Cook it like it is, Sister!

My sister-in-law, Alice, is a wonderful cook and between us, I think we have cooked everything imaginable from scratch. She has a wonderful flair with fresh foods and actually grows many foods on the farm she and my brother have in Nova Scotia. While our family was together, my brother and I had many "cook-off's", but Alice was on her own and in her glory with this dessert. Challenging her was futile..the girl can make a pie!

She usually holds out on this recipe but begging paid off and so here is Alice's Grasshopper Pie.

1 8 1/2 ounce package chocolate wafers

2/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, separated

3 1/2 tablespoons green creme de menthe

4 1/2 tablespoons white creme de cacao

6-8 drops green food coloring*

1 egg white

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons vanilla

3 tablespoons confectioners sugar

chocolate shavings

Preheat oven to 375. Crush wafers and combine with 1 teaspoon sugar and then, cream with butter, using an electric mixer. Line a 10-inch pie plate with the crumb mixture and bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Cool. While crust is cooling, sprinkle gelatin into 1/2 cup cold water in a saucepan. Add 1/3 cup sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt and egg yolks. Stir until well mixed and heat gently, stirring constantly until gelatin has dissolved and mixture has thickened (do not boil!).

Remove from heat and stir into it the green creme de menthe and white creme de cacao. Stir in green food coloring *( you may want to omit this). Refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until mixture starts to gel slightly, about the consistency of unbeaten egg whites. Beat the 4 egg whites with cream of tartar and remaining salt to stiff peaks. Gradually beat in remaining sugar and fold into liqueur-flavored mixture. Combine 1 cup heavy cream with 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla and 1 1 /2 tablespoons confectioners sugar and whip. Fold whipped cream into liqueur-flavored mixture and then turn into pie crust. Chill pie several hours or overnight. Top with remaining cream, whipped and flavored with remaining vanilla and confectioners sugar. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

Serves 8-10, maybe!!