Like the movie, my family has its share of loyal helpers. There was Manang Cedes, our laundry woman and charged with the care of the animals— dogs, chickens, pigs, and the occasional goat. Oh, the amusing stories about her many escapades after returning from her late afternoon “cocktails” at the corner store. She cried the hardest at the wake of my father. There is Berning who continues to serve my mother for the last 44 years. The offer of retirement last year only made her cry. So that offer was shelved and she now spends her days taking care of the plants at my mother’s house. Then there is Gemma. She came to work for my family when she was just 12 years old. Just a few years older than my youngest sister, she was also a playmate and confidant. Like one of the movie’s character, Gemma obediently moved from my mother’s employment to my household when I moved to Manila; to my sister when she needed a nanny; and, yet to another sister when she, too, needed a nanny. While still watching over my niece, Gemma married, got pregnant but continued to watch over her ward until it was time for her to give birth. Her son is about 5 years old now and she is back at my mother’s house. This time, she cheerfully returns to take care of my mother.
Admittedly, my family had its share of troublesome helpers but I would rather remember the helpers that were exceptional in their care for my family.
With the remembrance, I also cried as I recalled how my father scolded me for shouting at a helper for a task that was not done well.
“Do not ever shout at the helper,” was my father’s reproach. “They are human beings just like you.”
I also cried because I was grateful. And I thank all the helpers that passed through my door and the ones presently working for me. To a great extent, they were and continue to be a blessing to me and my family.
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In “The Help”, there is a scene when the help brings a chocolate pie to her employer. The employer gushes about how delicious the pie was and wondered what the secret ingredient could be. I will leave it at that so as not to spoil the surprise as this scene is crucial in the telling of the story. Instead, I share with you my mother’s recipe for such a pie. No secrets here.
Mommy’s Chocolate Cream Pie
Ingredients:
1 Baked Pie Crust
Tricky Crust-- it's a touch and go on this one-- check out other recipes and work out on one that would give a thick and crunchy crust. I found the following video very helpful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjQ0GSSVymU
My mom’s pie crust:
Mix the dry ingredients ( ½ t sugar and 3 c AP flour) together in a bowl.
Add ¾ c chilled butter (cut to cubes) or margarine and cut it into the dry mixture with a fork or two knives to ensure that you make a flaky pie crust. (Cut the butter or margarine into the flour until the texture of the mixture is like corn meal.)
4. Gather the pie crust mixture into the center of your preparation surface and create a well in the center of the mixture.
5. Gradually add 3 tablespoon of ice cold water approximately 1 tablespoon at a time, to the center of the mixture. Work the dough with a fork or hands until it starts to pull away from the preparation surface to create one lump. The goal is to use the least amount of water possible.
Scrape and clean your work surface, then cut a sheet of wax paper— a little larger than your pie pan. Sprinkle a little flour in the center of one wax paper and place your dough ball over the flour.
With a rolling pin roll out the dough to a size larger than your pie plate—about 2 inches larger than the diameter of your pie plate.
Carefully turn over the resulting pie crust over a pie plate. Remove the wax paper as you fit the crust into the pan.
Using a scissor or knife, trim the dough evenly so that it is two inches larger than the diameter of your pie plate.
Fold over the extra two inches and crimp this extra dough all the way around the pie plate.
Brush the edge of the pie with 1 egg yolk and prick your crust with holes using a fork in order that the crust will not expand and balloon when baked.
Put the pie crust in the refrigerator and let it chill for at least 10 minutes.
Pop into a 350 oven and bake until edges are golden brown.
Chocolate Cream:
3 large egg yolks ( 4 if small), slightly beaten
4 T heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder
1 can (396 g) condensed milk
1 can hot water (using the can from which the condensed milk came from)
1/3 c cornstarch plus 1/3 c water
1/2 t cinammon, 1 t vanilla
2 T butter
In a double boiler over medium heat, stir together the cocoa and the condensed milk. Add the hot water and stir. Take about half a cup of the mixture and stir slowly into the egg yolks. Then add this yolk mixture to the cocoa-milk mixture and stir. Add the cornstarch-water mixture to t double boiler and continue to stir. To avoid a lumpy consistency, always stir the mixture. Once the mixture thickens, add the cinammon and vanilla. Next, blend in the butter.
Pour the chocolate cream into your baked pie crust. You may use the egg whites to come up with a meringue topping or add whipped cream-- depending on your preference.
Option 1: Top pie with meringue and pop in a hot oven until tips of meringue turn golden.
Option 2. Cool pie and refrigerate. Before serving, top with whipped cream.
Enjoy and let’s all remember the number one rule when treating another human being — R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
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