Chocolate Mousse Pie

For the Crust

In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and cold butter. Process until it forms coarse crumbs.

Add tablespoons of water one at a time, pulsing between additions. Eventually this should form a ball of dough.

Place the ball of dough onto a floured baking mat or marble slab. Roll out the dough, making sure to lift and rotate the dough after every few rolls as to assure it won't stick to the surface and will be evenly thick. Aim to keep the pie dough about 1/4" throughout.

When ready, gently lift and place into a 9-inch pie dish. Using your fingers, gently but firmly tuck in all around the edges to make sure it is flat against the dish.

Chill the pie crust in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Crumple a piece of parchment paper and loosely line the inside of the pie crust with it. Make sure to make this piece of paper large enough to easily lift out of the pie when needed. Fill the paper evenly with dried beans or pie weights.

Bake the pie for about 20-30 minutes, or until the edges and bottom are golden brown. Once baked fully, remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled down, carefully remove parchment paper with weights from the crust. Be careful as these can get VERY hot, and you don't want to burn yourself (or damage the delicate crust).

For the Filling

In a medium saucepan off the heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, espresso powder, and salt. Add 1/2 cup of the heavy cream, whisking until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Whisk in the egg yolks.

Place the saucepan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 cup milk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly as the mixture thickens. Allow to boil for 1 minute.

Remove the pan from the heat. Pour in the chocolate, vanilla extract, and butter. Whisk until the mixture becomes smooth and the chocolate is melted completely.

Once the mixture is free of clumps, pour into prepared pie crust. Chill completely, usually overnight. When ready, slice into wedges and serve with dollop of whip cream on top if desired!