PASSOVER

O

nce upon a time, the festival meal 
on the first night of Passover fea-
tured the meat of the Paschal lamb 
or kid goat. Many people even now feel that 
meat should have a central place at festival 
meals. But even they might want to have 
at least one milchig (milky) meal featuring 
matzah brei, gefilte fish or an elegant baked 
fish. That milky meal practically demands a 
memorable rich dessert. 
A couple of years ago, our daughter-in-
law scheduled some time in our kitchen 
on the day before Passover to meet that 
challenge with a chocolate pie. She suc-
ceeded; the pie earned unanimous acclaim 
as a memorable triumph. Even her little 
daughter, then just 1½ years old, gave it her 
seal of approval. For the remaining days 
of Passover, and for some time thereafter, 
whenever anyone had a question about 
what food to have for appetizer, snack, main 
course or dessert, the little one would sweet-
ly suggest “pie.
” 

PASSOVER 
CHOCOLATE PIE
Passover-friendly milky 
pie crust:
Ingredients:

4 oz. melted butter (½ cup)

1 oz. sugar (2 Tbsp.)

1½ to 2 cups matzah meal

Directions:
Mix the ingredients thoroughly, and then 
press the mixture into the bottom and 
sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350 
degrees for about 16-18 minutes, until it 
is golden brown. Let the crust cool com-
pletely before adding the filling. 

Passover-friendly filling:
Ingredients: 

1½ cups sugar

1½ oz. cocoa powder (a bit less than ¼ cup)

2 oz. melted butter (¼ cup) 

6 oz. whipping cream (¾ cup) 

1 tsp. kosher for Passover vanilla extract

Directions: 
Mix the filling ingredients together in 
a bowl until you get a smooth batter. 
Pour the batter unto the pie crust 
and bake it for about 45 minutes at 
35 degrees. You will know it is done 
when the edges of the filling seem 
solid, but the middle remains wobbly. 
Let it cool completely, then cover 
the pie and keep it in the refrigerator. 
For an extra touch, you can cover 
the pie with whipped cream right 
before serving. If you whip the cream 
yourself, you can just skip the addi-
tional sugar, or add only a tiny bit. The 
chocolate pie has enough sweetness. 

Incidentally, if you want a low-calorie 
dessert, this isn’t it. 

Passover Chocolate Pie 
for the Milky Meal

LOUIS FINKELMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

56 | MARCH 30 • 2023 

