Chocolate Cream Pie

This pie can be prepared without the topping and refrigerated up to a day in advance.

Ingredients for the crust:
1 1/3 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (from about 26 cookies such as Nabisco Chocolate Wafers)
5 T unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

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Ingredients for the filling:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
3 cups whole milk
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), melted
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 T unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

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Ingredients for the topping:
2 cups chilled heavy cream
4 T confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

semisweet block chocolate shavings

Preparing the 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.

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Preparing the 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).

Force filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in chocolates, butter, and vanilla. Cover surface of filling with a buttered round of wax paper and cool completely, about 2 hours.

Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.

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Preparing the 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.

Shave semisweet chocolate over the top of the pie.

Serves 6 to 8