I know, I know, I thought the same exact thing - what the hell is an Hiv'er publishing an ice cream desert recipe online for? Quite frankly My Dear, because it's damn good. Plus after that last piece, I think I needed (and I hope you did too) a milder change of pace for a moment. This recipe is gonna take some explaining before and after I list the ingredients because here's the trick of it - there are no measured amounts of the ingredients because it all depends on what size of pan or freezer container you choose to make it in.
It's called "Excelsior Pie" which is kind of a misnomer in a way because you couldn't make it in a pie plate if you wanted to, unless it was one of those deep-dish pie plates that you can find in the American Southern states. This recipe has got to be one of the most delicious dishes I have ever had in my entire life and I'm not even much of a foodie to begin with. It is rich and creamy and so damn good that I swear to you, it will literally give your stomach orgasms - yeah, really. In fact, when I use to make it for get-togethers with friends or for family holidays, more than one person would look at my face afterwards and say, seriously, "Oh my God, look at your face - you look like you're experiencing afterglow!!" It's true, it really is that good! I've never advocated food as a replacement for intimacy but if there is any food on this entire planet that could be the perfect substitute for non-culinary pleasures, this would be it.
It's origins...many many moons ago when I was working my way through college I worked in the pantry section of a local seaside resort and that is where this recipe comes from, in other words, a fancy desert for the rich folk. So it was on the menu a few years before I started working there so I'd say it's around 25 or 26 years old, again, if not older. But it's a classic. When I use a cookbook I always follow the recipe the 1st time I make it to the T; by the 2nd or 3rd time I start to alter or modify it to my own personal liking. With this recipe remember this - it may get a bit messy at times depending on how you make it: but, there is no way you can screw it up, just no way. Let's get started and then maybe more commentary afterwards if necessary.
Here's what you will need: Coffee flavored Ice Cream, Hot Fudge Sauce, Chocolate Wafer Cookies, Chocolate Syrup, Real Butter or Margarine and 1/4 cup of Grand Marnier Liquer.
For utensils and containers: Any size metal or stainless steel or any freezer-safe cake-pan-like container (I usually use a tin/metal 13 x 9 OR 15 x 10 baking pan), naturally, don't use glass. It can be as big as the 2 sizes I just listed or something as small as an 8 x 8 fudge/brownie pan - this totally depends on your own discretion, no worries whatsoever. As for utensils, whatever you prefer to scoop ice cream out with; a frostening knife or simple tableknife, to level off the Hot Fudge sauce layer; a microwave to melt the butter/margarine in; a freezer bag and rolling pin to crush up the chocolate wafer cookies in; and, a small to medium sized mixing bowl because you will be whisking the chocolate syrup and Grand Marnier together. I think that's everything, so let's get to the mechanics of this all....
1. Pick out the size pan you want. Take the Chocolate Wafer Cookies and put them into a freezer bag and taking the rolling pin and crush the wafers to your own desired preference - for this recipe I like mine semi-coarse but it's your judgement call, do them as coarse or as fine as you want. Put the crushed wafer cookies into a mixing bowl and add 2 to 4 Tablespoons of melted Butter/Margarine to the crumbs and toss all together, Then, just as you would when making a cheesecake crust, pour the mixture into the bottom of the pan, level them evenly in the pan as much as you can; set aside.
2. Take whatever utensil you have chosen to use when working with the Coffee ice cream and layer the ice cream at least 1 inch high on top of the crushed cookie layer.
3. Here's where it get's messy. Take the Hot Fudge sauce, spoon it out in gobs on top of the first ice cream layer and then take your frostening knife and/or tableknife and try to spread the sauce out as evenly and quickly as is possible on top of the ice cream layer. Now we all know how thick that sauce is and how difficult it can be to spread out but it's the only way to do it. You could take a chance and heat it up in the microwave for a few seconds to make it a bit thinner BUT, if you chance that, be prepared to get the top ice cream layer on top of that as quickly as possible or we are talking a major nasty mess as well as you cursing my name! Oh and rule of thumb, the layers DO NOT have to be perfect when making this recipe - sure, presentation is always a good thing but trust me, the flavor of the end product will not be affected in the least.
4. Repeart Step #2 - put another layer of the ice cream on top of the Hot Fudge sauce layer and smooth out as evenly as you can.
5. Take a piece of plastic food wrap and cover the entire top of the pan with it. Put into your freezer. Then, take the chocolate syrup and put into a mixing bowl; add the Grand Marnier; whisk together, cover and store in your refridgerator until you are ready to serve the desert.
6. When serving the desert: take any type of knife and dip for a few seconds in a bowl of hot water and then slice the desert into square pieces the way you would a cake. Cover each piece with some of the sauce and then if you like, top off with a dollop of whipped cream. The resort where I worked it never served it with the whipped cream, friends and family added that years later; but, I personally like it without the whipped cream.
And there you have it, Excelsior Pie. I just hope that everything will be spaced correctly once I post this but as we all know, whose life is never not ironic? You guessed it!
A few notes on this recipe....
First, if anyone who will be eating this dish is a recovering alcoholic or literally allergic to alcohol (as I am) you DO NOT need to put any booze in the chocolate syrup whatsoever - just serve it plain, the recipe is delicious. I have never tried it with the Grand Marnier in the chocolate syrup but those who can handle booze have told me it is fantastic. This really is an extremely easy recipe to modify. Plus, it's something that everyone can enjoy. Also, for those who do not have any issues/allergies with consuming alcohol, liquers such as Kahlua or Bailey's Irish Cream can also be substituted for the Grand Marnier.
Second, if you want to change the flavors of the ice cream - or even the middle filling between the ice cream layers - feel free to experiment. I've used French Vanilla or Chocolate ice creams as a substitute for the original Coffee ice cream and they are fantastic tasting, especially for those who do not like anything Coffee-flavored. I've never attempted a filling change but my Grandma did one year and it wasnt too bad - she did a fruit compote mixture of berries for the middle layer, vanilla ice cream on the top and bottom and for a sauce she used a homade Strawberry sauce and it was quite good. But, nothing compares to the original!
Third, this recipe was never stored for more than a 1 week period at the resort where I worked because they claimed it wasn't fresh after that time period but hell, I've stored it up for 2 weeks in the freezer and as long as the top layer didnt get freezer-burned, it was good to go. Also, if the amount you make is not going to be eaten in the first 48 hours, then please put a layer of aluminum foil over the plastic wrap layer when storing in the freezer.
Oh, and don't be afraid to add stuff to the recipe either. One year I added Heath Bar pieces for my Mom's birthday and another year I actually got guttsy and didda Oreo cookie version of it for one of my friend's daughter's graduation party.
If you have ANY questions regarding this recipe please do not hesitate to contact me. Feel free to pm me at Facebook anytime. Thank you for reading and whoever may try this recipe, I hope you really like it!
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