10 Weeks ~ 10 Pies ~ 10 People ~ 10 Virtues

There’s no sweeter way to honor those who have impacted my life with virtue than by baking pie.  For the next 10 weeks, I will be spotlighting a pie each week that represents a special person in my life that has passed on one of life’s important virtues to me.

Week Nine

“Little Miss Stubborn was, as you might imagine, extraordinarily stubborn.  Once she had her mind made up there was no unmaking it.  If she decided to go out, she went out.  Even when it was pouring rain!”

I think Roger Hargreaves had my daughter, Sydney, in mind when he wrote this addition to his successful Mr. Men and Little Miss series launched in 1981.  English author and illustrator, Hargreaves, created brightly-colored, simple characters that have been a part of popular culture for over 25 years.  His books have sold over 85 million copies worldwide in 20 languages.  A lover of fellow British authors such as JRR Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and Roald Dahl, Sydney always has her nose in a book and is the kind of kid that will read by flashlight under her covers into the wee hours of the night.

It started the day she was born.  Weighing in at nearly 10 lbs just out of the womb and fighting every inch of the way to stay in, that girl was just as stubborn then as she is today, eleven and a half years later.  Early on as a toddler there were daily battles with Sydney’s willful spirit which allowed for countless opportunities to exercise lessons in patience.  I remember several instances of her refusing to clean up her toys after I had graciously spent time stacking blocks and cups, playing restaurant and grocery store, and reading books one after another.  It was with much frustration, and a level of stubborn will that mirrored hers, that I would take her by the arm, pulling her through the room, opening and closing her tiny hand around each toy to put it away where it belonged.  As she screamed, I would softly sing the Clean Up Song.  As she got a little older and on days when I wasn’t in the mood for practicing patience, I would stand in the middle of her room and announce empty threats of throwing all her strewn about toys in the trash.  This didn’t have quite the effect I was hoping for which led to the heart-breaking task of walking through her room with a big black trash bag as she sat there and watched, tears streaming down her face.  Somewhere in the back of her mind, she must have known that her will was much stronger than mine as it never motivated her to ever clean up her own toys.  Given my tender and undeniable heart, the trash bag never left the garage on trash day and her toys would magically appear in their designated spot a few days later.

With tantrums in the middle of Old Navy over flip flops, being removed from a family dinner at Applebee’s after spitting out a bad bite of macaroni and cheese, and middle-of-the-night car rides to wait out an escalated tirade that woke up the neighbors, Sydney has been a challenging child, to say the least.  Though bullheaded and obstinate in her attitude, she has taught me an astounding amount of patience.  Patience is defined as the ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay; quiet, steady perseverance.

Mint & Oreos - Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie Photography by Andrea Karapas

I chose a Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie to represent the patience I’ve learned from Syd.  With a wait time of at least 3 hours to overnight before sinking a knife into this delectable frozen pie, it’s a lesson in patience for all.  The Oreo Crumb Crust is the perfect shell for the vanilla ice cream and minty marshmallow filling.  You’ll need a trip to the liquor store for the crème de menthe and crème de cacao that go into making this a true Grasshopper dessert.  This pie is named after the Grasshopper cocktail, a sweet, mint-flavored after-dinner drink.  According to Wikipedia, the name of the drink is derived from its green color which is provided by the crème de menthe.  The drink reputedly originated at Tujague’s, a landmark bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans and gained popularity during the 1950’s and 1960’s throughout the American South.

With the opportunity to mother such an overwhelmingly willful and stubborn daughter, this little grasshopper is now much better equipped to apply this virtue in all aspects of her life with individuals who exhibit these same attributes.  The spirited ones are those who go on to do great things and I expect nothing less from Sydney.  She’s strong and I’m confident that if her own mother couldn’t break her spirit, nothing will.

Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie Photography by Andrea Karapas

Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie Photography by Andrea Karapas

Oreo Crumb Crust
Ingredients:
3 cups coarsely broken Oreo cookies (18-20 cookies)
Pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2-3 teaspoons milk
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325° F.  Combine the Oreo cookies and cinnamon in a food processor.  Pulse repeatedly in long bursts to make fine crumbs.  Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl.  Add the butter and mix well, first with a fork, then with your hands, rubbing the mixture until evenly combined.  Add the milk and rub again until the crumbs clump together when pressed between your fingers.  Transfer the crumbs to a 91/2-inch deep-dish pie pan, pressing them into the bottom and about halfway up the side.  Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes.  Place on the center oven rack and bake for 6 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool thoroughly, Refrigerate for 10 minutes before filling.

Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie
Ingredients for filling:
1 quart vanilla ice cream
¼ cup whole milk
5 cups mini marshmallows
3 tablespoons green crème de menthe
3 tablespoons light crème de cacao
1 ¼ cups cold heavy or whipping cream
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Garnish:
Small chocolate-covered after-dinner mints (Andes)
Fresh mint leaves
Instructions:
Place the ice cream in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to soften somewhat.  Using an ice cream spade or a large metal spoon, spoon the ice cream into the chilled pie shell.  Press it in evenly and smooth with the back of the spade, but take care not to crack the crust.  Place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
Combine the mild and marshmallows in a large saucepan, preferably nonstick, and melt over low heat, stirring often.  Remove from the heat and let cool, stirring occasionally.  When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the crème de menthe and crème de cacao.  Set aside.
Using a chilled medium-size bowl and chilled beaters, beat the heavy cre3am with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks.  Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until stiff but not grainy.  Fold the melted marshmallow mixture into the whipped cream until evenly blended.  Scrape this mixture over the ice cream, smoothing the top.  Freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight.  Once the surface of the pie has firmed up, cover loosely with aluminum foil.  Ideally, the top layer should be firm but slightly yielding when the pie is served.  To serve, garnish each slice with an after-dinner mint and 1 or 2 mint leaves.

Recipes from:  Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie
By~ Ken Haedrich