Celebrate The π-rish
I’m killing three birds with one pie this month. I’m celebrating Pi Day (3/14), St. Patrick’s
Day (3/17), and the Spring Solstice (3/19) with – what else? – PIE. We’re having Pie for Pi Day. Specifically, we’re having Grasshopper Pie. It’s green and slightly boozy so that takes
care of St. Patrick’s Day. And I’m
paying homage to the season with this green pie as a symbol of verdancy and as
a nod to the springtime hatching of grasshoppers. I’ve got all my bases covered with Grasshopper
Pie.
Grasshopper Pie has a rich chocolate base made from
chocolate cookies mixed with melted butter.
I’m using Oreos, so you know we’re off to a good start. You can use your basic Oreo or you can
complement the filling flavors by using Oreo Mint cookies. It’s up to you. The smooth and creamy filling is easy and
no-bake. Marshmallows are melted with
milk, crème de menthe is added to provide the distinct flavor and the green
color, and then whipped cream is folded in to provide a light, airy finish. The grasshoppers themselves add a delightful
crunch and a certain je ne sais quoi. I’m kidding, no grasshoppers were involved in
this pie. I just wanted to see if you
were paying attention.
The name
“Grasshopper,” however, and the inspiration for this pie, comes from the
Grasshopper cocktail, made popular back in 1920s New Orleans. The drink itself was invented at a 1918 cocktail
competition in New York City by New Orleans restaurateur, Philibert Guichet,
whose family owned the French Quarter restaurant Tujague’s. The drink, made of
cream, crème de menthe, and crème de cacao, won second place, and Guichet
proudly brought the drink, named the “Grasshopper” for its luminous green color,
back to New Orleans, where it became one of the signature drinks of Tujague’s. When
Prohibition lifted, the drink’s popularity spread across the South, and as
people became enamoured of that distinctive chocolate-mint flavor combination, the
after-dinner cocktail inspired the pie which shares its name. The Grasshopper Pie became quite in-demand
during the mid-1900s when chiffon pies became all the rage. My particular version is mousse-like, fluffy,
and creamy. It uses no gelatin or eggs, it’s easy to make, and it needs
no baking. It’s minty-cool, refreshing,
chocolatey, a tad boozy, highly satisfying, and delicious!
Grasshopper Pie
Cookie Crumb Crust
1 1-lb. package Oreo Mint Crème cookies (36 cookies)
6 TB unsalted butter, melted
Pulse Oreos, including the cream filling, in food
processor into a fine crumb. Pour in
melted butter and process until well-combined.
Press crumbs evenly onto the bottom and sides of a 9-inch
springform pan with parchment-lined bottom and buttered sides.
Filling
1 10 oz. package marshmallows (46 large)
¾ cup 2% milk
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup + 2 TB crème de menthe
¼ cup crème de cacao
2 cups heavy cream
24 bright green, plump, juicy grasshoppers *See Rosie Note below
8 drops green food coloring
Rosie Note: I told you I was messin’ with you about
the grasshoppers. Weren’t you paying
attention?No grasshoppers were harmed in the making of this pie.
You’re going to be whipping heavy cream to fold into the
marshmallow mixture, so before I start, I take my beaters and a glass bowl and
set them in the freezer. You’ll get better
volume when both the beaters and the bowl are cold.
In a medium sauce pan, combine marshmallows, milk, and heavy
cream over medium low heat, stirring until marshmallows are melted. (Notice I’m using 2% milk and heavy cream
here. You could substitute with whole
milk, or a combination of a less fat milk, and more heavy cream. I tend to go heavy on the cream, appreciating
the fat content.) Pour mixture into a large bowl and set aside to cool.
When cool, stir in the crème de menthe and the crème de cacao.
Whip 2 cups cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into the
marshmallow mixture until just combined, along with 8-10 drops of the food
coloring. Pick out the hue of green you
like.
Pour filling into the cookie crumb crust, smoothing top,
and place in freezer.
When you’re ready to serve, run a knife or offset spatula
along the sides of the crumb crust and release the springform pan. Use the parchment paper to pull the pie off
the bottom of the pan and onto a serving platter.
Let the decorating begin!
I like lots of whipped cream, so I beat 2 cups of heavy
cream in an ice-cold glass bowl until soft peaks formed. Then I gradually whipped in ¼ cup sugar and 1
TB pure vanilla extract. Beat until
stiff peaks form. I snipped the corner
off a zip-lock bag and stuck in a decorative piping tip, then transferred the
whipped cream to the bag. Squeeze the
whipped cream out however you like to decorate the pie. You can use a vegetable peeler to make
chocolate curls from a bar of dark chocolate and sprinkle on top. You could also use some green sugar
sprinkles. If you want to continue the chocolate/mint theme, chopped-up Andes
Mints would work nicely, too
Happy Pi Day!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! And
Happy Spring!
Enjoy.
Now for the step-by-steps
I used a 9-inch springform pan. Buttered the sides and placed parchment paper in the bottom so the pie can be easily removed to a serving plate.
Process oreos with butter.
Fine crumb.
Spread crumbs evenly.
Bottom and sides.
Start on filling. Melt marshmallows in milk.
Stir.
You want it nice and smooth. No lumps.
Let it cool to room temp.
When marshmallow mixture is cool, stir in crème de menthe.
I just like the color here.
Stir in the crème de cacao. Crème de cacao is a sweet chocolate liqueur. The crème part doesn't mean it has any cream in it. It simply means it's a liqueur with a high sugar content.
When I went to the liquor store, I picked up the only thing I saw, which was dark crème de cacao.
After the fact, I looked up crème de cacao and found out there are two types - white, or clear, crème de cacao and dark crème de cacao. According to my research, i.e. Google, the white crème de cacao is sweet with a delicate chocolate flavor and vanilla notes and the dark is sweet with a bolder, richer, dark chocolate flavor. The white, or clear, crème de cacao lacks cocoa solids, so it doesn't have as much of a chocolate flavor as the dark crème de cacao. The difference is in the production, or distillation. The white is flavored with a distillate of cacao beans, while the dark liqueur is extracted by percolation of cacao beans. You could use either in the grasshopper pie, but I'll go with more chocolate flavor given the choice. And the brown color did not affect the lovely green color from the crème de menthe.
Next, I'm ready to whip the cream.
The bowl and the beaters have been sitting in the freezer while I've been working on everything else.
Whenever you're beating cream, have the beaters and the bowl ice cold.
Makes for more volume in the whipped cream.
(Rosie Note: Whenever you're beating eggs, say for a soufflé, you want them at room temperature. You'll get better volume from the eggs.)
Whip the heavy cream until you get stiff peaks.
Whipped cream on the left. Marshmallow mixture on the right.
Gently fold whipped cream into marshmallow mixture.
The whipped cream is pretty well incorporated, but I want it greener.
So I added 8-10 drops of green food coloring.
Add a few drops.
Fold in.
Check color.
Keep adding food coloring until you get the color you like.
Filling ready to go into Oreo crust.
Plop it in.
Smooth out the top.
Into the freezer.
I left it, covered, overnight, before running a knife around the outside
and releasing the springform pan.
Transfer to a serving platter.
Since I'm celebrating pi day, I cut out a pi template and shaved some dark chocolate
to make a pi symbol.
For more decorations, you can use a vegetable peeler to shave chocolate curls.
I wanted/needed more whipped cream, so I beat 2 cups of heavy cream with 1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar and a tablespoon of vanilla. Scoop it into a zip lock back with a pastry tip and commence to decorating.
Add a little sprig of mint for the pretty.
Enjoy!
