AMANDA'S ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9-inch springform pan.
• Stir graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Add melted butter, using your fingers to combine until moistened. Pat the mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan. Place the pan onto a cookie sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Place chopped chocolate and butter for the ganache in a glass or metal bowl over simmering water; stir occasionally as it begins to melt. When almost melted, slowly add cream and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth and completely melted. Pour ganache into the crust; spread evenly and set aside.
• Stir clear vanilla extract into whipping cream in a bowl. Sift in powdered sugar and beat using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Reserve 1 1/2 cups whipped cream for filling; refrigerate the rest until needed.
• Beat cream cheese in another bowl until smooth. Add milk and brewed coffee gradually, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Turn off the mixer and use a whisk to combine smaller pieces of cream cheese with the milk.
• Combine pudding mix and ground coffee in a separate bowl; whisk into milk mixture. Whisk in reserved 1 1/2 cups of the whipped cream. Pour filling into a medium saucepan.
• Heat filling over medium-low heat. Whisk in beaten egg slowly; continue to whisk until you have a very thick custard, 7 to 10 minutes. Do not allow to stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat. Whisk pudding in the pan and run through a strainer into a bowl. Place a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the pudding and refrigerate to cool, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Whisk pudding mixture again until smooth and pour into the pie shell on top of ganache. Top with remaining chilled whipped cream.
• Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, to overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before ready to serve. Garnish with chocolate curls.