Chocolate Chunk Mud Slide

Ingredients:

• 3 pints premium chocolate ice cream
• softened 1 9-inch purchased chocolate crumb pie shell

For Sauce:

• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1/3 cup dark corn syrup
• 2 cups roasted, lightly salted hulled peanuts
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Recipe Method:
Spoon ice cream into pie shell, mounding in center. Freeze until hard. Wrap tightly and return to freezer. The pie can be prepared up to 3 days ahead.

For Sauce:
Stir sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted. Stir in cream and corn syrup. Simmer uncovered until sauce has thickened and is reduced to 2 cups, stirring occasionally with a metal spoon to prevent sauce from boiling over, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a storage container. Cool to room temperature, then stir in peanuts, lemon juice and vanilla. The sauce can be used immediately or can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

To Serve:
Bring sauce to room temperature. Soften pie in refrigerator. With a knife dipped into hot water and wiped dry between cuts, cut pie into wedges. Transfer wedges to dessert plates. Stir sauce to distribute peanuts and spoon generous dollop over and around each pie wedge. Serve immediately.