Chocolate Cream Pie

32 chocolate wafer cookies (such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, enough 1 and 1/3 cups cookie crumbs)
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 cup sugar, divided
6 Tablespoons melted butter, plus 2 tbsp. butter cut into small cubes
6 large egg yolks
3 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped, plus more for grating over pie
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse cookies until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl, set aside. To processor, add almonds and 3 tbsp. sugar and pulse until almonds have texture of course meal (be careful not to grind them into nut butter). Add ground nuts to cookies and stir in 6 tbsp. melted butter. Press into bottom and sides of a 9 in deep-dish pie plate (crust should be fairly thick).
Bake on center rack 15 minutes; let cool.

2. Put egg yolks in a medium bowl and beat to blend; set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together milk, 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly (mixture will begin to thicken). Reduce to medium.

3. Whisking constantly, pour 1/2 cup hot milk mixture into egg yolks, then pour egg-milk mixture into saucepan, Bring to a simmer (about 190 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (it will thicken noticeably). Remove from heat and stir in chocolate, vanilla, and 2 tbsp butter.

4. Pour chocolate filling into a medium metal bowl, then set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and let cool 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until filling reaches room temperature. Pour Filling into prepared crust and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface (to prevent a skin from forming). Chill until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

5. Just before serving, combine cream and remaining 1 tbsp, sugar in a chilled bowl. With an electric mixer on high speed, beat cream until medium peaks form. Spread whipped cream in a thick dome over chocolate filling. Grate chocolate over pie.

***The chocolate wafer cookies are hard to find so I substitute w/ Winco's chocolate graham crackers or Trader Joe's chocolate cat cookies. I don't add almonds.