Makes 1 (9-inch) pie
It’s not clear who first made a chocolate meringue pie. Is it a pie of the Deep South or big Texas? I don’t think it matters much. What does matter is that you experience the flaky crust topped with chocolate custard and not-too-sweet meringue, fluffed as high as you can go. The traditional pie gets its chocolate taste from the custard made with cocoa powder, which we blend with coconut milk for a more lush taste. Somehow, however, that just didn’t deliver enough of the chocolate promise for us, so we added a layer of melted bittersweet chocolate, sandwiched between the slight saltiness of the piecrust and the smooth chocolate of the custard.
Bake the crust. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roll out the pie dough, put it in a 9-inch pie pan, and crimp the edges. Grease a piece of aluminum foil and lay it down on the top of the pie dough. Fill the aluminum foil with dried beans. Bake until the edges of the pie dough have set, about 15 minutes. Take the aluminum foil off the pie dough and bake until the crust is golden, another 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Cool the crust completely.
Melt the chocolate. Set a pot of water over medium-high heat. When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low and put a metal bowl on top of the pot. Add the chopped chocolate to the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, stir the chocolate until it is completely melted and smooth. Take the bowl off the heat and scrape the melted chocolate onto the cooled crust. Spread it evenly and allow the melted chocolate to cool completely.
Make the chocolate filling. Whisk together ⅔ cup of the sugar, the cocoa powder, flour blend, arrowroot, and salt in a bowl. Put them in a large pot. Slowly, whisk in the coconut milk until everything is one color. Whisk in the egg yolks.
Set the pot over medium heat. Cook the chocolate filling, whisking continuously, until it starts to boil, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and whisk vigorously for 1 minute.
Pour the hot chocolate filling into a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, push the chocolate filling through the sieve. Whisk in the coconut oil and vanilla until they are fully incorporated.
Chill the pie. Pour the warm filling into the baked crust, on top of the layer of chocolate. Set the pie in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Prepare to bake. After the pie has chilled, preheat the oven to 450°F.
Make the meringue. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, the remaining ⅓ cup of sugar, and the cream of tartar until the egg whites are stiff. Spread the stiff egg whites onto the top of the pie, allowing the edges of the crust to peek through. Bake until the meringue is brown at the tips, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately.