Emeril's Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate Pie

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 1/2 ounces Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate, or other high quality semisweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (9-inch) Chocolate Cookie Crust, baked, recipe follows

Directions

In a small saucepan combine the sugar, heavy cream, buttermilk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time, for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture to thicken, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat into thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (mixture will be very thick).

Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared pie crust and refrigerate until firm and cool, at least 4 hours.

Chocolate Cookie Crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker cookie crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs (white centers removed)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process the graham crackers and Oreos to make crumbs.

In a bowl mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar and butter with your hands. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. (It will seem like an excessive amount of crumbs, but it will compress down quite a bit with pressure.) Cover the crust with plastic wrap and top with another 9-inch pan, pressing quite firmly to make a smooth surface. Bake the crust for 15 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and let cool completely before filling.

Yield: 1 (9-inch) crust