This last week, I received 2 marriage proposals; 7 invitations to move into peoples’ homes; 5 threats of kidnapping; 1 promise of torture; 1 promise to torture Ernie; and 12 “pretty please with sugar on top” beggings; amongst other compliments and comments.
“What could possibly cause all the hubbub?” – you might be asking.
Dessert.
Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you’ve never done crazy things about/because of an overwhelming sweet tooth: driven a ridiculous number of miles, completely out of the way, because you heard someone’s-uncle’s-cousin’s-daughter once ordered a completely amazing-sounding dessert one time from an obscure and gourmet restaurant that is inconveniently located in the middle of nowhere; ordered that decadent-sounding thing, despite a recently-acquired (and impressive) food belly; squealed (loudly) in pure excitement when that gorgeously-plated delight magically found its way in front of you; drooled in anticipation of the first bite; annoyingly clanked and slurped every morsel of sweet goodness, drawing unwanted attention (unnoticed by you, of course, because – “hello” – your entire being is occupied by this heavenly creation we’re talking about); fought someone vigorously for the last bite; publicly licked a final mili-ounce of sauce off a plate; and finally thought incessantly about that delicious thing you’d only had one time until you start back at the beginning of this ridiculous scenario and start driving an unreasonable distance to procure said delicious thing…
(No – PFFFFF – of course I’ve never experienced this!)
Anyway, back to my latest debacle. In an effort to protect myself and Ernie (he needs a Wonderwoman here), I hope you will enjoy:
Frozen Tiramisu Pie
- 1 15.4oz package Double Stuff Oreos
- 1 TBSP butter, melted
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup demerara sugar
- 4 TBSP fresh-ground espresso beans
- 6 egg yolks
- 12 oz. Mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup Kahlua liqueur
- Cocoa powder
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 TBSP powdered sugar
- Chocolate garnishing sauce
- Fresh mint
- Chocolate-covered espresso beans (or other espresso-related goody for garnish)(I use white chocolate truffle espresso beans from St. John Spice Company)
To make the crust, in a food processor chop up Double Stuff Oreos and melted butter. Pour into spring form pan and tamp down until the surface is even. Place in freezer.
In a medium to large saucepan, bring 2 cups heavy whipping cream, whole milk, sugar, and ground espresso to a slow boil. Remove from heat. In a mixing bowl, whip egg yolks until pale yellow. Slowly pour egg yolks into hot cream, whisking constantly. Cook entire mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens to a consistency that will cover the back of a metal spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, strain into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap so it touches the top of the liquid (to prevent a skin forming) and chill for 2 hours. Pour into ice cream maker and use according to manufacturer’s instructions, stopping when the mixture is significantly thickened but not solidly frozen.
In a large mixing bowl, whip the mascarpone cheese and Kahlua liqueur. Add in the slightly-frozen ice cream and mix thoroughly. Pour into springform pan overtop Oreo crust, smoothing the top, and freeze overnight.
A half hour before serving, move the frozen pie to the refrigerator, and put desired serving plates in freezer. Whip 2 cups heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar together until stiff peaks are formed. Slice pie into desired pieces. Prepare plates by sprinkling cocoa powder (messy is pretty in this case). Place one slice of pie per plate; drizzle chocolate on pie and sprinkle chocolate-covered espresso beans. Finally, place a dollop of whipped cream next to the pie and finish with fresh mint.
I think you know what to do with it from there. ENJOY!
