We made picking Jack up at college for the summer into a little road trip. We took our time driving back and visited friends in Nashville and Alabama. Because we had so much time in the car, I brought along my recently unearthed RECIPE BINDER filled with magazine-clipped recipes I'd forgotten all about.
With Jack trapped in the car, I asked him to go through the binder and pull some recipes he'd like to have over summer break. This was one of them...Chocolate Hazelnut Caramel Ice Cream Pie.
This is an EASY recipe...and a showstopper. Mr. E thought I'd bought it at an ice cream shop! It's not even a recipe, really, more like an assembly of ingredients.
I modified it a bit by using more ice cream and a bit of flaky sea salt on the top. That salt balances everything else out just beautifully. The hazelnuts on top add the perfect crunch.
Start with a chocolate pie crust. You can make you're own, but this way is perfectly acceptable.
I promise.
Let the Nutella sit in a hot water bath while a pint of chocolate ice cream softens.
[
Note: I'm using "pint" loosely here as pints are not full pints anymore. It's ok. There are no hard and fast measurements here.]
Scoop the ice cream into a bowl and stir with a flexible spatula until smooth. Put about 2/3rds of ice cream into the crust and smooth the top. Plop some of the Nutella over the top. Freeze.
Next, soften the caramel ice cream. Stir it until smooth. Spread over the first layer. Freeze.
Place the remaining Nutella in a bag, snip the tip, and pipe over the pie.
Top with chopped hazelnuts and a bit of flaky sea salt. For this pie, I like
Falksalt.
Freeze until firm...at least three hours. Take the pie out of the freezer for five minutes before slicing. Spoon caramel sauce onto a plate, then top with a slice of the pie.
(This is not the time to save pennies on caramel sauce. Get a good one. I like
Sanders. My grocery store carries it, but you can also get it on
Amazon.)
Chocolate Hazelnut Caramel Ice Cream Pie
(adapted from an old magazine recipe, not sure which one)
1 9-inch chocolate pie crust
1 cup Nutella
2/3 pint chocolate ice cream*
1 pint caramel (dulce de leche) ice cream
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts**
flaky sea salt, such as
Falksalt
caramel dessert topping, such as
Sanders
*it's ok if the amounts are not exact
**chop the hazelnuts, then rub in a dish towel to remove some of the skins
Place the Nutella in a hot water bath for 10 minutes while the chocolate ice cream softens at room temperature. Scoop the ice cream into a bowl and stir with a silicone spatula until smooth. Place 2/3rds of the chocolate ice cream into the pie crust. Smooth with an offset spatula.
Spoon about half of the Nutella over the ice cream. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Repeat the softening process with the caramel ice cream. Smooth the entire pint over the first layer. Return to the freezer while you place the remaining Nutella in a piping bag. Pipe the Nutella over the top of the pie. Sprinkle on the nuts and a couple of pinches of salt.
Freeze for at least 3 hours. Before serving, let the pie sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. For easy slicing, dip the knife into a tall glass of hot water and dry with a towel. Spoon a bit of caramel sauce onto plates. Top with the slices of pie.
Jack did really, really well with this pick. As a matter of fact, I think he pulled three ice cream pies to have over the summer. Can you HANDLE the ice cream pie???
