Grasshopper Pie for St. Patrick's Day!

Sláinte! 

I was looking for a green pie to make for St. Patrick's Day. As you all know, to quote Kermit, "it's not easy being green." I searched the Internet for grasshopper pie, I came across this recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker, and it is delicious.  She adapted this recipe from Cooks Country, a favorite website of mine.  

I have been baking pies steadily for about three years now.  As some of you know it was because I was trying to win a pie contest - who's kidding who - I was consumed!  Last year I received a second place red ribbon for my Lime Blueberry Pie, and I was thrilled.  Occasionally, when I'm talking to my sisters about pies, I have to, from time to time, remind them that I am an award winning pie baker!  LOL!!!  They are NOT impressed!  Maybe it's because I wear the ribbon . . . hey, I'm channelling my inner Julia Child!

Then this past Thanksgiving I made two pies to raffle off at work (I teach at a school), and I donated the proceeds to the end of year activities for our 8th grade students.  The pies raised a lot of money!  I was so impressed that I thought I'd have a raffle every Friday until Christmas.  Then January rolled around and I didn't want to stop, but I didn't want to bake one every week, so I picked the Friday before our long weekend, next February vacation and after that, St. Patrick's Day.  To date I've raised $670 for our students end of year activities, and I'm having a blast!  There will be a pie for Easter and one for the Kentucky Derby!  On the last day of school I plan to bring in a pie to give away as a thank you to my generous co-workers for supporting our students.

This pie is so easy to make it's unbelievable! You can decorate it with whipped cream (flavored with mint extract) or chocolate curls! I used Wilton editable shamrocks.

Yield: 8 servings Prep time: 7 hours Cook time: 15 minutes Total time: 8 hours

INGREDIENTS:

For the Crust:
24 Cool Mint Oreo cookies, crushed into crumbs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the Filling:
3 egg yolks
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
½ cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, divided
Pinch of salt
¼ cup green crème de menthe
¼ cup white crème de cacao

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the Oreo cookie crumbs and the melted butter in a medium bowl and toss with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Transfer the crumbs to a 9-inch pie plate. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, forming a crust. Refrigerate the lined pie plate for 20 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust is fragrant and set. Cool completely on a wire rack.

2. Make the Filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until foamy, about 30 seconds. Stir together the gelatin, sugar, ½ cup of the heavy cream and the salt in a medium saucepan and let sit until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Cook over medium heat until the gelatin dissolves and the mixture is very hot but not boiling, about 2 minutes. Whisking continuously, slowly drizzle the gelatin mixture into egg yolks. Return mixture to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème de menthe and crème de cacao. Pour into a large bowl and refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until it thickens to a wobbly consistency, about 20 minutes.

3. Beat the remaining 1½ cups heavy cream on medium-high speed until it holds stiff peaks. Gently whisk 1 cup of the whipped cream into the gelatin mixture until completely incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining whipped cream into the gelatin mixture until no streaks of white remain. Scrape the mixture into the cooled pie shell, smooth the top, and refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours or preferably overnight. Serve with whipped cream and topped with chocolate curls, if desired.

Notes:

• The pie will keep in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
• The alcohol in this pie has no way of cooking off, so keep that in mind if serving to children or anyone who can't have alcohol.
• If you can't find Cool Mint Oreos, you can use regular Oreos and add a little mint extract to give the crust that extra zing!