Grasshopper Pie

Name: Grasshopper Pie


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Yield: Makes one 9-inch pie

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pie plate
• 3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 1/2 cups (about 25) crushed chocolate wafer cookies
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 1 cup loosely packed mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons green creme de menthe
• 1 envelope (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 bar (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate, chilled
• Freshly whipped cream, for serving (optional)

You will also need:

• oven, 9-inch pie plate, Whisk, medium bowl, small saucepan, glass measuring cup, medium heatproof bowl, rubber spatula, chef's knife

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate. Whisk together coconut, cookie crumbs, and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Add melted butter, and stir until well combined. Press crumb mixture into pie plate. Bake until just set, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, bring 1 1/2 cups cream and the mint just to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover. Let steep 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. Put creme de menthe in a medium heatproof bowl, and sprinkle with gelatin. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. 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 constantly, pour hot cream mixture in a slow, steady stream into egg-yolk mixture. Return mixture to heatproof bowl; set over pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is slightly thickened and registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer bowl to ice-water bath; whisk until mixture thickens to the consistency of pudding, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from bath. Add one-third 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.

Cook's Notes:

• Grasshopper pie was a favorite of Southern hostesses in the 1950s and '60s. We've updated the recipe, infusing the filling with fresh mint and adding coconut to the crust.