The last couple of weeks have been crazy and tumultuous and completely out of the norm for me. How out of the norm, you ask?

Pretty abnormal.

I tried out for reality television (and almost made it!), I got made redundant, and I struggled to motivate myself to bake.

BUT there is no time for wallowing, because fabulous things are in the pipeline. As much as I hate to revert to cliches, I truly feel that doors are opening. There is cause for celebration!

One cause for celebration is Pyrex’s birthday! The ever-faithful kitchen companion is turning 100, and I am excited! The lovely people at Pyrex kindly sent me a new measuring jug to replace mine (which never makes it into photo shoots because it’s so well-loved/worn) and a crinkly-edged, classically stylish pie dish.

So I made not just one type of dessert, but a mashup of three different desserts to celebrate the Pyrex’s centenary. They’re also hosting a number of giveaways on their Facebook page, you should check them out here.

And oh my, it’s delicious. If you only bake one thing this year, make sure that it’s chocolate brownie pie.

Ps be proud of me for not caving and making a Pie-Rex joke, I was very close!!

Chocolate pastry:

• 1 ½ cups plain flour
• 80g butter
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 1 egg
• 50g dark chocolate, melted
• 50ml milk

Brownie filling:

• 180g butter, melted
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarb
• 3/4 cup (65g) good-quality cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp milk
• ¼ cup white chocolate chips
• ½ cup milk chocolate chips

Meringue topping:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Rub together your butter and flour until they resemble fine bread crumbs. Add in the sugar and cocoa. Mix in the egg, followed by the melted chocolate. Add in the milk, a little bit at a time, until the dough is forming large clumps. Press together into a disc with your hands, wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Grease a 24cm pie dish and set to one side. Roll out the dough to about 5mm thick and drape over your pie dish, gently pressing the dough into the edges as you go. The dough is a little needy, so treat it gently. Cut away the excess pastry and discard. Grab a fork and prick several holes in the base, then pop in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 200°C.

When the tart shell comes out of the fridge, line it with baking paper and pop baking weights in it. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Make a start on your brownie once the tart is in the oven. Cream together the butter and brown sugar, add in the plain flour and the bicarb. Mix in the cocoa, then the eggs and the milk. Mix in the choc chips last.

Take your pie dish out of the oven, remove the baking weights and return to the oven for 5 minutes.

Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool completely. Reduce the oven to 180°C. Heap the brownie mixture into the cooled tart shell and smooth it out. Pop it in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

Take the pie out of the oven and allow it to cool while you whip up the meringue.

Whip together the egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar. When soft peaks start to form, add the vanilla bean paste and continue whipping until the meringue holds its shape. Turn up your oven to 200°C again, pop the meringue on top of the pie and shape it into a rough mound, then put the pie back in the oven for 10-15 minutes, turning the fan on in the last five minutes until it’s nicely browned on top. Refrigerate until completely cooled, then serve with lashings of cream.

You won’t be able to stop at just one piece of this – you’ve been warned!