A refreshing chocolate-and-mint cocktail was the inspiration for grasshopper pie, a favorite of Southern hostesses in the 1950s and ’60s. It’s just as appealing today, and its green palette makes it a fun and festive choice for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. To make the pie, a crème de menthe concoction is whipped into a cloud of nearly weightless filling and chilled in a chocolate wafer shell. Each slice is topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. This recipe has been updated from the original one, with fresh mint in the filling and shredded sweetened coconut in the crust.

　　

Ingredients

Makes one 9-inch pie

　　

For the Crust

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pie plate

　　3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

　　1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (from about 25 cookies)

　　1/4 cup sugar

　　

For the Filling

1 1/2 cups milk

　　1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves

　　1 cup cold heavy cream

　　3 tablespoons crème de menthe

　　2 1/4 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin (1 envelope)

　　5 large egg yolks

　　1/2 cup sugar

　　

For the Topping

Whipped Cream (page 340)

　　Chocolate shavings (page 343)

　　

Step 1

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate. In a bowl, whisk together coconut, wafer crumbs, and sugar. Add melted butter, and stir until well combined. Press crumb mixture into pie plate. Bake until firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

　　

Step 2

Make the filling: Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring milk and mint just to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat; cover. Let steep 15 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a glass measuring cup. Discard mint, and set milk aside. Beat cream in a chilled medium bowl until stiff peaks form; cover, and refrigerate.

　　

Step 3

Pour crème de menthe into a medium heatproof bowl, and sprinkle with gelatin. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Add steeped milk to softened gelatin, whisking until well combined.

　　

Step 4

Set bowl with milk-gelatin mixture over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until gelatin is dissolved, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, pour hot milk mixture in a slow, steady stream into yolk mixture. Return mixture to heatproof bowl; set over simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is slightly thickened and registers 150°F on a candy thermometer, about 8 minutes.

　　

Step 5

Transfer bowl to ice-water bath; whisk until mixture thickens to the consistency of pudding, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from bath. Whisk in one-third of reserved whipped cream until combined. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with a flexible spatula. Spoon mixture into piecrust; refrigerate until set, 6 hours or up to 1 day.

　　

Step 6

Top the pie: Slice pie into wedges; spoon dollops of whipped cream onto each, and top with chocolate curls.

　　Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts