Chocolate pie with whipped cream

Ingredients:

Chocolate filling

• 1 tbsp. plus 2 tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 3/4 cups for whipped cream
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3.5 tbsp cornstarch
• A pinch of salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp (15 g) butter for cream
• 110 g finely chopped good quality semi-sweet chocolate

Chocolate pie base

• 110 g melted unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Choco Pie (remove white filling) to make 1 1/2 cups crumbs

Preparation:

1. Chocolate filling

   
   In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, buttermilk, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sugar and cornstarch dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
   
   Lightly beat the egg yolks in a bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour this mixture into the saucepan, bring to a boil, and stir thoroughly until thickened, 1-2 minutes.
   
   Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract. Continue whisking until the ingredients are completely combined (the mixture will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the surface, and refrigerate until the cream cools to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

2. Chocolate pie base

   
   You will need graham crackers from wholemeal flour in sufficient quantity to obtain 2 cups of coarse crumbs.
   
   In a food processor or blender, pulse the graham crackers and chocolate sandwich cookies until crumbly.
   
   Preheat oven to 190°C.
   
   In a bowl, mix the cookie crumbs with the sugar and butter using your hands. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and place another 9-inch pie pan on top, pressing firmly to even out the surface. (It will look like there are too many crumbs, but just press firmly.) Remove the pan and peel the plastic wrap off the cake before placing it in the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
   
   Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool completely before adding the filling. Makes 1 crust (23 cm).
3. In a chilled bowl, pour 1 3/4 cups heavy cream and add powdered sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
   
   Gently fold about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate filling, then spoon the chocolate mixture onto the pie crust.
   
   Refrigerate until the filling has cooled and set, at least 4 hours. Refrigerate any remaining whipped cream that has not been folded into the chocolate filling until ready to serve.
   
   Just before serving, spread the remaining sweetened whipped cream over the pie and serve immediately.