Ghoulish Goodies

In the spirit of Halloween, The Early Show contributor Bobby Flay creates what he calls Halloween Dirt Pie filled with worms, dirt and other edible but disgusting things.

If you like chocolate, you will get a real kick out of this dessert because the mud for this pie is from a pudding made with cocoa powder, eggs, boiled milk, cornstarch and vanilla.

Recipes:

Halloween Dirt Pie
Yields: 9-inch pie

Ingredients :

1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk or substitute 2 percent milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces good-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream, beaten to soft peaks
1/2 pound Oreo sandwich cookies crumbs
1/2 pound gummy worms
2 peanut butter granola bars, coarsely chopped

Method:

Place sugar in a large bowl. Sift over it the cornstarch, cocoa and salt. Add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir the mixture to make a thick paste. Lightly beat the egg yolks. Then add these to the cornstarch mixture, whisking to blend well.

Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan, combine the remaining 2 cups milk and the cream. Bring these just to the boil. Then remove the pot from the heat. Pour a small amount of the hot liquid into the cornstarch-cocoa mixture, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk the milk-cream mixture into the bowl gradually, until all of the liquid has been incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Pour the custard into a clean pot and add the vanilla.

Have ready a clean mesh sieve over a medium sized bowl. Return the pot to the stove and stir with a wooden spoon over low to medium-low heat until the custard thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. It should approach, but never quite reach, a boil and be about the consistency of mayonnaise when it's done. Strain the custard through the sieve into the clean bowl, pressing the custard through with a rubber spatula. Add the finely chopped or grated chocolate in 2 additions, stirring gently with a clean wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the chocolate is melted smoothly into the pudding. Cover the top of the pudding with a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.

When the pudding is cold, gently fold in the whipped cream and scrape the pudding into a 9-inch square baking dish. Spread the Oreo crumbs over the pudding and garnish with the gummy worms and chopped granola. Serve immediately.