Red Velvet Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 8 servings chocolate pie crust 
• 3.5 ounces chocolate dark 70% finely chopped ( cocoa solids)
• 1 tsp purple gel food coloring red
• 1 cup cup heavy whipping cream 
• 1 cup cream cheese 
• 7 ounces oreo cookies with the filling scraped off ( 2 packages)
• 1 pinch sea salt 
• 5 tbsp caster sugar 
• 5.5 tbsp butter unsalted melted

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• whisk
• rolling pin
• pie form

Directions

1. Put the cookies in a medium bowl and, using the end of a rolling pin, crush them until fine.
2. Add the butter and sea salt and mix well. Squeeze some of the mixture in your hand; it should stick together. If not, add a little extra butter.
3. Pour the mixture into a 9in pie dish and press firmly over the bottom and sides.
4. Put the pie dish in the fridge until needed.
5. To make the cheesecake, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
6. Remove from the heat and let cool.
7. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. In a medium bowl whisk together the cream and food coloring until the cream holds soft peaks.
8. Pour in the melted chocolate and gently mix together.
9. Add the cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture and fold together until evenly combined.
10. Pour the mixture onto the prepared cookie crust and smooth out.
11. Chill for 2 hours or until set. Before serving, pour the heavy cream for the topping in a medium bowl and whisk until it holds soft peaks.
12. Spread the cream over the top of the cheesecake.