THE CRUST:

1/4 c. butter
1 1/4 c. gingersnap cookie crumbs (25 cookies)

Crush 25 cookies to make 1 1/4 cups of crumbs. Melt butter and mix in crumbs. Press into buttered 9 inch pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Let cool.

THE PIE:

PART 1: THE CHOCOLATE:

1/2 c. butter
2 sq. unsweetened chocolate
3/4 c. sugar
2 lg. eggs

Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler. When completely melted, add sugar and stir. Make sure the mixture isn't too hot before you add the eggs or you'll have scrambled chocolate eggs! Beat in eggs, one at a time with wooden spoon. Put aside to cool.

PART 2: THE CREAM:

1 pt. heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sugar

Whip the whipping cream adding the vanilla and sugar.

PART 3: THE CONSTRUCTION:

2 sq. unsweetened chocolate
Apricot preserves
Strawberries or raspberries

Add 1/2 of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture and mix. Again make sure the chocolate isn't too warm, or the whipped cream won't hold up. The chocolate can't be too cold either, or the chocolate will harden and won't mix well.

Now put half of the combined chocolate and whipped cream mixture in the cooled pie shell. Dot the top with small spoonfuls of apricot preserve. Melt one square of chocolate and dribble over pie a la Jackson Pollock. Now add remaining 1/2 of the chocolate and whipped cream mixture to the pie. Add the remaining whipped cream by heaping spoonfuls on to top of pie. Melt one more square of chocolate and dribble all over top. You may also want to add fresh strawberries or raspberries to the top. Refrigerate the pie, or if it's particularly runny, you may want to freeze it for an hour before putting it in the refrigerator.

The directions may seem complicated, but it's really not very difficult to make and is quite a treat when it's complete!