Chocolate Cream Pie

Unlike other Chocolate Cream Pie recipes that use cocoa powder, this one uses CHOCOLATE, and a generous amount. And it's evident in the taste and consistency! :) Feel free to use whatever chocolate you prefer (milk, semi-sweet, dark) or any combination, and a little more or less sugar if you like a sweeter or more bitter chocolate flavor...

Chocolate Cream Pie
For crust:
1 1/3 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

For filling :
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
3 cups whole milk
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

For topping:
3/4 cup chilled heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar

Make crust: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together crumbs, butter, and sugar and press on bottom and up side of a 9-inch pie plate (1-quart capacity). Bake until crisp, about 15 minutes, and cool on a rack. (Okay...I cheated on this one. I already had a store-bought graham cracker crumb crust. Chocolate would definitely be better!)

Make filling: Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and yolks in a 3-quart heavy saucepan until combined well, then add milk in a stream, whisking. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking, 1 minute (filling will be thick). Whisk in chocolates, butter, and vanilla. Cover surface of filling with a buttered round of wax paper (I used Saran wrap) and cool completely, about 2 hours. Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.

Make topping: Just before serving, beat cream with sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks, then spoon on top of pie.

After putting the egg yolks in the pie, I whipped the leftover egg whites into a meringue--and toasted it lightly--instead of the whipped-cream topping. It was good, and sealed in the chocolate so it wouldn't dry out, but the rich, creamy whipped-cream topping would be even better! :)