Friday 29 July 2011

Girdlebuster Pie

The theme for this month's Forever Nigella challenge hosted by Arthi at Soul Curry is all about iced desserts. I just knew straight-away the dessert I wanted to make and eat: girdlebuster pie!! Basically, it's an ice-cream pie... how good does that sound already? Well, you wait and see...

The base is made by mixing crushed digestive biscuits, soft butter and dark chocolate. Nigella uses a mixture of dark and milk chocolates, but I'm more of a dark chocolate kind of guy... the darker, the bitter, the better.

The filling is coffee ice-cream... YUM! I use store-bought Colombian coffee ice-cream. But by all means, you can make your own, it's not difficult, just requires patience which I do not have. You'll see, I'm going to prove it.

The pie is then topped with luscious and smooth butterscotch sauce made with some of my favourite ingredients: golden syrup, light brown sugar, butter, bourbon and double cream... I even added extra bourbon, just because "too much of a good thing can be wonderful" and I know Nigella will approve.

Now, the pie should be completely frozen before slicing it. I put it in the freezer for 5 minutes, but knowing something so delicious is in there, I could not resist but to cut me a slice...


Now, if you'll excuse me...

Girdlebuster Pie
Recipe by Nigella Lawson
Adapted by Me

For the base:
375 g digestive biscuits
75 g soft butter
100 g dark chocolate pieces (or good chocolate chips)

For the ice cream filling:
1 litre coffee ice cream

For the topping:
300 g golden syrup
100 g packed light muscovado sugar
75 g butter
1/4 teaspoon Maldon salt or pinch of table salt (optional)
4 x 15 ml tablespoons bourbon
125 ml double cream

Process the biscuits with the butter and chocolate pieces or chips until it forms a damp but still crumb-like clump. Press into a 23 cm pie plate of flan dish. Form a lip of biscuit a little higher that the plate or dish if you can. Freeze for about an hour or so until it gets really hard. In the meantime, let your ice cream soften, just enough to be scooped, in the fridge. Spread the ice cream into the hard-biscuit-lined dish to form a layer. Then cover with cling film and replace in the freezer.

Put the syrup, sugar and butter into a saucepan and let it melt over a low to medium heat, before turning it up to boiling for 5 minutes, the turn off the heat and add the bourbon, letting it hiss in the pan. Add the cream and stir to mix into a sauce, then leave to cool. Once the sauce is cool, but not set cold, pour it over the ice cream layer and then put it back in the freezer. Don't worry if the ice cream bubbles to the top. Once frozen, cover with cling film again.

When ready to serve, remove from freezer, take the whole pie out of its dish and cut into slices. Should you have any pie left over, slip it quickly back into the dish and return, covered with cling film, to the freezer.

27 comments:

  1. Oh Lord, that caramel! Girdles busting for certain, Michael!

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  2. Possibly the greatest name ever for a pie! I can't wait to try it out!

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  3. heaven, heaven, and yes heaven.

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  4. Jesus! Give me a slice now. I am drooling. Simply amazing!!!

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  5. LOL, Michael....eating this ice cream pie will definitely bust my girdle, and then some! And with a coffee ice cream filling too, you're driving us all mad with frozen-pie lust:-).

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  6. OMG! mouth watering pie!!!
    I have to try this out☆

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  7. Oh man! This pie looks so very illegal! Which leads me to a small tale ... sad to say, true. I have a confession to make. Have you heard that Borders Bookstores is closing its doors? Is there Borders in the UK? Well, I went into Borders yesterday and walked into their cookbook section. Everything marked down dramatically. I picked up 'Nigella Kitchen' and then went around the corner to the next shelf ... both volumes of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking could be had for just $15 more than the discounted cost of our dear Nigella. I put down Nigella and picked up Julia. Please don't judge me!

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  8. @Barbara: It certainly is Barbara.. though I am very tempted for another slice.

    @Kate: Do try it... so so good.

    @Jennifurla: Heaven indeed.

    @Dom: Come over then :)

    @Maya: Well, I gotta do what I gotta do.

    @Tubuko: Please do and enjoy it!

    @Susan: We used to have Borders in the UK, but it's closed now for sometime. I won't judge. Julia Child's MTAOFC is a must have!

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  9. oh my this looks amazing and love coffee flavors

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  10. Michael, that looks JUST like the one in the book - I have always wanted to make it but am the only sweet tooth in this house and fear I would be busting more than a girdle. I envy you ...

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  11. This looks amazing! I can't imagine there's much chance of having leftovers. x

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  12. Oh wow! That's not called Girdle Buster for nothing is it?!

    Looks lush. Thanks for taking part in Forever Nigella this month!

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  13. I remember her making this on her show and wanting to try it. Looks great! Have you seen she has her own app now?

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  14. @Rebecca: Thank you. Coffee ice cream is one of my favourites.

    @Lucy: Oh Lucy, I live on my own and eating this alone is not good. I'm moving to the gym tomorrow.

    @Alex: There's still some left but not for long.

    @Sarah: Oh yeah! I look forward to the next one already.

    @Rick: You have to try it. Of course I have Nigella's app :)

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  15. that is one funny name, but I see why... we make a very similar pie over here using coffee and vanilla with chocolate and caramel sauces but all store bought.. next time I will have to use your recipe, it looks so much better...

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  16. I'd have to put on my stretchy pants before eating this! The name is perfect. And the pie is complete and utter heaven!

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  17. This is so Nigella with the lazy sinful treat. I think I'm getting a coffee gelato now. Such a great idea!

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  18. Michael, my girdle is busting already just looking at it!!! But I think it'll be worth it!

    Lots of yummy love,
    Alex aka Ma What's For Dinner
    www.mawhats4dinner.com

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  19. The name is absolutely fantastic! And you can bet I wouldn't mind having a few girdles busted with this pie!! YUM!!

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  20. Gosh..the pie looks luscious and heavenly! I like the name.

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  21. Michael, this pie looks delicious, love the ice cream, the crust using the digestive cookies and the topping. Gorgeous and perfect for this warm weather.
    Hope you have a fantastic week ahead :-)

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  22. Oh my god, it's been so long- but it's hardly been anytime at all really. It feels like only yesterday we were having lunch but you've posted, like, A MILLION TIMES since then! I've got to go to bed now (clock's a ticking- Oliver's already asleep and he's ahead of me by 4 hours!) but I'm jumping right back into your blog in the morning. Can't wait. xx

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  23. Yum! Yum! That's an absolute killer! And what a name! LOL!!!

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  24. This looks amazing...I could dive right in!

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  25. Oh my heavens! I must try this some times...adore coffee ice cream, my favorite actually and everything else here is way up on my list :)

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  26. Oh my! I'm not wearing a girdle, but I can feel my SKIN bursting as I imagine this incredible frozen pie! Nigella has done it again, haha :)

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  27. Oh. My. GOODNESS! I will bust any girdle for a thick hunk of this pie. And the coffee ice cream?? Too perfect!!

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