Triple Chocolate Layer Pie

Instructions

Make the Chocolate Cookie Crust:

1. Place the chocolate wafers in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form.
2. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and pulse until the crumbs start to clump together and look moist. Dump the cookie crumbs into the middle of a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.
3. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

Make the Chocolate Layers:

1. Place the dark chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Place the milk chocolate in another bowl and the white chocolate in a third bowl.

Make the Custard Filling Base:

1. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, vanilla, and 3⁄4 cup of the milk in a large bowl and whisk together.
2. Combine the remaining 2 1⁄4 cups milk and the cream in a large pot. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbles start to form on the edges of the pot.
3. Turn off the heat and slowly drizzle a little bit of the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks while stirring with a whisk.
4. Continue to whisk and slowly pour the rest of the hot milk mixture into the bowl. Return the entire custard base to the pot (don’t bother to clean it) and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with the whisk, until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Pour about one-third of the hot custard base through a sieve into the bowl with the white chocolate.
6. Pour another one-third into the milk chocolate, and the rest into the dark chocolate (about 450 g custard per bowl).
7. Stir with a spatula until all the chocolate is melted, first the white chocolate custard, then the milk chocolate, then ending with the dark chocolate. If you stir in that order, you don’t have to worry about cleaning the spatula; just wipe it against the edge of the bowl.
8. Pour the dark chocolate custard into the bottom of the pie crust and spread it evenly over the crust to the edges with an offset spatula if you have one, or the back of a spoon or butter knife.
9. Scoop out the milk chocolate custard and spread it over the dark chocolate custard layer. Repeat with the white chocolate custard.
10. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the white chocolate custard and refrigerate the entire pie overnight.

Make the Chocolate Swirled Whipped Cream:

1. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small microwave-safe bowl and let sit for 5 minutes to soften.
2. Chop the chocolate into 1⁄4-inch chunks and place in a medium bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave for an additional 30 seconds.
3. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of the cream to the chocolate and mix until incorporated. Set aside.
4. Once the gelatin has softened, microwave for 10 to 15 seconds, until the gelatin has turned to liquid.
5. Combine the remaining cream and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until soft peaks form.
6. Reduce the speed to medium and, with the mixer on, drizzle the gelatin into the whipped cream. Raise the speed to medium-high and whip until firm peaks form.
7. Stop the mixer and remove the bowl. Drizzle the chocolate mixture all over the whipped cream and gently fold two or three times to swirl in the chocolate, but not mixing it completely.