Newspaper Page Text
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THURSDAY, JUNE 28 - JULY 4, 2018
lifeitufo
RECIPE
Celebrate summer with chocolate peanut butter ice cream pie
BY KATIE WORKMAN
(AP) If you want to end a
summer celebration or gathering
with a big old bang, you would
be hard pressed to pick a better
dessert than an ice cream pie.
Somehow, ice cream stuffed into
a pie crust just seems so much
more festive and decadent and
sultry than bowls of ice cream.
And it’s one of the easiest-
to-make treats on the planet.
Especially this version, with
the classic chocolate, vanilla
and peanut butter cup thing
happening. Not to mention the
whipped cream.
Often, ice cream pies have
cookie crusts of some sort, but
I had a refrigerated pie crust
hanging around and decided to
blind bake the crust and use that
as the base for this pie. Blind
baking means baking a pie crust
on its own, so that it can be fully
cooked and wonderfully flaky
before you start piling in a filling
that doesn’t need to be cooked,
like a chocolate mousse or all
kinds of icebox pies.
For this recipe, fit the pie
dough (homemade or from a
package) into the pan, line the
dough with parchment paper,
cover it with weights of some
sort (like dried rice or beans) so
the dough stays in place without
shrinking or bubbling, and bake
it. There are also pie weights
available for the dedicated baker.
A few other tips: Leaving the
crust in the freezer for an hour or
so before putting it in the oven
helps it keep its shape while
baking. Also, save the rice or
beans you used to weigh down
the crust for another time. Place
them in a jar and label them
“baking beans” or “baking rice,”
and they won’t go to waste (you
can’t cook them once they’ve
been in the oven).
For the cleanest, smoothest
layers, pop the pie back into the
freezer for a bit after you add
each layer of ice cream. If you
have thought ahead enough to
spread the pie-building process
over a full day or two, this is very
doable. But if a magazine-quality
cross-section isn’t your deepest
wish, then skip that step and
just spread the ice cream layers
carefully, so they remain discrete
from one another.
The pie will keep for five days
in the freezer. Make the whipped
cream just before serving. You
can also slice the pie without
with the whipped cream, and
serve individual slices with
whipped cream added to each
piece if you prefer.
Serves: 8-10
Start to finish: five hours (more if you are
spreading out the steps)
- 1 refrigerated pie crust
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream
- 1 pint chocolate ice cream
- 25 miniature peanut butter cups, chilled and
coarsely chopped, divided
- 3/4 cup cold heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Let the pie crust sit at room temperature for 15
to 20 minutes before starting. To blind bake the
crust, transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan. Gently press it
into the pan, into the corners and up the sides. Fold
the edges underneath themselves to form a thick
rim that hangs just over the edge of the pie pan.
Crimp the edges attractively. Place the crust in the
freezer and chill for 30 minutes to one hour (you
can also leave it overnight if you want to get this
step done ahead of time).
Before you take the pie out, preheat the oven to
375 F. Prick the crust in several places with a fork.
Line the inside of the crust with parchment paper,
then fill it with dry rice or dried beans. Bake the
crust for 20 minutes, and then carefully remove the
parchment paper with the grains or beans inside.
Return the crust to the oven and bake for another
18 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden. Remove
and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Take both ice creams out of the freezer and let
soften slightly. In a medium-size bowl, combine
the vanilla ice cream with 3/4 of the peanut butter
cups, blending until they are well combined.
Scoop half of the chocolate ice cream into the
cooled crust, spread it evenly, and smooth the top
with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. (See
“Cooking Tip” at bottom). Turn the vanilla ice
cream with the peanut butter cups on top of the
chocolate ice cream and spread that out evenly,
trying not to disrupt the bottom chocolate ice
cream layer. Scoop the remaining chocolate ice
cream on top, and smooth out that layer. Return
the pie to the freezer to firm up completely, at least
three hours and up to five days. If you are storing
the pie for more than a few hours, cover the top
tightly with plastic wrap.
Just before you are ready to serve the pie,
place the cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla
in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to blend
the cream until firm peaks just form. Scoop the
whipped cream attractively over the top of the
pie. Let it sit for 10 minutes to soften just slightly
before cutting. Use a sharp knife that has been
dipped into a cup of hot water and then wiped
dry to cut slices of the pie. Do this dip and wipe
between each slice.
Cooking Tip: To make sure your layers are
even and unblended, place the pie in the freezer
for about 30 minutes between each ice cream
layer addition. That allows each layer to firm up
before more ice cream is added. Keep the softened
ice cream in the fridge while the pie is freezing
between stages.
Nutrition information per serving: 465
calories; 263 calories from fat; 29 gfat (15 g
saturated; 0 g trans fats); 60 mg cholesterol; 231
mg sodium; 48 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 34 g
sugar; 7 g protein.