Food Friday: The Final Icebox Pie

When I promised icebox pie recipes for every Friday in August, I hadn't anticipated how often I would screw up my pies.  But that is exactly what I did.  Lemonade pie turned out best and my mom made that one.  Sigh.

We ate my failures and that included my final pie, a tribute to the Baskin Robbins jamocha fudge flavor.  This pie has coffee and chocolate, two of my favorite things.

The Ingredients

- a gallon of coffee or espresso chip ice cream, softened

- 2 cups whip cream

- jar of chocolate fudge sauce

-  1/4 cup sliced almonds

- chocolate crust (or homemade crust)

Place the softened ice cream in the crust and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours.  

Then spread slightly warmed fudge on top.

Note that I screwed that up again.  Freeze again and serve each slice with sliced almonds and a dollop of whip cream and a cherry on top.

Still want to make some icebox pies?  Internet, I let you down in August but other folks are making a success of icebox pies.  You should try these Southern Living recipes, which look awesome.

Crusty

After yesterday's post, my sister texted me with a reminder that a cookie-based crust for an icebox pie can also be be made by hand.  She's right.  The process is pretty easy, though in some instances I think the crust is more solid if it's baked, a consideration for me in the summer.  For those of you who object to pre-made crusts (hi, KO), here are a few crust recipes that are more of the handmade variety (they use packaged cookies, so they aren't completely homemade).

For a chocolate crust made with Oreos, you can crush a couple rows of cookies (you want about 2 cups worth) and then mix the crushed mixture with 1/4 cup of melted butter.  Press it into your pie pan or casserole dish and then fill it with the ice cream of your choice.

For a graham cracker, vanilla wafer, or gingersnap crust, crush enough cookies for two cups worth of finely crumbed cookies.  Mix with 1/4 cup of melted butter, press into the pie pan or casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees (325 if your oven runs to the hot) for about 5 minutes (the goal is a toasted crust….you may need a few more minutes; keep on eye on this process).  Let the crust cool and then fill accordingly. 

However you make it, I think we can all agree: make an icebox pie this month.

Food Friday: Eating My Failure

I promised icebox pies for Fridays in August and yesterday I set out to make an ice cream pie.  Things started out well for this pie: there was a chocolate crust, creamy mint chocolate chip ice cream, fudge, whipped cream and cherries.

The softened ice cream was easily spread on the crust.

And then I overheated the fudge and made one hell of a mess.  T announced that we must "eat our failures" and this pie went into the freezer overnight to make it more manageable.

It's rather a disaster to look at, but I suspect that with a base alloy of ice cream and hot fudge it will still taste terrific.  Later today, I will cut slices, top them with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and a cherry and then we will eat my very yummy failure.

To make your own ice cream pie, you need:

- 1 prepared crust (chocolate or graham cracker)

- 1 tub of ice cream, softened

- 1 jar ice cream topping (I used hot fudge)

- freshly whipped cream

- cherries

Scoop the softened ice cream into the crust and then place in the freezer for a few hours.  Once the ice cream is solidly frozen, spread slightly warmed topping on the ice cream.  Put the pie into the freezer for at least six hours.  Serve with whipped cream and a cherry on each slice.  My pie was mint chocolate chip with hot fudge, but any number of combinations are an option.  Consider:

- butter pecan ice cream with caramel topping

- vanilla ice cream with caramel and chocolate

- strawberry ice cream with chocolate (or strawberry topping)

Really, the sky is the limit.  Rarely does failure taste so sweet.

Updated to reflect KO's reminder to freeze the ice cream before spreading on the warmed topping.

Food Friday: Lemonade Icebox Pie

Everyone loves themselves some pie.  But it's August and it's hot and I'm not heating up the oven for pie.  On the other hand, icebox pies are cool and taste like summer.  The virtue of icebox pies is that they are cold and refreshing and they don't heat up the kitchen.  And, they are easy to make.  So this month, each Friday I will post an icebox pie recipe.  First up: lemonade pie. 

Ingredients

1 pre-made graham cracker crust 

1 6 oz can frozen lemonade, defrosted

1 small can sweetened condensed milk

1 small tub of Cool Whip (you could substitute 3 cups of homemade sweetened whipped cream)

finely grated zest from one lemon

In a large bowl, mix the frozen lemonade, the sweetened condensed milk, and the Cool Whip together until the ingredients are smooth.  Pour into the graham cracker crust.  Sprinkle the lemon zest on top.  Place in the freezer for at least 6 hours and then serve.  

This is the yummy taste of summer.