Let’s get one thing clear — I am not proud of this recipe.
And if it weren’t so ridiculously good, I’d be too humiliated to share it. But it is and so I am …
It all came about because I was chasing a childhood taste memory. I wanted the creamy-sweet richness of a Creamsicle, but I wanted it as a beverage. I did — albeit only momentarily — consider melting the real deal, then pouring it over ice, perhaps adulterating it with an adult beverage. But that seemed kind of gross.
After a few misfires, I settled on combining a high-end orange soda with vanilla ice cream in the blender, then pulsing until smooth, but still milk shake-thick. It was simple. It was kind of stupid. It was crazy delicious.
Then I got inspired. What if after the soda and ice cream were blended, the mixture was poured into a pie crust? And what if you then refroze the entire thing? And what if you then topped the resulting ice cream pie with a massive mound of whipped cream spiked with orange zest?
What happens is you get a double orange-cream ice cream pie. And though the recipe is kind of trashy — OK, really trashy — I love it. And you will, too.
ORANGE-VANILLA ICE CREAM PIE WITH ORANGE WHIPPED CREAM
Start to finish: 20 minutes active (plus several hours freezing)
Makes 6 servings
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 1/2 cups orange sherbet
1 cup orange soda
1 prepared graham cracker pie shell
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Zest of 1 orange
Nutrition information per serving: 520 calories; 320 calories from fat (62 percent of total calories); 36 g fat (19 g saturated; 3.5 g trans fats); 100 mg cholesterol; 47 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 27 g sugar; 4 g protein; 190 mg sodium.
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