For Snoogans and Sahbear - Ice Cream Pie "Thingy" AKA Sundae Fudge Pie

[LuluHB]

120g digestive biscuits, finely crushed (I use either butternut snaps or granitas)
60g walnut pieces, finely chopped
60g soft brown sugar
90g butter, softened
600ml vanilla ice cream
175g caster sugar
45g cocoa powder
450ml double or whipping cream
600ml chocolate or coffee ice cream

1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. In shallow 23cm/9 inch pie dish mix biscuits, walnuts, brown sugar and 75g of the butter with your hands. Press mixture onto bottom and up sides of dish. Bake for 8 minutes and then cool on a wire rack.
2. Place vanilla ice cream in fridge to soften slightly, but don’t let it melt
3. Spread softened vanilla ice cream into the pie crust and freeze until firm – about 1.5 hours
4. In a non-stick saucepan over medium heat place 150g caster sugar, cocoa powder, 125ml cream and the remaining butter. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Cool the fudge sauce to room temperature and then pour over the vanilla ice cream layer. Return the pie to the freezer until the fudge hardens – about 30 minutes.
5. Place chocolate or coffee ice cream in fridge or on bench to soften slightly – again don’t let it melt. Spread over the fudge layer and then return the pie to the freezer for ice cream to harden.
6. In a small bowl whip the remaining cream with the remaining caster sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread smoothly over the top ice cream layer of the pie. Decorate with chocolate curls and return to the freezer, uncovered, for about 3 hours or until really firm. If not serving the same day then wrap it with foil and freeze until ready to serve. Allow to stand for a couple of minutes and cut with a hot knife.

I’ve done a few variations:

• leave out the walnuts and add M&Ms, choc bits etc and thinned down the ice cream layers a bit and added a strawberry layer to make it more kid friendly.
• add chocolate coated coffee beans and some liqueur (Baileys or Cointreau) for a really decadent grownup one.
• add cake layers (mud cake or similar crumbled and mixed with cream cheese icing) so it goes pie base, ice cream, fudge sauce, cake, fudge sauce, ice cream, cream.

It is VERY rich so you don't need much per serve. You really need good quality ice cream too - it makes an enormous difference.

[sahbear]

Oh my gosh! Thanks Lulu, think this might be on the Christmas menu here as well