Bon Appetit Desserts (144 page)

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

CRUST
: Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix pecans, sugar, and melted butter in medium bowl until evenly moistened. Press pecan mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish (mixture will be crumbly). Bake until crust is lightly toasted, about 12 minutes (crust will slip down sides of dish). Use back of spoon to press crust back into place. Cool crust on rack. Freeze crust 30 minutes.

Spoon 1½ cups ice cream into crust; spread to even layer. Spread lemon curd over ice cream; freeze until firm, about 2 hours. Spoon remaining 1½ cups ice cream over lemon curd; spread to even layer. Cover and freeze pie until firm, about 2 hours.

MERINGUE
: Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until frothy. Beat in cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Spoon meringue over pie, spreading to seal at edges and swirling decoratively. Freeze pie 1 hour.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.

Using kitchen torch, toast meringue until golden in spots or place pie in a preheated 500°F oven until meringue is golden in spots, watching closely to avoid burning, about 3 minutes. Cut pie into wedges; serve immediately.

Coconut-Rum Pie with Pineapple

Sweetened cream of coconut, which is available in the liquor or mixers section of most supermarkets, gives this icebox pie an intense coconut flavor. The filling is simply frozen in a mixing bowl for a few hours before being spooned into the crust, so the recipe doesn’t require an ice-cream maker.
8 servings

1 cup (packed) sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg white

1 15-ounce can sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco Reál or Coco López), divided

6 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream

½ teaspoon coconut extract

3 tablespoons dark rum

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

1 pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cored, thinly sliced crosswise

¼ cup apricot preserves, stirred to loosen

CRUST
: Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend toasted coconut, graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and egg white in processor until sticky crumbs form. Press crumbs onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter metal pie pan. Freeze 10 minutes.

Bake crust until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool crust to room temperature, then freeze.

FILLING
: Whisk 1 cup cream of coconut, egg yolks, and lemon juice in large metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water; whisk constantly until thermometer inserted into center registers 160°F, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until cool and thick, about 5 minutes.

Combine cream, coconut extract, and remaining cream of coconut in another large bowl. Beat until soft peaks form. Add rum and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream mixture and 1 cup toasted coconut into egg mixture. Freeze until filling is softly set, stirring occasionally, about 3 hours.

Spoon filling into frozen crust, mounding slightly in center. Cover and freeze pie overnight.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.

Cut around pan sides to loosen crust. Arrange enough pineapple slices atop pie in overlapping circles to cover. Brush pineapple with preserves. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon toasted coconut.

Peanut Brittle and Caramel Crunch Ice-Cream Pie

Nothing beats the enticing combination of sweet and salty flavors. Here, salted peanuts add a savory hint to the pie crust, and the homemade caramel sauce includes a generous sprinkling of sea salt. A freshly opened and stirred jar of natural peanut butter (made with just peanuts and salt) is soft enough to drizzle over the ice cream when assembling the pie.
8 to 10 servings

¾ cup heavy whipping cream

½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

¾ cup sugar

⅓ cup water

¼ cup light corn syrup

9 whole graham crackers

¼ cup (packed) dark brown sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, hot

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup salted roasted cocktail peanuts

3 pints premium vanilla ice cream, slightly softened, divided

5 tablespoons creamy (smooth) natural peanut butter (made only with peanuts and salt), divided

1 cup coarsely chopped purchased peanut brittle, divided

CARAMEL SAUCE
: Place cream in small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring cream to simmer. Add butter and sea salt; stir until butter melts and salt dissolves. Set vanilla cream aside.

Stir sugar, ⅓ cup water, and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Set sauce aside.

CRUST
: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish with foil. Finely grind graham crackers and brown sugar in processor. Add melted butter and vanilla; blend until moist crumbs form. Add nuts; blend just until finely chopped. Using plastic wrap as aid, press crumbs firmly onto bottom and up sides of prepared dish. Freeze 15 minutes. Bake crust until brown, about 15 minutes, then place in freezer for 1 hour. Using foil as aid, lift crust from dish; carefully peel off foil. Return frozen crust to same dish.

PIE
: Drizzle ½ cup caramel sauce over bottom of crust. Freeze 30 minutes. Spoon 1½ pints ice cream evenly over caramel sauce; smooth top. Drizzle 3 tablespoons peanut butter over, then 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle with ½ cup brittle. Freeze 1 hour. Spoon remaining 1½ pints ice cream evenly over; smooth top. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons peanut butter over, then 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup brittle around edge of pie. Freeze 4 hours.

DO AHEAD
:
Pie can be made 3 days ahead. Tent with foil and keep frozen. Cover and chill remaining sauce.

Rewarm sauce; discard vanilla bean. Cut pie into wedges and serve, passing sauce separately.

Pumpkin Swirl Ice-Cream Pie with Chocolate-Almond Bark and Toffee Sauce

Here’s a fun alternative for Thanksgiving dessert: a frozen pumpkin pie. The filling has the expected pure pumpkin and spices, but they’re swirled into purchased vanilla ice cream. And the best part? You can make most of the elements up to two days ahead. Then all that’s left to do is add the whipped cream topping, decorate the top with pieces of chocolate bark, and warm up the toffee sauce.
8 servings

12 whole graham crackers

¼ cup sugar

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup canned pure pumpkin

¾ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon salt

2 quarts premium vanilla ice cream, divided

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

½ cup slivered almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped

1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

¼ cup dark corn syrup

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup chilled heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅛ teaspoon salt

1½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

CRUST
: Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind graham crackers in processor. Mix in sugar. Add melted butter; process to blend. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Bake crust until light brown around edges, about 12 minutes. Cool completely.

FILLING
: Whisk pumpkin, sugar, cream, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt in medium bowl. Slightly soften ice cream in microwave on low setting in 10-second intervals. Measure 1 cup ice cream; cover and freeze (reserve for another use). Place remaining ice cream in large bowl. Working quickly, add pumpkin mixture and fold just until swirled into ice cream (do not blend completely). If ice cream begins to melt, place in freezer until almost firm again. Spoon ice cream filling into cooled crust, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.

BARK
: Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; spray parchment with nonstick spray. Stir chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Pour onto prepared sheet. Using offset spatula, spread chocolate in even layer into 12×9-inch rectangle. Sprinkle chocolate with nuts. Place in freezer until hard, at least 30 minutes. Invert onto work surface. Peel off parchment. Chop coarsely. Place bark in airtight container and freeze.

DO AHEAD
:
Bark can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.

SAUCE
: Bring brown sugar, corn syrup, 3 tablespoons water, and butter to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and boil until mixture is dark brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Carefully stir in cream, vanilla, and salt (mixture will bubble vigorously). Boil 1 minute longer. Cool slightly, whisking occasionally.