White Chocolate Grasshopper Pie
This light and airy adults-only mousse pie has a subtle hint of mint folded into the creamy and rich white chocolate. Chocolate shavings, which can be made by using a vegetable peeler and a block of dark chocolate, make a pretty garnish.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 4 1/2 cups (9 oz./280 g) vanilla or chocolate wafer cookies
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (4 oz./125 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the filling:
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) crème de menthe
- 2 1/4 tsp. (1 envelope) unflavored gelatin
- 1 1/2 cups (12 fl. oz./375 ml) heavy cream
- 2 oz. (60 g) white chocolate, chopped
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup (3 oz./90 g) sugar
For the topping:
- 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar
- Semisweet chocolate shavings for garnish
Directions
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C).
To make the crust, in a food processor, pulse the cookies until fine crumbs form. Add the sugar and salt and pulse a few times to mix evenly. Add the melted butter and pulse until the texture resembles wet sand. Gently press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) pie dish, pressing until compact.
Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
To make the filling, pour the crème de menthe into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let stand until the gelatin softens and swells, about 5 minutes. Pour 3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml) of the cream into the top pan of a double boiler. Place over (not touching) barely simmering water in the bottom pan and warm the cream. Add the white chocolate and whisk until melted. Add the gelatin mixture and whisk until dissolved.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until blended. Add the hot milk, 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) at a time, to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then pour the mixture back into the double boiler pan. Cook, whisking, until a candy thermometer registers 150°F (65°C), 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the remaining 3/4 cup (180 ml) cream on high speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture, then pour the filling into the crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Immediately before serving, make the whipped cream topping: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sugar. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
Using a spatula, spread the whipped cream evenly over the filling. Garnish with the chocolate shavings and serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10.
Adapted from Williams Sonoma The Pie Cookbook (Weldon Owen, 2016)