Worthy of the Grinch

Brian Henry’s Who Hopper Pie will cheer you up for Christmas

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Even though I’ve been seeing Christmas on sale in some overzealous box stores since August the spirit of the season is starting to waft its way into our home. The tree is up, Christmas carols are playing and I’ve already cooked a couple of hundred turkey dinners.

Watching Christmas movies classics is a must as well. Home Alone, The Polar Express, and my personal favourite, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, especially the 2000 remake with Jim Carrey. Watching these movies year after year can be made more enjoyable if you prepare a dish from the movie to eat while watching it.

Cindy Lou’s Who Hopper Pie is an obscure dish that comes to us all the way from inside a snowflake, south of Mt Crumpit, in the mountainous Highrange of Pontoos in the town of Whoville. This silly dessert is easy to make and whole lot of fun for the kids. Although the following recipe falls more into a junk food category, it can be made using local butter and cream available from Kawartha Dairy.

Once made, kick back with the family and enjoy the many lessons from the Grinch who “puzzled and puzzled until his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more.”

Cindy Lou’s Who Hopper Pie

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs

6 tbsp. butter, melted

2 tbsp. crushed candy canes Method for crust:

In a medium size bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs, melted butter and crushed candy cane until well blended. Using your hands, press the cookie crumb mixture into a regular sized pie plate taking care to keep it relatively even and molding the crust so that it goes up the sides of the pie plate. Set the formed cookie crust in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling. Filling Ingredients:

6 cups mini marshmallows 3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 cup heavy cream

2-3 drops of green food colouring

Method for filing:

Microwave the marshmallows and butter in a glass bowl on high for 60-90 seconds, until the butter is melted and the marshmallows have begun to disintegrate. Stir until well mixed with a scotch or wooden spoon wooden and let it cool down.

Using an electric mixer beat the heavy cream in a large bowl until fluffy peaks form. Add 1/2 of the cooled marshmallow mixture and beat on medium speed for 10-15 seconds, until just combined. Repeat with the remaining marshmallow mixture. The mixture will look rather messy and unformed, but that’s what it should look like. Pour the filling into the chilled pie crust. Refrigerate the filled pie crust overnight loosely covered with plastic wrap. Choco-Mint Whipped Cream Ingredients:

2 tbsp. icing sugar

2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. pure peppermint extract

1 cup 35% heavy whipping cream

Method for the choco-mint whipped cream:

In an electric mixer, beat together the icing sugar, cocoa powder and peppermint extract until combined. Pour in the heavy cream and beat mixture on high until light fluffy peaks form.

Transfer the whipped cream to the top of the chilled and filled pie and spread it out evenly into snowy like peaks and serve immediately.