Sugar High Friday #11 Coffee

I’ve become addicted to Sugar High Fridays. Which says a lot because I’m usually more interested in snacking on cold chicken late at night than something sugary. This time around Love Sicily is hosting and the theme is coffee. I love coffee and usually like to start my day with a strong cup brewed at home from freshly ground beans – something strong yet smooth. Starbucks had a really excellent blend for a short time – Casi Cielo (probably spelled wrong) but Sulawesi is also delicious. A favorite summer drink of mine is iced coffee, but I figured that almost as many people would write about some cool version of the drink as there would be tiramisu recipes. Still, thinking about what I usually do with coffee, I could only come up with visits to Hollywood Gelato for their superb cappuccino gelato. Not really an option for this event either.

So I wracked my brain and remembered an Irish Coffee pie I used to make in the ‘70’s and, it still is a hit at parties. Normally I like to make things from scratch and wouldn’t dream of using a ready made mix. Although I do occasionally add things like eggplant pesto from La Bella Cucina Artful Food to my hummus – but I digress dramatically!!! What I meant to say was, that I do use a whipped dessert mix in the filling. Why reinvent the wheel - especially when things are delicious as is. Now while some of us like the added kick of whiskey, it tastes really great without it (better for the kids in all of us).

Here's the recipe, hope you like it.
Irish Coffee Pie

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Total chill time: 4 hours
Serves 8

Ingredients:

Crust
1 box of chocolate wafers
1 cup finely ground hazelnuts
12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1 (3.5 oz) package. instant vanilla whipped dessert mix NOT PUDDING!
2 tsp instant coffee powder
½ cup cold milk
⅓cup water
3 tbsp Irish whiskey
½ cup heavy cream

Pie Crust:
You will need an 8" fluted tart pan with a removable bottom
1. Break up the wafers and crush them in a food processor until they are the consistency of coarse flour. Add the ground nuts and pulse until they are well blended.
2. Pour the melted butter into the mixture and toss until all the butter has been evenly absorbed.
3. Press the mixture into the tart pan, pressing it firmly up the sides so that it will hold its shape when you remove the tart pan.
4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before filling.

Filling:
1. In a small bowl, combine mix and coffee powder. Add milk and beat at high speed for one minute.
2. Blend in water and whiskey at high speed for two minutes and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whip cream until it forms stiff peaks (about 3 minutes or so) and then fold into filling mixture.
4. Pour into cooled pie shell and chill in refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
5. Top with additional whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Tips & Variations
** You can purchase a frozen pie shell and bake it or make your own instead of the crust above.