In the Oven: Mississippi Mud Pie (A), a.k.a. Coffee Ice Cream Tart

Okay, here it is… our last recipe for Baked Explorations! Posting date is June 2.

We started baking through the second Baked book on November 21, 2010. Our first of the 75 recipes was the Nutella Scones. Do you have a favorite recipe from the book?

Next month we return to baking every other week (the schedule is now updated through the end of 2013).

Mississippi Mud Pie a.k.a. Coffee Ice Cream Tart
Makes one 9-inch pie

For the chocolate cookie crust
30 chocolate wafer cookies, about 6 ounces
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling
4 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon Kentucky bourbon
1 pint good-quality coffee ice cream
1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

For the bourbon fudge topping
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%)
1 teaspoon Kentucky bourbon

Make the chocolate cookie crust
In a food processor, pulverize the wafer cookies into a very fine crumb. You should have about 11/2 cups. Place the crumbs into a bowl, add the sugar, and stir until combined.

Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and mix well. Transfer the crumb mixture to a 9-inch pie plate and press it into the bottom and up the sides. Use the back of a large spoon to get an even crust. Set the crust aside in the refrigerator.

Make the filing
Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl.

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream, butter, and corn syrup to a simmer.

Remove the mixture from the heat, pour it over the chocolate, and let sit for 1 minute. Then whisk the chocolate mixture until it is completely smooth.

Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar and bourbon.

Spread the fudge evenly over the bottom of the pie crust, cover it, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Soften the coffee ice cream by placing the container in the microwave for 10 seconds on high. Put it into a large bowl and use a rubber spatula to beat it until it is slightly malleable. Spread the ice cream over the chilled fudge filling, sprinkle it with pecans, gently pressing them into the ice cream, and freeze the pie for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the ice cream is firm.

Make the bourbon fudge topping
In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the cream, butter, and corn syrup together until the mixture begins to simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until the fudge is smooth–if you still have a few stray chocolate chunks, reheat the mixture over very low heat until they are completely melted. Stir in the bourbon.

Beat the fudge topping until it reaches room temperature, and pour it over the ice cream and pecan layer in a zigzag pattern. Freeze the Mississippi Mud Pie until it is set, about 20 minutes. To serve the pie, cut it with a warmed sharp knife.

The pie will keep in the freezer, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.

Excerpted from Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2010 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.