Go Green for St. Patrick’s with Petite Grasshopper Pie

Patrick’s Day began in Ireland but it’s a big deal here, too. Between 1820 and 1930, nearly 4.5 million Irish immigrants (like my great-great grandparents) arrived in the United States and today, nearly 34.7 million of us can claim Irish ancestry.  Whether you’ve got Irish eyes that are smiling in your family tree like me or are only Irish on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day is a happy holiday filled with parades, parties and everything green as far as the eye can see. As part of the festivities, 34% of us will make a special dinner or throw a party.  If that’s you, here’s a dessert that captures the spirit of the day.  It’s as green as a shamrock and as much fun to make as to eat.

Handheld Grasshopper pie is a tasty trip down memory lane to the cool minty dessert that was a mid-century favorite of hostesses everywhere.  Now, Sarah Billingsley and Rachel Wharton have put an updated spin on this retro treat in their book, “Handheld Pie.”

These pint-sized pies are destined to make every leprechaun at your table dance a little jig. You, too, if you cut yourself some slack with a self-serve dessert bar.

Fill the two hidden drawers of the Black Shaped Apron Console Table with spoons and napkins, then leave them slightly propped open. Then place jar pies on the table and turn guests loose to sample your self-serve dessert bar.

Another option for your self-serve dessert bar is the Solana buffet from Hooker Furniture’s new opulent yet casual, refined rustic Solana Collection.

Perhaps best of all?   These hand-held pies can be made up to two days in advance.  As a time-starved hostess,I love that and so will you.

Grasshopper Pie

One word describes the grasshopper pie: retro. But, like many things from the 1960s, it’s back—probably because chocolate and mint is an indisputable classic pairing. The cool and the rich play off each other charmingly in this bright dessert, which was probably made at a time when the crème de menthe in your liquor cabinet disappeared quickly. Now, you may move five times in a decade and lug the same bottle around (like I did). If you can’t bear to bring yourself to buy a new bottle just for this recipe, you can skip it, but your filling won’t be a lovely minty green and it will have a much milder mint flavor. I do not recommend using mint extract; it tastes like toothpaste. If you opt to skip steeping the fresh mint and rely on the crème de menthe alone to flavor the filling, your pies will taste more like the thin mints and Andes Candies of your childhood.

I’ve also seen gild-the-lily versions with crème de menthe and crème de cacao, but I reined myself in to one bottle of unused liquor here. Some people use Oreos to make the crumb crust, and marshmallows or Marshmallow Fluff in the filling.

Makes 6 pies

Ingredients:

2 cups/480 ml heavy cream

1 cup/30 g loosely packed fresh mint leaves

1½ tsp unflavored gelatin

Ice cubes

¼ cup/50 g sugar

¼ cup/60 ml crème de menthe

5 egg yolks

1 recipe Chocolate Crumb Crust (see separate recipe)

½ cup/115 g Bittersweet Ganache Filling (see separate recipe) or 2 oz/55 g bittersweet chocolate

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine 1½ cups/360 ml of the cream and the mint leaves and heat over medium heat until the cream begins to steam and bubble. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to steep for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to collect as much minty cream as possible. Cover and refrigerate until using.

Pour the remaining ½ cup/120 ml cream into a large heatproof bowl or the top pan of a double boiler. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cream and allow the gelatin to soften for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath. Use a bowl that is larger than the bowl you used for the cream and gelatin. Fill it about three-fourths full with ice cubes and water.

Whisk the sugar, crème de menthe, and egg yolks into the cream-gelatin mixture until thoroughly combined. Set over (not touching) gently simmering water and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of custard, about 10 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove from the heat and immediately rest the bowl in the ice bath. Continue stirring until the mixture has a puddinglike consistency, about 5 minutes.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the mint-infused cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. (Or, use a large bowl and a handheld mixer or a whisk.) Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the gelatin mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream until thoroughly combined. (This mixture can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before continuing.)

Line six ½-pt/240-ml jars with the crumb crust.

Spoon about ½ cup/120 ml of the minty cream mixture into each prepared jar and smooth the tops. Garnish each pie with a spoonful of the ganache, or shave chocolate curls over the top.

Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. These pies cannot be frozen.

Bittersweet Ganache Filling

Ganache, a silky blend of chocolate, butter, and cream, can be used two ways: it makes a great stand-alone filling, such as in Chocolate-Cinnamon Pop Tarts, and it can be used with other flavors and fillings. For example, you can elevate Pecan Pie by stashing a little scoop of ganache on the bottom of the crust. The same goes for a structured pie made with Cherry Filling. You can substitute 1-1/3 cups/225 g bittersweet chocolate chips for the bar chocolate and skip the chopping step.

Makes 1-1/2 cups/360 ml, enough for 12 to 16 free-form or structured pies; or 6 jar pies

Ingredients:

8 oz/225 g bittersweet chocolate, preferably 62 to 72 percent cacao

3/4 cup/180 ml heavy cream

2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-in/12-mm cubes

Directions:

Coarsely chop the chocolate by hand or in a food processor and place in a bowl.

In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the butter until melted.

Let cool and use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Chocolate Crumb Crust

Ingredients:

11/4 cups/115 g chocolate cookie crumbs (from about 18 cookies, each 3 in/7.5 cm in diameter)

6 tbsp/85 g unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the crumbs and butter and stir until the mixture is evenly moist.

To line jars with the crust, spoon about 4 tbsp of the crumb mixture into each jar. Take the jar in your nondominant hand (left hand if you are right-handed, for example) and start pressing the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the jar with your other hand. Now work some of the crumb mixture along the sides of the jar, pressing firmly. The crust should be about 1/4 in/6 mm thick and cover three-fourths of the jar.

Fill the crusts immediately.

Recipes courtesy of “Handheld Pies: Dozens of Pint-Size Sweets & Savories” by Sarah Billingsley and Rachel Wharton, ChronicleBooks.com