Very Chocolate Walnut Cream Pie

Ingredients

• Chocolate Crust:
• 1 package chocolate wafer cookies, crushed
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup walnuts, ground find
• Filling:
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup egg substitute, liquid
• cornstarch
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla or Kalhua
• 1 cup heavy cream

Method

• Crust: Ground package of chocolate cookie wafers until fine. Add melted butter. Press into 9" pie tin. Grind walnuts until fine. Sprinkle over pie crust and press gently into chocolate crust leaving a "layer" of walnut crumbs across chocolate crust. Place in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Place on rack to cool.
• Filling:
• Scald 21/2 cups of the milk in a heavy nonreactive saucepan over medium heat.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk with sugar, egg substitute and cornstarch until smooth. Add a little of the hot milk mixture to the bowl, and whisk well. Repeat with more hot milk. Return the warmed mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil. whisking. Boil, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate, butter and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla; continue whisking until the mixture is smooth. Strain the custard into a clean bowl. Place a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a "skin" from forming, and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature.
• Pour the custard into the cooled pie shell. Loosely cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
• Whip the heavy cream and add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and some sugar if desired. Spread on pie and chill before serving.

Notes

• NOTES:
• NOTES : Since I can hardly resist chocolate and creaminess...this really takes the cake, so to speak!
• SERVINGS: 10
• SOURCE: Char Zyskowski