Sunset's Chocolate Cream Pie

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 32 chocolate wafer cookies (such as nabisco famous chocolate wafers, enough for 1-1/3 cups cookie crumbs)
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
• 6 large egg yolks
• 3 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, good quality, roughly chopped plus more for grating over pie
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees. in a food processor, pulse cookies until finely ground. transfer to a medium bowl; set aside. to processor, add almonds and 3 tbsp sugar and pulse until almonds have the texture of coarse meal. (be careful not to grind them into nut butter.) add ground nuts to cookies and stir in 6 tbsp melted butter. press into bottom and sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. (crust should be fairly thick.) bake on center rack 15 minutes; let cool.
• 2 put egg yolks in a medium bowl and beat to blend; set aside. in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together milk, 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt. bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. (mixture will begin to thicken.) reduce heat to medium.
• 3 whisking constantly, pour 1/2 cup hot milk mixture into egg yolks, then pour egg-milk mixture into saucepan. bring to a simmer (about 190 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. (it will thicken noticeably.) remove from heat and stir in chocolate, vanilla, and 2 tbsp butter.
• 4 pour chocolate filling into a medium metal bowl, then set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and let cool 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until filling reaches room temperature. pour filling into prepared crust and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface (to prevent a skin from forming). chill until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
• 5 just before serving, combine cream and remaining 1 tbsp sugar in a chilled bowl. with an electric mixer on high speed, beat cream until medium peaks form. spread whipped cream in a thick dome over chocolate filling. grate chocolate over pie.
• 6 notes: "you can prepare this pie through step 4 up to 1 day ahead; top with whipped cream just before serving.".