rhubarb-strawberry icebox pie.

This pretty pink ice cream pie is totally not my fault.

I mean, how can you look it in the eye and not want to make it? It’s pink! And pretty!

I blame springtime. This time of year, I want to make pretty pink desserts. With rhubarb. And strawberries.

Well, that’s kind of a lie. Because this is the first time I’ve ever actually purchased rhubarb from the store and made something out of it. But, it’s not a complete lie – because I’ve always wanted to.

Just in case you’re unfamiliar, rhubarb is that pinkish-greenish celery-looking stuff that yes, happens to rear its stalky head this time of year. You probably hear that it’s paired with strawberries a lot, in desserts. It’s true. It happens.

It happened here, and I’m quite happy about it. I spied this rhubarb icebox pie in Bon Appétit a while ago, and saved it for this perfect moment. Well, the funny thing is that the moment turned out to be more perfect than I could have imagined.

{Also, I am repeatedly typing the word rhubard – with a “d” at the end. It might have something to do with the 90s dance party I’m having by myself right now. Yeah, it’s Friday night. And wine is involved}

Back to the moment, the perfect moment – it was perfect, really, because one of my best friends who happens to be preggo (!) just happened to have found out that she’s having a girl (!!) 2 days before we had plans to get together (!!!).

So, what better way is there to celebrate a baby girl coming into this world by two wonderful people who are mega-extremely dear to me? A pretty pink pie!

I added strawberries because I happened to have a container of the most gorgeous, juicy strawberries on hand, and I couldn’t bear to leave them out of the fun. I added pecans to the crust, similarly, because I happen to have purchased one of those super-sized bags a while back … I really love me some nuts in my crust. I also opted to increase the ice cream – yes, that’s store-bought ice cream, which makes this pie super-easy to make – and filling so that I could use a springform pan, which I thought would be even prettier.

The crème fraîche (read: French version of sour cream) is probably my favorite part of this recipe, because it takes a simple whipped cream to the next level, and gives the whole dessert such a rich and velvety, almost farmhouse milk-like flavor. I hope you’ll get what that last part means – and if you figure it out, let me know. Because I’m not entirely sure.

Rhubarb-Strawberry Icebox Pie

Adapted from Bon Appétit

Crust:

• 40 gingersnap cookies, ground in a food processor
• 1 cup pecans
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1 cup fruity red wine, such as Shiraz
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound fresh rhubarb, stalks cut in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
• 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

• 1 1/2 quarts good vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
• 1/4 cup crème fraîche
• 1 heaping tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Process cookie crumbs, pecans, sugar, and salt in a food processor until well incorporated. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and drizzle butter over; stir to blend. Pour into springform pan. Press crumbs onto bottom and up lower-sides of dish. Bake until crust is deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool and set aside.

Make the compote: Bring wine, sugar, and water to a boil in a pot, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring often, until syrup measures 1 cup, 20 minutes. Add rhubarb, increase heat to high, and cook, without stirring and swirling pan occasionally, until compote thickens and syrup is slightly reduced, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add strawberries. Place in a bowl and freeze for 10 minutes to chill quickly.

Assemble the pie: Chill bowl and paddle attachment of a stand mixer in freezer. Soften ice cream in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Spoon ice cream into the chilled bowl and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth. Set 1/2 cup compote aside, add remaining compote to ice cream and mix until evenly incorporated. Spoon the ice cream into cooled crust; smooth top. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

Whip cream, crème fraîche, and sugar in a small bowl just until peaks form. Spoon into center of pie; spread evenly, leaving a 1″ border. Spoon remaining compote onto center of cream. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Let pie stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.