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As my blog title suggests, these pages contain a wild mix of recipes which sample a wide range of flavours and cultures. I won't even try to apply an over-arching theme to this project other than to say that every dish is about creating good food!

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Friday, October 5, 2007

Chocolate Mint Pie

This recipe definitely falls into the "if you're going to indulge, make the most of your indulgence" category. This is not a dish to be consumed every day, but for those special occasions when you want a treat, it sure is good!

Chocolate Mint Pie


Ingredients:
  • 1 + 1/3 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 250 g fine dark chocolate, plus additional for decoration
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 4 tablespoons peppermint schnapps or crème de menthe
  • 550 ml whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 10-20 fresh mint leaves
  • 1 drop blue + 2 drops green food colouring (optional)

Directions:

To make the crust:

Melt butter.
Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs.
Press onto bottom and sides of a 9" deep dish pie plate.
Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes.
Allow to cool.

To make the truffle filling:

Melt chocolate gently.
Whip 300 ml of the cream.
Beat two egg yolks and 2 tablespoons liqueur into melted chocolate.
Fold in the whipped cream.
Spoon over crust.
Chill.

To make the crème anglais:

Tear mint leaves into small pieces.
Beat sugar and 4 egg yolks together.
Gently heat mint, 2 tablespoons liqueur and 250 ml cream in a small saucepan.
Bring cream mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid scorching.
SLOWLY add 1/2 of cream mixture to eggs, initially only 1 tablespoon at a time, incorporating well after each addition.
Return egg/cream mixture to the pan with the remainder of the cream.
Return to a boil and simmer gently until sauce has thickened.
Strain crème anglais through a fine sieve to remove mint leaves.
(Crème anglais will be a pale yellow in colour. If you prefer green, add one drop of blue food colouring for a pale minty green colour and an additional 2 drops green food colouring for a stronger green.)
Chill

Spoon chilled crème anglais over top of chilled pie.
Decorate as desired.
Enjoy in small quantities with a large number of friends!

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