Makes one 9-inch pie
Music Pairing: Christmas Time is Here by Vince Guaraldi
For the crust
18 graham crackers (139 grams / 9 full cracker sheets)
Pinch of fleur de sel
5 tablespoons (70 grams) butter, melted
For the filling
2 cups (.5 L) heavy cream (whip)
1 tablespoon (8 grams) plus 3/4 cup (87 grams) powdered sugar
8 ounces (224 grams) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cloves
1/4 cup (80 grams) molasses
Add the graham crackers to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until they turn into very fine crumbs.
Heat an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the cracker crumbs. Toast, shaking the pan frequently so the crumbs don’t burn, until they deepen in color (they’ll also release a nutty, fragrant scent). Let cool a few minutes. Stir in the salt and melted butter until the crumbs are well coated. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate (regular, not deep dish). Set the plate in the fridge, and let cool while you prepare the filling.
Add the cream and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar to a deep bowl. Starting on low speed, and gradually increasing to high, beat the cream until it forms firm peaks when you lift the beaters from the whipped cream. Set aside in the fridge (no need to cover the bowl).
Add the cream cheese to a deep bowl. Beat on medium-high until creamy and smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar, spices, and molasses to the bowl. Beat until mixed well.
Spoon half of the whipped cream into the bowl with the filling. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the cream. Pour the filling into the prepared pie plate.
The next step is to top with the remaining whipped cream. You can either spoon it on top, and spread with an off-set spatula, or place the cream in a pastry bag and pipe it on top. Once finished, place the pie in the fridge, and chill at least 4 hours, or overnight before serving.