Sunset's Chocolate Cream Pie

From the magazine's August 2007 edition: "In our quest for an intensely flavored pie, we've poured a thick, creamy bittersweet chocolate custard into an almond-scented cookie-crumb crust, then topped it all with a generous pile of whipped cream." Prep/cook time = About 50 minutes plus at least 3 hours of chilling time. Nutrition facts: 601 cal, 359 cal from fat, 8.8g protein, 41g fat (22g sat fat), 55g carb (1.4g fiber), 379mg sodium, 213mg chol.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 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

Directions

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.".