Flashback to the Seventies: Grasshopper Pie

by Bruce Watson, Posted Jun 25th 2009 @ 2:00PM

Hydrox is one of the ingredients. Photo: Chazz Layne/flickr

In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.

When I was a kid, Creme de Menthe was a pretty big deal. A local restaurant used to make parfaits that were loaded with the stuff, and the mix of vanilla ice cream and super-sweet mint liqueur soon entered my pantheon of top childhood delights.

When it came time to update my Aunt Evie's recipe for Grasshopper Cake, I played with the idea of kicking it up a notch, but higher level mint liqueurs and Godiva chocolate liqueur seemed excessive, like putting truffles on a hamburger. In the end, half of the joy of this boozy, sweet concoction lies in the humble nature of its ingredients.

While my family traditionally made this dish in a pie plate, I opted to go for a springform pan. The crust, which I deliberately left uneven, rose and fell to reveal the bright green filling, and the crumbled cookies on top offered a coarse yet tantalizing finish. Needless to say, this one disappeared pretty quickly!

Get the recipe for Grasshopper Cake after the jump.

Grasshopper Cake

1 package Hydrox cookies (see note)
1/3 cup melted butter
38 full-size marshmallows (roughly one whole package)
1 cup whole milk
1 pint whipping cream
8 tablespoons green Creme de Menthe
2 tablespoons Creme de Cacao (see note)

To make the crust, set aside four to five cookies and pulverize the rest. A food processor is good for this. Mix with the melted butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. If you wish, you can push the crust all the way to the top; alternately, leaving it uneven on the sides will give it a playful, rustic appearance.

To make the filling, combine the milk and the marshmallows in a double boiler and heat until the marshmallows have melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

While the marshmallow mix is cooling, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cooled marshmallow mix and the liqueurs. Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan and place in the refrigerator. After about an hour, it should gel up a bit, and you can crush the remaining cookies and scatter the crumbs on top as a garnish. Allow to chill for at least six more hours.

Note:
While Hydrox cookies are available once again, you can use any chocolate sandwich cookies that you like. Personally, I like Target's in-house brand, which are tasty and notably lacking in high-fructose corn syrup.

Also, if you want to try a mint coffee flavor, Kahlua makes a good substitute for Creme de Cacao.

Filed Under: Retro cookery, Ingredients
Tags: america, Aunt Evie, AuntEvie, beyond rice krispie treats, BeyondRiceKrispieTreats, comfort food, dessert, Grasshopper cake, GrasshopperCake, retro food