Salted Almond Chocolate Pie

I'm not sure what to say about this pie except that it involves chocolate and almonds and marshmallows--kind of a Rocky Road pie. It's also very easy to make and even easier to eat.

I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures of the process because the camera was off being used for "prom" pictures. Frozen chocolate pie can be nice to have around when one thinks too hard about the teenaged life forms in the house beginning to look like adults.

Here's the recipe. Make this if you love rocky road.

Salted Almond Chocolate Pie

6 oz. chocolate wafer cookies, crushed into crumbs

6 T. (3 oz.) melted butter

Heat the oven to 300. Line a 9-inch pie plate with aluminum foil. Mix together the cookies and butter and carefully press into the bottom and up the sides of the pan--mine wouldn't go far up the sides of the pan. Bake for about 15 minutes. Let cool (Maida wants you to turn off the oven and let it cool in there for a while, but I took it out and let it cool on the counter, and it was fine) to room temperature and then freeze for at least an hour. Carefully remove the crust with the foil, then peel off the foil and return the crust to the pan. Return the pan to the freezer while you make the filling:

20 large marshmallows (5 oz.; I used mini marshmallows, but they didn't melt very well)

1/2 c. (4 oz.) light cream or half-and-half

8 oz. milk chocolate (use a good kind), broken into pieces

1/3 c. (1.3 oz.) roasted salted almonds, coarsely chopped (I used roasted almonds and added a bit of fleur de sel, because, la-di-da)

1 c. (8 oz.) whipping cream

Use scissors to cut up 16 (4 oz.) of the marshmallows into a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the cream and microwave a minute or two until the marshmallows are melted. Add the chocolate and stir. If the chocolate doesn't melt entirely, give it 30 seconds in the microwave, but be careful because milk chocolate burns easily. Add the nuts and the 4 remaining marshmallows, cut into small pieces. Let sit for a while to cool and thicken. When the mixture is cool and thick, put the whipping cream in a bowl and whip it until it holds a shape. Carefully fold the cream into the chocolate--I did it in two additions.

Take the crust out of the freezer and pour the filling in. Smooth the top, cover with plastic, and freeze at least 3 hours. We got impatient and tried it before then and it was good, but it's better when it's frozen a bit firmer. It doesn't get really hard. Enjoy the taste of summer and childhood.