Coffee Cream Pie

Preheat oven; assemble crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a food processor, pulse wafers until finely ground. Add butter, sugar, and salt, and process until well combined. Press mixture firmly into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

Bake crust; let cool: Bake until crust is firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Cook milk mixture for filling: Whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in milk and 2 tablespoons espresso powder, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick, about 7 minutes (about 2 minutes after it comes to a boil).

Add to egg yolks; cook custard: Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk in milk mixture in a slow, steady stream until completely incorporated. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until it returns to a boil, 1 to 2 minutes.

Strain custard; whisk in butter and let cool: Strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl, and stir in coffee liqueur and vanilla. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until each piece melts before adding the next one. Let custard cool, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Pour filling into crust; cover and chill: Pour custard into baked and cooled crust. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of custard. Refrigerate until filling is firm, 4 hours (or wrapped tightly with plastic, up to 1 day).

Crush espresso beans: With the flat side of a chef's knife, crush espresso beans, 1 at a time. Reserve 1 tablespoon large pieces for garnish.

Make whipped cream topping; top pie: In a chilled bowl, beat cream, confectioners' sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon espresso powder until stiff peaks form. Fold small espresso-bean pieces into whipped cream mixture, and spread over pie. Sprinkle with reserved espresso-bean pieces or chocolate curls, and serve immediately.