Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie

Ingredients

• For the crust:
• 24 chocolate sandwich cookies, homemade or store-bought
• 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume
• For the filling:
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Fernet Branca
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, to taste
• 1 to 3 drops green food coloring, optional
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 4 ounces dark chocolate, melted
• For the fudge topping:
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa nibs
• 2 tablespoons molasses, not blackstrap
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil or any other neutral oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, cold
• Additional whipped cream and melted chocolate for garnish, optional

Directions

1. Make the crust: Use a food processor to grind the cookies into fine crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and cream, sprinkle in the salt, and pulse until everything is moistened. If you prefer, seal the cookies in a large zip-top bag, crush them with a rolling pin, then tip the crumbs into a mixing bowl and stir in the butter, cream, and salt. Scrape the crumbs into your deep-dish 9-inch pie plate. Press them evenly across the bottom and up the sides with your hands, or use the bottom of a measuring cup. Set it aside.
2. Make the filling: Set a medium saucepot with at least 1 1/2 inches of water over heat and bring it to a simmer. In your stand mixer bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, Fernet Branca, and salt together. Set the bowl above the steaming water. Cook, scraping and stirring nonstop with a flexible rubber spatula, until the eggs register 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 10 minutes.
3. Lift the bowl off the heat and attach it to the stand mixer fitted with the whip. Beat on high until the mixture is thick, light in color, and doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, blend in the peppermint extract and the food coloring if you’re using it, then scrape the mixture into a wide bowl.
4. Put the cream in the same stand mixer bowl, without washing, and whip it to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg mixture. With a fork, trail melted chocolate in thin lines across the top of the mint mousse. Refrigerate the bowl until the chocolate firms up, about 5 minutes. Break those chocolate lines into 1-inch pieces with a flexible rubber spatula, then fold them through the mousse. Continue adding melted chocolate in lines, chilling to set it, breaking it up, and folding it in until all the chocolate has been used. Spoon the mint mousse into the cookie crust you prepared, then freeze it for at least 6 hours, or overnight if you can.
5. Make the fudge topping: Cover a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat, or use a thoroughly greased sheet of aluminum foil. Add the sugar and 1/4 cup water to a 1-quart saucepot. Put on the lid and warm it over medium heat until it simmers, about 4 minutes. Take off the lid and continue cooking the syrup to a deep golden brown, then move the pot off the heat. Stir in the cocoa nibs. Carefully spread the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet and leave it until it is cool and completely firm, about 1 hour.
6. Use a rolling pin to shatter the caramel into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Move the pieces to a food processor and pulse until most of the caramel is finely ground. Add the molasses, oil, salt, and vanilla, and process until blended. While the machine runs, stream in the chilled cream slowly, pausing to scrape the sides of the bowl if needed. Scoop the fudge into a piping bag with a plain #17 tip, and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before you pipe.
7. Finish the pie: Take the pie out of the freezer and pipe the fudge over the top in a crisscross pattern. Load whipped cream into a piping bag with a #32 open star tip, then pipe it around the edge. Add melted chocolate around the edges, if you like. Dip a knife in hot water, slice the pie into 8 to 12 pieces, and pass extra fudge alongside.