Mississippi mud pie

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Grind 250 g chocolate sandwich cookies, filling and all, into fine crumbs, mix with 70 g melted unsalted butter, then press firmly over the bottom and up the sides of a 23 cm pie pan with the bottom of a glass. The butter binds the crumbs so the crust doesn't crumble when you slice it. The crust is right when a squeezed handful clumps like wet sand and the pressed surface is flat and even.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Bake the crust at 175 degrees C for about 8 to 10 minutes, then take it out to cool a little, leaving the oven on. A quick bake melts the butter and sugar in the cookies and lets them set again, making the crust crisper and firmer. The crust is ready when it smells of chocolate and the surface looks slightly dry.

   Bake at 175°C for about 8 to 10 minutes.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Melt 150 g dark chocolate with 100 g unsalted butter over a water bath, take it off the heat and stir in 150 g brown sugar, then add 150 g egg, and finally sift in 40 g all-purpose flour with a pinch salt and mix just until combined. Letting the chocolate cool a little before adding the egg keeps the egg from cooking into lumps. The mixture is right when it is thick and glossy like chocolate sauce, with no streaks of flour.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Pour the chocolate layer over the crust, smooth it out and bake at 175 degrees C for about 25 to 30 minutes. This layer should be just barely cooked so it stays moist and fudgy like a brownie, not dry and airy like sponge cake. It is right when the top has a thin, slightly cracked crust, the center is still soft and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

   Bake at 175°C for about 25 to 30 minutes.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Mix 80 g granulated sugar, 30 g cornstarch and 20 g cocoa powder, whisk in 60 g egg yolks, then gradually pour in 400 g hot whole milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture boils and thickens, turn off the heat and stir in 80 g dark chocolate and 20 g unsalted butter until melted. Constant stirring keeps the yolks from curdling and the bottom of the pot from scorching. The pudding is right when it is as thick as yogurt and a finger drawn across the back of the spoon leaves a clear line.

   Medium heat.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Pour the still-warm pudding over the cooled chocolate layer, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding and refrigerate for at least four hours. The plastic wrap keeps a skin from forming, and the long chill sets the layers firmly so you can cut neat slices. The pie is ready when the pudding has set and doesn't run when you tilt the pan.

   Suggested time: about 240 minutes.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Whip 300 g cold whipping cream with 30 g powdered sugar to soft peaks, spread it in swirls over the pie and scatter 20 g chocolate chips on top if you like. Cold cream whips up faster and holds its shape longer. The pie is finished when smooth white cream covers the whole top and the peaks stand firm.

   Mark step 7 as done