Anne Gordon endeavours to keep some of her grandmother's Kentucky traditions alive, including creating her award-winning chocolate meringue pie every Christmas.

"My grandmother was known throughout southern Kentucky for her Sunday dinners," explained The TIMES sales rep.

"Family and friends would gather every Sunday after church, sit at her table and eat until they were stuffed. Although, I loved those Sunday dinners, my favourite memory from my childhood is Christmas at Granny Almas."

Her home was always overly decorated, extremely comfortable, and smelled of freshly baked pies, Gordon recalled.

From homemade apple to pecan her Grandmother made - at least by her reckoning - the best pies ever.

"She would bake several pies for the neighbourhood, her church, and everyone in between for Christmas."

There was always one pie in particular that everyone hoped to get for Christmas, and that was Granny Alma's award-winning chocolate meringue pie.

"Being her one and only taste tester, I had my fair share of slices and will never forget Granny Alma spending that time with me and teaching me how to make it," Gordon said, now passing on taste testing to her six-year-old daughter Georgia.

"Since [Granny's] passing, I continue to make that chocolate meringue pie for special occasions, and although it's not and never will be Granny Alma's, it still takes me back to a time when Christmas was about just spending it with the people you love."

CHOCOLATE MERINGUE PIE

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar

5 tbsp. baking cocoa

3 tbsp. cornstarch

¼ tsp. salt

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pie shell (9 inches), baked (make sure this step isn't forgotten)

Meringue:

3 egg whites

¼ tsp. cream of tartar

6 tbsp. sugar

In a saucepan, mix sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt; gradually add milk.

Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir two minutes more.

Remove from heat. Stir about 1 cup of the hot filling into the egg yolks.

Return to saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir two minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Pour hot filling into pie crust. For meringue, immediately beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until stiff and glossy.

Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing meringue to pie crust.

Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

TIMES sales representative