Chocolate Ganache Torte

Ingredients

• One 9-ounce box "Nabisco's Famous" chocolate wafers, or your favorite chocolate nut cookies
• 2/3 cup pecans
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of the best available semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, well chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 1/4 cups cane sugar, white granulated sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Set your oven to 350 degrees F. Start with the crust: pulse the wafers and pecans in a food processor, or mince them by hand, until they are finely ground. Mix in just enough melted butter that a small handful holds its shape when squeezed.
2. Pat the crumb mixture evenly across the bottom of the spring-form pan and continue it halfway up the sides.
3. Bake the crust in the 350 degrees F oven for 20 minutes, then put it aside to cool. As it bakes, make the ganache filling. Set up a double boiler, or place a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, and melt the butter; add the chocolate after the butter has melted.
4. Once the chocolate is melted and loose enough to stir smoothly, pour in the whipping cream gradually, stirring gently, until everything is combined and glossy. Transfer the ganache into the prepared shell. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Before serving, make the caramel sauce; the sauce should be warm and the torte should be cold. Melt the butter over medium high heat in a heavy-bottomed, high-sided pot that holds at least 3-qt.
5. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Raise the heat to high, and keep stirring as the sugar melts. This will take a few minutes.
6. After the mixture has melted, you may still see lumps. Switch to a whisk and work them out until dissolved.
7. When the caramel is brown and smooth, with all the sugar dissolved, take the pot off the heat.
8. Add the cream slowly, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring briskly after each addition until the sauce is smooth and blended. The caramel will bubble and release a lot of steam when the cream goes in, which is exactly why the pot needs high sides. Use oven mitts to protect your hands, or stir with a long-handled wooden spoon.
9. The sauce will be extremely hot. Cool it until it is warm rather than hot before serving.
10. 1 9-inch torte has been known to serve 20 adults, so be careful.