Peppermint Pie

For the crust:
4 Tablespoons melted butter
2½ cups crushed Oreo cookie crumbs

One 9-inch pie pan or springform pan, sprayed with Pam.

For the filling:
3 pints best quality vanilla ice cream, softened
3/4 cup crushed peppermint sticks (or more if you feel like it)(plus some shaved chocolate if you want)

For the topping:
5 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

Chocolate sauce (I use Fran’s hot fudge sauce)

1. Clear out space in your freezer for a fairly tall pie.

2. Make cookie crumbs by removing the white filling from the Oreo cookies and pulverizing the cookies. Add melted butter. Pat into the pie dish and stick into refrigerator.

3. Put peppermint sticks into a baggie and smash with a hammer. Be sure you have all different size of crumbs and chunks. Mix quickly into the softened ice cream and pour into the pie dish. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. You can leave it in the freezer for most of the day.

4. At some point, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and beat about 3 minutes until stiff. Pile onto the ice cream pie and then, using your gas doohickey, brown the meringue. Freeze again. Serve within a couple of hours with warm chocolate sauce.

5. Merry Christmas

 

- Courtesy of Nora Ephron