Kitchie Coo

I have a wicked crush on a girl.  And my husband is ecstatic about it.  (And no...don't even go there.)  This is not a crush born of carnal need or lust.  It is a crush born of sugar, chocolate and a woman who is so full of baking genius it makes me gush with love.  Many of us are familiar with her, and if you are, you probably have a crush too.  Christina Tosi is simply amazing. 

Best baking cookbook I have ever laid eyes on.

I have seen Christina's (we can be on a first name basis, right?) recipes flying around the Internet lately.  After I saw the first one I knew I was in love.  Her recipes are incredibly involved with a multitude of steps to get to the final product.  Making one of her recipes is challenging and time-consuming and exactly what I crave when I devote my day to the kitchen.



These desserts are why my husband is happy about my crush.  He isn't jealous and he doesn't feel displaced in the least bit.  Desserts have been pouring into this household, and he's never one to complain about having sweets around.

The Grasshopper Pie was the first thing I chose to make when I got my grubby little hands on this book.  Regarding the level of difficulty, this was one of Christina's easier recipes. It still took some time, but it was fairly straightforward as far as baking techniques go.  I'm not going to lie...this pie was incredibly rich.  Like make-your-head-hurt sugary sweet.  It was awesome.  We figured out that if it is served from the refrigerator rather than at room temperature though, it mellows the sweetness and suddenly it is not just awesome, but swoon-worthy.



PRINT THIS RECIPE!

Milk Bar Grasshopper Pie

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 1/2 cups (90 g) graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup (20g) dried milk powder
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup (55g) heavy cream

Grasshopper Pie:
4 1/2 ounces 72% chocolate, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1/4 cup (40g) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (110g) heavy cream
2 tablespoons (20g) mini-chocolate chips
1/2 cup (25g) mini-marshmallows

Mint Cheesecake Filling:
2 ounces white chocolate
2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
2 1/2 ounces (75g) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 drops green food coloring

Mint Glaze:
1 ounce white chocolate
2 teaspoons grapeseed or canola oil
scant 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 drop green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350F.

Make the graham cracker crust: Whisk graham cracker crumbs, milk, sugar and salt in a medium bowl to thoroughly combine.  Whisk the butter and cream together and add to the dry ingredients.  Using your hands, toss all the ingredients together to evenly coat.  As you are tossing, it will start clumping together.  Press it together with your finger tips and it should hold its shape.  If it doesn't, add up to an additional 1 1/2 tablespoons of melted butter until desired consistency.

Add 1 1/4 cups (110g) of graham cracker crumb mixture to a 10-inch pie pan.  Working with your hands press the mixture on the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.  Set aside.

Make the chocolate filling: Combine butter and chocolate in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.  If mixture is not mostly melted, microwave an additional 20-30 seconds.  Use a spatula to stir ingredients together until silky and smooth. 

Combine the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk and whip for 3-4 minutes.  You will know they are done when they reach the ribbon state, which Christina describes as this: detach the whisk and dunk it into the egg mixture.  Wave it back and forth like a pendulum and the mixture should form thick silky ribbons that fall and then disappear into the mixture.  Continue whipping mixture until it reaches this state.

Change stand mixer attachment to the paddle.  Add the melted chocolate mixture into the eggs and paddle briefly on low and then increase the speed to medium for one minute or until the entire mixture is completely brown with no streaks remaining.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Add flour, cocoa and salt to the egg and chocolate mixture and paddle on low for 1 minute or until no lumps of dry ingredients remain.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. 

With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the heavy cream and mix for 30-45 seconds or until the cream is fully incorporated and no white streaks remain.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Remove mixer bowl from mixer and gently fold in 1/4 cup (45g) of remaining graham cracker crust crumbs.

Make the mint cheesecake filling: In a heat proof bowl, combine the white chocolate and oil and microwave for 30 seconds. If mixture is not mostly melted, microwave an additional 20-30 seconds. Use a spatula to stir ingredients together until silky and smooth. 

Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and mix on medium-low for 3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the white chocolate mixture and paddle for 1-2 minutes or until completely combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

Add peppermint extract, salt and food coloring to the mixer bowl and paddle for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly combined and the mixture is consistently green.

Assemble the pie: Place the graham cracker pie shell on a baking sheet.  Pour the mint cheesecake filling into the pie crust and spread evenly over the bottom.  Pour the chocolate mixture on top of the mint filling and spread evenly to the edges.  Sprinkle the mini-chocolate chips in a bulls eye around the center and then the marshmallows around the outer edge of the pie. 

Bake for 25 minutes until the edges are slightly puffy and the center still jiggles just a little bit.  The marshmallows will be tanned and the chocolate chips will have just started melting at this point.

Cool the pie completely before adding the mint glaze.

Mint Glaze: In a heat proof bowl, combine the white chocolate and oil and microwave for 30 seconds. If mixture is not mostly melted, microwave an additional 20-30 seconds. Use a spatula to stir ingredients together until silky and smooth.  Stir in the peppermint extract and food coloring until completely homogeneous in color.  Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.

Using a fork, dunk the tines into the mint glaze and dangle the fork over the pie to create crisscrossing lines on the pie.  Put the pie in the fridge for 4-6 hours before serving to thoroughly chill (Christina doesn't say to do this, so it is a preference on my part, but we found the pie was significantly less rich and much more delicious eaten this way).  Once the pie is thoroughly chilled, cut it into slices and...

EAT IT!!

I caught a little pie-snatcher in the act!

GNIPL - /nip-pull/ - acronym for: Girls Night In Pot Luck; definition 1. a Saturday night when awesome women descend upon a home, scrumptious food in hand to eat their faces off 2. a Saturday night when women descend upon a home and drink wine, talk, dance and laugh their asses off.

This was my Saturday night...GNIPL (acronym coined by my friend Kate).  There is something about girlfriends that can turn your heart and head around in an instant.  I was having a rough weekend, missing my husband something fierce and feeling rammy and cooped up in the house because of the rain.  I felt whole and renewed at the end of the night, albeit tired after calling it a night much later than I am used to.



I am positive that most of the problems in this world could be solved if people sat around and ate amazing food, sipped wine and topped off their night with a decadent dessert...and of course lots of laughter. 



Mmm, mm, mm...lucky me for having such awesome girlfriends/cooks in my life. We ate until there was little chance of fitting anything else into our tummies; and then we ate dessert.


The next day I found myself staring at an enormous bowl of chickpeas, since I had soaked too many from the falafel I made for GNIPL.  Hmm...what could I do with these?  Well, heck, why not make a chocolate chip cookie pie?

Mind you, this was not my idea, but a brilliant idea nonetheless.  I found the recipe here on Chocolate Covered Katie's blog.  You will not believe how good this tastes until you try it yourself.  I brought it into work today and didn't tell a soul what was in it.  It got rave reviews from all...then a bunch of dirty looks when I fessed up.  But...then more raving.  So go ahead and make.  Its "healthy" chocolate chip cookie pie, but so good you'll never miss the flour, butter or eggs.  Go ahead and try it!  I double  triple dog dare you!