There’s a restaurant in Big Sky, Montana, that we frequented when our kids were young. After a long day of skiing, the five of us would scoot together into a booth at The Corral (now called Corral Bar), surrounded by rustic walls hung with mounted heads of bison and deer, beside pool tables, and watched over by the flickering lights from sports-blaring TVs. We would eat from the fresh salad bar, homemade soups, and thick, dripping burgers. If the kids had not fallen asleep by the end of the meal, with drowsy heads leaned over onto a nearby shoulder, we would order a piece of Mile High Pie to share for dessert. This pie was simply a cookie crumb crust, coffee ice cream, whipped cream and a drizzle of syrup, but it was crazy good. Maybe it was the setting, but it tasted like the best thing in the world.
I think the last time we ate that concoction was summer of 2010. Larry, Lauren, Derek and I spent a week in Montana, driving from our place in Big Sky, up to Glacier National Park, where we hiked 12 miles to a glacier. If you ever get the opportunity, Glacier National Park should be on your bucket list; the vast views are astounding! But don’t forget to make lots of noise when hiking, on account of those grizzly bears! We did one more hike on that trip, near Big Sky, a 6 mile jaunt to Lava Lake. At that point in his illustrious life, 15 year old Derek was not such a fan of arduous hikes. We encouraged him to keep walking with promises of Mile High Pie at The Corral when we finished. As a seasoned parent, bribery is an underused tool. I’m joking. Sort of.
Glacier National Park.
Lunching beside the glacier.
Hiking to Lava Lake, in Big Sky, MT.
Derek despaired that his family had managed to drag him on yet another mountain hike.
Mile High Pie at The Corral at the end of the hike; so well deserved!
The memory of that creamy, cold dessert has been lying dormant for many years. Last month, the Montana snow inspired me to recreate this easy to prepare, but oh so satisfying, concoction. I even had a captive audience of willing subjects as guinea pigs.
Hershberger cousins gathered to ski and board. And sit in the hot tub amidst falling snow. And play Codenames. And eat. And drink wine. And taste test Mile High Pie. The vote was unanimous: they’ll all be back next year providing I make this pie again. ;)
About the pie, you can change the ice cream and topping flavors to suit your own palate. I’ve listed my personal favorite combination in the following recipe.
Ice Cream Pie (aka Mile High Pie)
1/2 gallon coffee ice cream (my favorite is a coffee ice cream with a few swirls of fudge sauce and maybe sliced almonds inside)
1 1/2 c. chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
4 Tbsp. melted butter
whipped cream
thick, rich, gooey caramel sauce
crushed Heath Toffee Bars ( almost sacrilegious to use Coblenz Chocolates from Walnut Creek, Ohio, but that’s what I did)
Crush the chocolate wafer cookies to equal 1 1/2 cups. (I used Oreos and scraped the white filling out, another sacrilegious act. A little advice if you crave Oreos on April 1: be very suspicious of that creamy filling, especially if you are married to anyone named Bridgette or Jacqueline). Stir the cookie crumbs into the melted butter. Press this mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a pie pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Carefully spoon the ice cream into the cooled crust, mounding it up as needed. The ice cream will be easier to work with if you let it set out at room temperature for a few minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the freezer. Best if you have several hours to let it harden before serving.
Slice the pie and plate each piece. Spoon some caramel sauce on top (warm it a few seconds in the microwave if its too thick), allowing the sweet lava to ooze down the sides of the ice cream. Top with a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream, one more tiny drizzle of sauce, and finally, a shower of chopped toffee pieces. I dare you to find someone who doesn’t swoon at this concoction. Serves 6-8.