Holiday Dessert…

1 Qt. quality vanilla ice-cream

Step one: Place graham crackers in the large bowl of a food processor and pulse adding the melted butter till blended; spray with cooking oil the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan and press the crumbs into pan to form a crust. Place in freezer for 15-20 minutes to set up; place the peppermint candies in a (heavy) plastic bag and crush with a small hammer or rolling pin till in small pieces.

Step Two: When the crust is set up; press some of the ice-cream gently on top of the crust; sprinkle with some of the peppermint candies; layer more ice-cream on top and repeat with the peppermint (reserving some for garnish) return pan to the freezer to set up.

Melt all the above together in a medium size sauce pan over medium heat, whisk at first to blend then stir with a wooden spoon continually till smooth and thick; 8-10 minutes or till the sauce sticks and coats the spoon; remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool or pour into a container and refrigerate till cool. Tip: (best when cooled at room temperature) Reserve a half cup to use as a drizzle over the sliced cake; may need to microwave for a few seconds to thin out for drizzle

Step Four: Remove the spring form pan with crust and ice-cream from freezer and pour the cooled fudge sauce over the top; place back into the freezer to set up; 2-3 hours

Final Step: Remove cake from freezer and spread the whip cream over the top; sprinkle the remaining peppermint candy on top of whipped cream; refreeze for at least 1 more hour; will keep up to 1 week.

Before serving; remove from spring form pan; slice into serving size pieces; garnish with fresh mint leaves; and drizzle with the extra fudge sauce.