Grasshopper Pie

Grasshopper pie is mid-century dinner party in dessert form. The pale mint-green filling tastes like the cocktail it’s named for: a touch of creme de menthe for cool peppermint, a touch of creme de cacao for cocoa-chocolate sweetness, all suspended in a gelatin-stabilised chiffon of egg yolks and whipped cream over a chocolate cookie crust.

The technique is straightforward but order matters. Bloom the gelatin in cream over hot water to dissolve it completely, then cool it to room temperature before mixing with the egg yolks and liquors. Pour the warm gelatin straight into eggs and you’ll get strings of scrambled yolk in the filling.

The 15-minute refrigeration before folding in the whipped cream is the timing trick most home cooks skip. You need the gelatin mixture to thicken slightly so the whipped cream doesn’t sink straight to the bottom. Too long and the gelatin sets solid; too short and the layers separate.

Pro Tips

• Use real creme de menthe (clear or green) and real creme de cacao. Mint extract and chocolate syrup don’t replicate the boozy depth and they throw off the texture.
• Make sure the egg yolks are very pale and thick when beating with sugar. Underbeaten yolks give a grainy filling.
• Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks, not stiff. Stiff peaks fold in unevenly and leave white streaks.
• Chill the finished pie at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. A short chill leaves the filling too soft to slice cleanly.

Variations

• Sprinkle crushed Andes mints or chopped Thin Mint cookies over the top before serving for extra mint-chocolate punch.
• Use a graham cracker crust in place of chocolate cookie for a paler, sweeter base.
• Swap the green creme de menthe for clear (white) creme de menthe for a pale ivory-coloured filling.