s quick with no chance of scorching. The smooth and chocolatey cream filling is tucked into a graham cracker crust and garnished with whipped cream.

A Memory of My Mom in Honor of Mother’s Day

Back in the 60’s, my mom decided to celebrate her birthday at Howard Johnson’s Restaurant and Motor Inn. Since there were none in my rural community, she invited her best friend, along with me and one of my best friends, to join her in traveling 50+ miles to the closest location.

Used with permission of RoadsideFans.com

You see, Mom concocted this crazy idea to try all 28 flavors of the ice cream they advertised on their road sign–in one sitting. Yep, she wanted ice cream as our dinner entree.

When my mom explained her idea, the waitress gave her an incredulous look. It was only the beginning of our laugh fest.

28 Flavors at the Same Time?

I can only imagine what the cooks in the kitchen thought when they got the order. Seriously?? All 28 flavors–at the same time? How shall we plate it? What should we charge? (They couldn’t answer that question in the beginning.)

The waitress brought us two plates of brightly colored scoops of ice cream arranged in a pyramid shape. As other diners noticed our “dinner,” we got really tickled and could barely control our giggles. I’m sure they wondered what we were drinking.

When we could catch our breath from all the hilarity, we’d point to the various ice cream balls and speculate on the variety and taste of each. But it wasn’t long before the icy pyramid began to soften. We had to get serious and eat fast. As it melted, it looked much like an old-fashioned ribbon candle after it has been lit a few hours with various colors running together in a sort of avalanche formation.

Likewise, our appetites seemed to melt and run away as we started turning green about halfway through. I specifically remember my mom waving a white flag.

About the time the coffee and pistachio flavors threatened to contaminate everything else, she was done. She hates anything coffee-flavored. Ironically, coffee ice cream is now my favorite.

Circa 1960

Thanks for creating such a fun memory for us Mom…and Happy Mother’s Day.

My Sister’s Chocolate Pie Recipe

Speaking of Mother’s Day and memories, many people have traditional family recipes for chocolate cream pie. I was mucking around in my sister’s recipe box and found this recipe as passed down from her mother-in-law years ago.

I tweaked it a bit by adapting the filling for cooking in a microwave. Then, I decided to make a tart instead of a pie using a standard graham cracker crust recipe out of my old Betty Crocker cookbook. My sister usually tops her pie with a meringue but I prefer whipped cream with chocolate.

We all like this tart because it’s sweet, but not too much. Velvety smooth, but not too rich. Chocolatey, but not overpowering. Furthermore, all the ingredients can be found in the pantry. It would be a tasty way to tie a pretty bow on your Mother’s Day meal.

The velvety texture of this pie will have your taste buds wanting to dance in circles with every chocolate-y molecule.

Chocolate Cream Tart (Made in a Microwave)

Yield: 8 sevings

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes

Chocolate cream pie filling (made in the microwave) in a graham cracker pie crust.

Ingredients

2 cups milk (skim, 2%, whole or any combination)
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa (Kay uses regular, I prefer Dutch)
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso (Kay doesn't use, I do for a deeper chocolate flavor)
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter (Kay adds 4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla (Mexican vanilla if you have it)
20 squares (5.5 ounces or 1-1/2 cups) graham crackers
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Filling:

Place first 7 ingredients in blender (or food processor) in order given and pulse until completely mixed with no lumps.
Pour into a 2-quart Pyrex batter bowl and microwave on HIGH for 6-7 minutes, whisking after two minutes and thereafter, every 30-45 seconds until thickened.
Whisk in butter and vanilla extract.
Pour cream through a strainer or sieve for the smoothest texture imaginable. When cream has cooled down some but is still warm, pour into 8 or 9-inch baked pie or tart crust or graham cracker crust. Cover top with plastic wrap pressing it to the surface of the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Chill several hours.
Top with sweetened whipped cream.

Graham Cracker Crust

Use a blender, food processor or a plastic bag and rolling pin to crush graham crackers. Combine crumbs with butter, sugar and cinnamon. Press into pie plate or tart pan.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until light brown.

Sweetened Whip Cream

Whip cream until soft peaks begin to form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spoon over the top

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 389 Total Fat: 23g Saturated Fat: 14g Trans Fat: 1g Unsaturated Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 131mg Sodium: 157mg Carbohydrates: 41g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 32g Protein: 5g

Chocolate Cream Tart (Made in a Microwave)