The Ghost from Christmas Past

Isn’t it fun to take trips down Christmas memory lane?

We came across this photo the other day of our house and how it looked decorated for Christmas back in the early nineties by Thomas’ mom and dad. The house has changed a lot since this picture was taken, but there’s something about it that brings back such sweet, warm memories. It looks like the Christmas tree is in the middle window on the left, doesn’t it? We put ours in the same spot now :).

Happy Sunday, friends!

xx

The Chocolate Cream Pie From “Julie & Julia”

Have you ever seen the movie Julie & Julia?

Directed by Nora Ephron and starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell, it’s about two women who use cooking as a means to express themselves and to find more meaning in their lives. It’s such a cute movie and by the end of it, you’re going to be starving for any one of the amazing dishes they make in the film.

One of those dishes, though small and almost overlooked, is the chocolate cream pie Julie makes in the beginning of the film. I’ve always thought it looked so delicious, so I searched until I found a recipe I thought looked pretty similar. I decided to make it for Thanksgiving and let me just tell you, it was SO GOOD. It’s rich and creamy and sweet and chocolaty and super easy to make.

Here’s what you’re going to need…

Ingredients:

To make the crust:

6 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

(Full disclosure: we bought a pre-made graham cracker crust from the grocery store and it worked just fine.)

For the filling:

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups milk

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, in pieces

4 slightly beaten egg yolks

2 tablespoons soft butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

For the whipped topping:

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

To make the filling:

1. Mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together and set aside.

2. Bring the milk to a boil. Lower the heat and stir in the chocolate and let melt.

3. Whisk the milk mixture into the sugar mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken.

4. Add the yolks and stir furiously for a very short time. You want the yolks to thicken the mixture even more but you don't want them to start to curdle (like little scrambled eggs). 30 seconds or so of this should be fine.

"By the way," Ephron says, "if the eggs do curdle, pour the pudding mixture through a sieve and throw away all the curdled bits. No one will know."

5. Remove from the heat and stir more. Add vanilla and softened butter. Cover with waxed paper and cool.

6. Fill crust with pudding and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. For fun, we added some powdered cocoa on top for a light dusting.

To make the whipped topping:

1. Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds peaks. Spread on pie.

Nora, you and your talent are so greatly missed! Hope you enjoy her delicious chocolate cream pie!

(Julie & Julie picture via here)