Grasshopper Pie

After looking through the Hummingbird Book I came accross this Grasshopper Pie which I thought looked really different and could potentially be really good.  It's got a chocolate biscuit base, marshmallowy minty centre with a whipped cream topping, so it's got loads of different flavours and textures and mint and chocolate always go really well together.

I had pretty high expectations for the pie, however, I must admit I was a bit disappointed with it although it's nothing that can't be improved next time.
1) The chocolate base is made just like a cheesecake base would be, the book doesn't tell you to grease the dish at all which I was a little bit sceptical about but thought i'd follow the recipe first time round and then ammend it next time.  The base stuck to the dish quite a bit so next time i'd reccommend greasing in some way. (As the base really stuck, it was really hard to cut slices that were worth photographing and left the cake looking not so pretty, so please excuse the photography on this one!)
2) The filling wasn't as minty as I was expecting, I personally, along with the other people who tried it, would prefer more mint in it. If you want a really subtle flavour then the amount they use in the book is fine but then depending on how flavoursome you want it I would reccommend adding more mint essence.
3) I found the whipped cream on top really overpowering and probably too much in ratio with the rest of the pie. I'm not a big cream lover, so would personally not put the cream on top next time. There are many different Grasshopper Pie versions, some with cream, some without, so depending on your preference you can try either.

Anyway, now the negatives are over and done with, the overall texture of the pie was really nice.  I loved the gooeyness of the filling against the crunch of the biscuit.  I really love the flavour of mint with chocolate and so with some small ammendments I think this could be a really good pie.  I will try this pie again adding more mint this time and maybe experimenting with some new topping ideas or even without a topping and will blog about it to let you all know how it went!

Recipe
(Cake Days - The Hummingbird Book)

Serves 10-12

For the Biscuit Base:
250g (9oz) chocolate-flavoured biscuits or double-chocolate cookies
175g (6oz) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:
180g (6.5oz) large white marshmallows
180ml (6.5fl oz) whole milk
1/4 tsp peppermint essence
1/4 tsp green food colouring 
700ml (1 pint 4fl oz) double cream
Chocolate shavings to decorate (optional)

one 23cm (9in) diameter pie dish or loose bottomed tart tin

Method:

• In a food processor with the blade attachment, blitz the chocolate biscuits into a fine crumb. Alternatively, place in a plastic bag, seal the bag shut and crush with a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a bowl and add the melted butter, mixing until all the crumbs are coated and can be squeezed together.
• Tip the crumb mixture into the pie dish or tart tin, pressing it into the base and sides, then place in the fridge and leave for 30-40 minutes to set completely. 
• Meanwhile, make the filling. In a saucepan over a low heat, melt the marshmallows in the milk. Remove from the heat, then add the peppermint essence and food colouring and stir into the marshmallow mixture until it is evenly green in colour. Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes. 
• Pour 300ml (10.5fl oz) of the cream into a bowl and whip into soft peaks either by hand or using a hand-held whisk, then fold into the marshmallow mixture. Pour the filling into the chilled biscuit base and leave in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set completely. 
• Once set, whip the remaining cream and spoon on to the top of the pie. You can also sprinkle with chocolate shavings if you wish. 

Thanks for reading,

Olivia x x