Prep Time: 1 hour   Cook time: 30 minutes

Pie Crust

• 1 homemade pie crust, shaped into a disc and chilled*

Nutella Dark Chocolate Filling

• 360g heavy whipping cream
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
• 200g 85-90% dark chocolate, broken into chunks
• 80g egg yolks
• 150g sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 120g heavy whipping cream
• 200g Nutella
• ½ tsp salt

Whipped Cream Topping 

• 360g heavy whipping cream
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
• Extra chocolate and chopped hazelnuts to finish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

PIE CRUST

1. I like to make my pie crust the night before or at least 2 hours before to give it time to rest.
2. Once the dough has rested, unwrap the disc and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to ¼” (6mm) in thickness, turning the dough 45˚ often as you are rolling to keep it even. You want the circle to be slightly larger than your pie tin. Transfer to a 9” pie tin, and arrange to ensure that the dough is well settled.
3. Trim the dough using scissors or a sharp knife, leaving about one inch excess around the edges. Gently tuck the dough under and onto itself, to give you a neat folded edge. Chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, then remove from the fridge and crimp as desired. Dock all over with the tines of a fork, then chill for a further 30 minutes.
4. While the crust is in the fridge, preheat the oven to 425˚f / 220˚c. Cut a piece of parchment slightly larger than the pie dish. Line with the parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans, filling right to the bottom of the crimps.
5. Place the pie tin on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper and beans. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5-10 minutes, until the crust is evenly golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

NUTELLA CHOCOLATE FILLING

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the 360g cream and vanilla bean paste until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl and store in the fridge until ready to use. Wash and dry your stand mixer bowl.
2. Set up a double boiler situation - place a small pot filled with an inch or two over water and bring to a boil. Break the chocolate into a glass or metal bowl that fits over the pot, and place on top, letting the heat melt the chocolate. Stir frequently. Once all of the chocolate is melted, remove from the double boiler and set aside to cool.
3. In another metal or glass bowl, or in the bowl of your stand mixer (I used the metal bowl of my kitchen aid), combine the egg yolks, sugar and water, whisking well to combine. Place over your pot of simmering water, ensuring that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl, and, whisking constantly, heat until the mixture registers 160˚f / 70˚c on a candy thermometer. Transfer to your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat the mixture on high speed for 7-8 minutes, until it has increased significantly in volume, and cooled to room temperature. With the mixer on low, slowly add the melted dark chocolate, mixing until incorporated and scraping down the sides as needed. Slowly stream in the 120g heavy whipping cream, and mix until well combined.
4. Add the Nutella and salt, and mix on medium until well combined. Remove the whipped cream from the fridge, and add the chocolate mixture to the cream. Gently fold it in, taking care not to deflate the cream too much, until well combined and homogenous in colour.
5. Scrape the filling into the blind baked crust, and smooth down with an offset spatula. Transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
6. To finish the pie, whip 360g heavy whipping cream with the vanilla until stiff peaks, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip (I used ateco #825). Pipe swirls of whipped cream on top of the pie. Alternatively, you can dollop the cream on and spread with an offset spatula. Finish with curls of chocolate made with a vegetable peeler, and chopped hazelnuts.