Minty Fresh
The sultry, sweaty humidity of this week’s 90-degree heat wave had me reaching for my Origins Peace of Mind to dab under my ears and neck. As the cooling minty sensation began to work its magic, I thought, I should provide something just as soothing for my stomach. So I recalled an old summertime favorite: Grasshopper Pie.
Just the colors alone are calming. Minty green creamy filling resting on top of a cool dark crust. Chocolate shavings top clouds of chilled whipping cream. A dream come true to relieve the misery of a sweltering June. I sifted through old magazines and cookbooks, but inevitably ended up back on the Internet. I tried a few, but they all ended up gloopy and overwhelmingly peppermint-y.
I found one that looked a little less Milk of Magnesia green on Martha Stewart.com.
Most of the reviews I read detailed the trouble cooks had with thickening the pie. I tried it for myself and had a little problem with the filling bulking up, so I added 1/4 cup miniature marshmallows, which helped firm up the texture. I did tweak this recipe a little, since I agreed with some of the comments on Stewart’s Web site that this pie lacked enough of a minty fresh taste. Keebler’s Fudge Shoppe Grasshopper cookies used for the crust added even more minty flavor. Also, I thought it would be fun to fold a large mint leaf in half for the body of a grasshopper and add Mung bean sprouts for back legs. I put each of these “insects” on a wedge of pie to see if diners would notice. Some ate right through his legs, while others actually tried to flick the offender off.
With the addition of mint leaves on top and a tablespoon of mint extract, this refreshing treat managed to cool me down after a day spent mowing the lawn. I could get through it knowing that the pie was waiting for me in the refrigerator.
Is that a grasshopper on my pie?
Grasshopper Pie
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pie plate
1 1/2 cups crushed chocolate wafer cookies
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
3 tablespoons green creme de menthe
1 tablespoon pure mint extract
1/4 cup miniature marshmallows, melted
1 evenelope unflavored gelatin
5 large eggs yolks
1 bar (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate, chilled,
Freshly whipped cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate. Whisk together cookie crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl.
Add melted butter and stir until combined. Press crumb mixture into pie plate. Bake until just set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
Bring 1 1/2 cups cream and mint to just boiling in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover. Let steep about 15 minutes.
Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a glass measuring cup. Discard the mint and set cream aside. Beat the remaining cup cream in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form; cover and refrigerate.
Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Pour creme de menthe in a medium heatproof bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. Add mint extract. Whisk together egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in another medium bowl; set aside. Add steeped cream to gelatin mixture, whisking until well combined.
Set bowl with cream mixture over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved and mixture is hot to the touch, about 1 minute. Whisking conastantly, pour hot cream mixture in a slow, steady stream into the egg-yolk mixture. Return mixture to heatproof bowl; set over pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is slightly thickened and registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes. (If the texture is too thin, add 1/4 cup miniature marshmallows that have been microwaved for about 15 seconds.)
Transfer bowl to ice-water bath; whisk until mixture thickens to the consistency of pudding, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from bath. Add 1/3 of reserved whipped cream; whisk until combined. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with a rubber spatula.
Spoon mixture into pie crust; refrigerate until set, 45 minutes to 1 hour (or up to 1 day). Just before serving, scrape a chef’s knife along surface of chocolate bar to make shavings. Spoon dollops of whipped cream onto pie, if desired, and top with chocolate shavings (and a grasshopper or two).
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