Girdlebuster Pie Base

Our answer

Nigella's Girdlebuster Pie (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) has a mixture of dark (bittersweet) and milk chocolate chips blended into the cookie crumb base. The chocolate chips add a chocolate flavour to the pie crust but are not essential for the base to bind together, especially as the base is then frozen. Nigella's My Brandy Alexander Pie and Salted Chocolate Tart similarly have chocolate chips in the base and the chips add chocolate flavour but are not essential for the base to hold together.

If the chips have been omitted by accident and the pie crust has not yet been frozen then you can scrape all of the crumbs back into a food processor and process again briefly. Or you could scatter them over the base of the pie crust before the ice cream is added. Sometimes pies have melted chocolate brushed over the base of the crust, but if the crust is already frozen solid then it may be difficult to spread the melted chocolate as it will set very quickly when it comes into contact with a cold surface. If the pie is already filled then you could scatter the chocolate chips over the ice cream but their texture may feel a bit odd next to the caramel sauce, so it is really up to your personal preference but on balance we would probably leave them out on this occasion.