Mississippi Mud Pie
Prepare ice cream the day before or very early on day of assembling Mississippi Mud Pie.
Coffee ice cream:
Decaffeinated coffee crystals
12 egg yolks
12 ounces sugar
2 pints whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Pinch salt
1 pint heavy cream
Chocolate Brownie:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels
1 egg
Whipped cream:
2 pints heavy cream
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Chocolate sauce or hot fudge, as an accompaniment
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans, as an accompaniment
For the ice cream: Reconstitute several tablespoons of the coffee crystals in very small amount of hot water and allow to cool. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in bowl, and whip until thick and light. Scald milk in saucepan, remove from heat, and gradually beat into egg mixture. Place the custard in top of a large double boiler and heat, stirring, until custard is thickened and smooth.
Remove from heat and blend in vanilla, salt, heavy cream, and reconstituted coffee crystals to desired coffee flavor intensity. Chill the custard for at least 6 hours or overnight, then freeze in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s directions. Return to freezer until ready to assemble mud pie.
While ice cream is freezing prepare Chocolate Brownie: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a small bowl mix together the flour and baking soda.
In a small saucepan combine sugar, water, and butter. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and half the chocolate morsels and mix well until smooth. Cool mixture to room temperature.
Stir the egg into cooled mixture and beat well. Add the flour mixture and stir to blend. Fold in remaining chocolate chips. Pour into a greased, 9-inch baking pan, round or square. (You may wish to line pan with parchment paper to ease removal, or use a non-stick pan.) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
For the Whipped Cream: Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla in a chilled bowl and whip to stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Carefully remove entire brownie from pan onto serving plate. Top with an even, thick layer of ice cream. Top with a layer of whipped cream. Can be refrozen at this point and held for up to 1 week. Serve wedges drizzled with chocolate sauce or fudge and a sprinkle of toasted pecans.
Yield: 8 to 12 portions