Chocolate Silk Pie

TO MAKE THE CRUST: Melt the butter and allow it to cool to room temperature. Note: The butter is brought to room temperature in order to avoid melting the brown sugar and creating clumps. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon and process until finely ground.

Add the cooled, melted butter and process until the butter is incorporated with the nut mixture. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to form a bottom crust. Place the pan into the refrigerator for 1 hour.

TO MAKE THE FILLING: In a mixing bowl, whip the cream and the vanilla until the cream stands in peaks. Place the mixture and the bowl into the refrigerator. In another bowl, cream together the butter and the granulated sugar. In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, or in a microwave oven, melt the chocolate. Place the eggs into a mixing bowl.

Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and whisk the mixture together continuously until it begins to warm, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to cook the eggs. Add the melted chocolate to the butter and granulated sugar mixture. Add the eggs. Fold in the whipped cream. Pour this batter over the crust in the springform pan, and place the pan into the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours.

When the pan is removed from the refrigerator, run a thin knife between the cake and the pan; open and remove the springform. Whip the cream for the garnish until it stands in peaks and use it to coat the top of the cake as if it were an icing.

Place the garnishing chocolate in a Ziploc bag and melt the chocolate in a microwave oven. Use a high setting for a minute to a minute and a half. Press the melted chocolate to a corner of the bag as if it were a pastry bag. Cut a tiny edge off the tip of the bag. Press out the chocolate in a series of lines on the top of the whipped cream. Refrigerate the cake for 10 minutes.

Individual slices are served with a garnish of chocolate sauce, a few berries, and a few mint leaves.