Snowflake Walnut Pie

Walnut Praline:
1 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces

Crust & Filling:
Prepared pound cake (about 8-ounces) thawed, if frozen
1 quart premium vanilla ice cream
6 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
Candied Walnuts, for garnish (recipe follows)
Coffee Sauce (recipe follows)

Prepare Praline: Coat baking sheet with oil; set aside.
In 2-quart saucepan combine sugar and water. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil; cook over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally until mixture begins to color. Continue to cook over medium heat, watching closely, just until mixture is medium amber, (340°F / 170°C on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts and pour onto baking sheet. Set aside; cool completely to harden.
Break up into 1 to 2-inch pieces. Grind coarsely in electric blender or food processor, pulsing motor on and off. If not using immediately, place in airtight container.
Prepare crust and filling: Slice cake 1/4 inch thick. Completely line bottom and sides of 9-inch metal pie pan with cake, cutting slices as needed to line surface completely.
Soften ice cream slightly. In large bowl, beat with electric mixer just until smooth and creamy. Quickly fold in the ground praline. Place in freezer to harden slightly.
Fill pie pan with ice cream mixture, smoothing and mounding top. Freeze until firm, up to 3 days, covered.
Preheat oven to 475°F (245°C).
In large bowl beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat to form soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is glossy and forms stiff peaks. Spread top of frozen pie with a layer of meringue, covering ice cream and crust completely. Using a pastry bag with a large tip, pipe the remaining meringue decoratively on top of pie, or dollop onto pie and swirl with the back of spoon. Immediately place in center of oven and bake 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned. Place in freezer; freeze at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
To serve, garnish with Candied Walnuts; cut into wedges with knife dipped in water. Pass Coffee Sauce separately.

Makes 10 servings.

Candied Walnuts: Line a baking sheet with foil; set aside. In 1-quart saucepan combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil; cook over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is medium amber (340°F / 170°C on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup walnut halves. Using 2 forks, lift each walnut, drain slightly and place top sides up on foil. (If sugar mixture begins to set before removing all walnuts, stir over low heat for a minute or two.) Cool walnuts on baking sheet until hardened. Peel off foil. If not using immediately, store in layers between foil in covered container.

Coffee Sauce: In 1-quart saucepan bring to boiling 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon instant coffee. Combine 3 tablespoons water with 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch. Stir in coffee mixture; cook and stir over low heat until clear and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, 3 tablespoons dark rum (optional) and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. To reheat, stir over low heat in small saucepan. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of the Walnut Marketing Board.