NMJC

And you? It’s August, after all. You’ve finally gotten the hang of this summer thing – indolence, inertia, intermittent bouts of inebriation. It’s not a bad life. And as long as you keep staring into the sultry gaze of Summer you can still eek out a few more weeks of pleasure. But avoid meeting the eyes of that cool interloper, Autumn. He’s bringing a friend along named Industry -- the foresworn enemy of these lazy, hazy, crazy days.

To be safe, head for the hammock.

This week’s entry into our pie diary is definitely chill. It is, in fact, frozen. You don’t need an oven to make this Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie. Hell, with a slight modification, you don’t even need a stove. Let me assure you, however, that no one’s enthusiasm will be diminished by the relative ease of the final product.



Those of you who are (still?) hesitant about baking should consider this dessert a mere exercise in assembly. Here’s the blueprint: A crunchy peanut butter cookie crust, a layer of creamy hot fudge sauce, rich peanut butter swirl ice cream, more hot fudge, a scattering of peanuts as a crown.



On the scale of putting things together, it ranks far lower in complexity than an IKEA shelving unit or the 3,104-piece Lego Imperial Star Destroyer.

And the aforementioned modification? Well, The Queen makes her own fudge sauce. Something about the idea of the so-called stabilizers in this type of packaged product makes her squeamish. Airplanes, cruise ships, and (occasionally) moods need stabilizers; ice cream sauces do not. So here’s to instability.

The recipe encourages such creative license. Plain vanilla ice cream would be fine but so would a busy Reese Cup mix-in. Nutter Butter cookies work well as a base for the crust, but you could also pull out the package of Do-Si-Do’s that lurk in your freezer (even if they’re so ancient they still bear the name Savannahs.) As for the peanut topping, well, that’s up to you too, Reader: lightly salted, honey roasted, or chocolate-coated?

The Queen understands that choosing the right goober is a very personal decision.

So just chill out, okay?




Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie
Adapted from Bon Appetit

1 package (about 16 oz.) peanut butter sandwich cookies
7 T. butter, melted
1 recipe hot fudge sauce (or 1 18-oz. jar hot fudge sauce)
3 pints vanilla and peanut butter swirl ice cream, softened
1 ½ c. chopped peanuts

Hot fudge sauce:

3 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate
4 T. cocoa
2/3 c. water
6 T. butter
2/3 c. sugar
4 T. corn syrup
½ t. salt
1 t. vanilla extract

Make hot fudge sauce by melting chocolate with cocoa and water in a small saucepan. Stir constantly. Add butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stop stirring and cook at medium boil for 5-10 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Swirl the mixture in the pan and reduce heat if necessary to avoid scorching. Cool slightly and add vanilla.

To make pie: finely crush cookies in food processor or with a rolling pin. Add butter and blend well. Press mixture over bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan. If using packaged hot fudge sauce, heat in microwave or saucepan until warm. If using delicious, homemade sauce, there’s no need. Pour half of sauce over bottom of crust. Freeze at least 1 hour. Spoon softened ice cream over sauce, smooth top, and freeze until firm, about 2 hours. Pour remaining sauce over ice cream, spreading to cover completely. Sprinkle nuts on top of pie and freeze until set, about an hour. You can prepare this several days ahead of time and freeze. Keep covered.

When ready to serve, release pan sides and cut pie into wedges.