Oreo Cookie and White Chocolate Mousse Pie with Macerated Strawberries

Ingredients

• 2 cups Oreo or other chocolate cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split in half
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 dozen Oreo cookies or other chocolate sandwich cookies
• 2 cups whole strawberries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 pound white chocolate, melted
• 1 cup chocolate sauce, room temperature (in a squeeze bottle), recipe follows
• Oreo cookies, for garnish
• Sprigs fresh mint

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small mixing bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and butter. Mix well. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan. Bake until firm to the touch, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Fill half of saucepan with water, place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Place the chocolate in a small stainless steel mixing bowl. Place over the saucepan and melt until smooth, stirring occasionally. In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla bean with pulp. Bring to a simmer. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Add 1 cup of the hot liquid to the egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Add the yolk mixture to the saucepan of liquid and whisk until incorporated. Bring the liquid back to simmer and continue to cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the melted chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture. This will prevent a skin from forming while cooling.

Cool the mixture completely. Process the mixture according the ice cream machine's instructions. Break the cookies into small pieces. During the last couple of minutes of churning, fold in the cookie pieces. Remove the ice cream and spread evenly over the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until hard. In a bowl, combine the strawberries and the sugar and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whip attachment, combine the cream and white chocolate. Whip until medium stiff peaks form. Remove the pie from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. Run a sharp knife around the sides of the pan. Remove the spring-form. Spread the white chocolate mixture over the top of the pie. Slice the pie into individual servings. Place a piece in the center of each serving plate. Spoon the strawberries next to the pie. Garnish with a drizzle of the chocolate sauce, cookies and fresh mint.