Issue Date: May 2, 2004
A trio of frozen desserts
A few extra ingredients and a little effort turn plain-Jane ice cream into simply dreamy treats.
ICE CREAM TIP
Thawing ice cream is the biggest challenge in making these frozen desserts. I turn to my microwave oven for help, using the defrost setting instead of high power -- and in short bursts. Better to return a still-hard tub to the microwave than to send soupy, unevenly defrosted ice cream back to the freezer to harden up.
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Who doesn't like ice cream? Hardly anyone we know. So we headed to the store to stock up on our favorite flavors, then went back to the kitchen to do a little experimenting with ice cream-based desserts.
One winner we came up with was a tortilla sundae with a mango-strawberry-apple "salsa." The base is a corn tortilla fried in oil and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The sweet tortilla shells can be fried the day before serving, as long as they are wrapped in foil or stored in a tin. Keeping color in mind, you can substitute other fruits in the salsa (apricots and cantaloupe are too one-tone, but the combination of watermelon and peaches is spot on). And don't leave out the crisp Granny Smith apple for color and textural contrast. Mint perfectly complements the fruit, but if you're adventurous, other herbs work, too -- basil or even cilantro, for example.
Love tiramisu but don't have time to make it? My ice cream version rivals the real thing and can be prepared in under half an hour, no pastry skills required -- not a bad return on a dessert that serves up to 14 people.
If you think your supermarket doesn't carry mascarpone cheese, look again. Just because you've never seen it doesn't mean it's not there. If you really can't find it, no worries. You can make the sauce with cream cheese; just follow the conversion method in the introduction to the recipe. If you have little espresso cups collecting dust in the china cabinet, bring them out. Fill them with the coffee-mascarpone sauce, then sprinkle with grated chocolate. Let your guests pour the sauce over their desserts.
Happy campers of all ages will love Frozen S'mores. (Ice cream stands in for the marshmallows used in the original campfire treat.) Take time to freeze this dessert after spreading the chocolate sauce on the first and second layers of graham crackers. If you don't, you'll lose those sharp, clean lines. The recipe calls for vanilla and chocolate ice cream, but try any flavor that complements the graham crackers and chocolate.
Contributing Editor Pam Anderson is the author of CookSmart (Houghton Mifflin, $28).
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Tortilla Sundae With Minted Mango Salsa
Step 1: Fry tortillas; drain well on paper towels. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Step 2: Place small scoops of three complementary flavors of ice cream or sorbet on the cooled tortilla.
Step 3: Top with fruit salsa and decorate with tortilla strips. Dig in!
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2 cups vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tb. cinnamon
10 6-inch corn tortillas (cut 2 into 1/2-inch strips)
1 small mango, cut into small dice (about 1 cup)
1/2 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, cut into small dice
4 large strawberries, hulled and cut into small dice
1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
1 Tb. fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. orange marmalade
1 1/2 tsps. minced fresh ginger
3 pints sorbet or ice cream (we used peach, vanilla and raspberry)
In a 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat to 370 degrees or until a tortilla strip dropped in sizzles vigorously
Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
Using tongs, slide one tortilla into the oil. Fry, turning once, until it stops sizzling and turns golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove and set on paper towels lining a large wire rack set over a shallow pan. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar. Repeat with one tortilla at a time, then the tortilla strips. (Can be stored in foil or a large tin overnight.)
Up to 4 hours ahead, mix next 7 ingredients for salsa; refrigerate until ready to serve.
Put 3 small scoops of sorbet or ice cream on each tortilla. Top with fruit, garnish with tortilla strips and serve immediately.
Serves: 8.
Per serving: 339 calories, 2g protein, 69g carbohydrates, 7g fat (0.5g saturated), 2g fiber, 60mg sodium.
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Frozen Tiramisu
If you can't find mascarpone cheese, use an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and make these changes: Increase sugar from 1 to 2 Tbs. and half-and-half from 1/3 to 2/3 cup, and add 1/4 cup sour cream.
1/2 cup strong coffee (made from instant is fine)
3 Tbs. rum (dark or light)
2 3-ounce packages (about 48) ladyfingers
1/2 gallon coffee ice cream, softened on microwave's defrost setting for 1 minute
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely grated
1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
3 Tbs. coffee-flavored liqueur
1 Tb. sugar
1/3 cup half-and-half
Mix coffee and rum. Line a 2-quart metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang. Use a pastry brush to paint the spiked coffee onto the ladyfingers. Then line the bottom and sides of the pan with ladyfingers, rounded side out. Reserving 1/2 cup of chocolate for garnish, stir rest of chocolate into ice cream. Turn ice cream into loaf pan, using a rubber spatula to press ice cream evenly into pan. Cover with a final layer of coffee-soaked ladyfingers. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours or up to 5 days.
When ready to serve, mix cheese, liqueur and sugar until smooth; whisk in half-and-half to form a thick but pourable sauce. Unmold dessert, using ends of plastic wrap to remove it from pan; peel away wrap. Slice loaf, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with chocolate.
Serves: 12 to 14.
Per serving: 357 calories, 6g protein, 34g carbohydrates, 21g fat (13g saturated), 0g fiber, 95mg sodium.
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Frozen S'mores
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
14 or so graham crackers
1 pint each vanilla and chocolate ice cream, softened on microwave's defrost setting for 30 seconds
12 large marshmallows
Microwave cream and chocolate in a 1-quart glass measuring cup on high power until very hot, about 2 minutes. Whisk until chocolate melts into a smooth sauce.
Line an 8-inch square metal pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang. Arrange 1/3 of the graham crackers over bottom, cutting the final few with a knife to fit. Drizzle 1/3 of the sauce over the crackers; spread evenly. Freeze until chocolate is just set, 5 to 10 minutes. Spread vanilla ice cream over the chocolate. Top with another cracker layer as before. Drizzle another 1/3 of the sauce over the crackers; spread evenly. Freeze until just set, 5 to 10 minutes. Spread chocolate ice cream over the crackers. Arrange a final layer of crackers over the ice cream. Spread remaining sauce over crackers.
Freeze until set, about 2 hours, or double-wrap in plastic and freeze up to 5 days. To serve, lift dessert from pan; discard plastic wrap. Halve the dessert; cut each half into 6 slices. Return to freezer briefly. Toast marshmallows over a flame and serve alongside s'mores.
Serves: 12.
Per serving: 251 calories, 4g protein, 22g carbohydrates, 19g fat (11g saturated), 2g fiber, 91mg sodium.
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