Bon Appetit Desserts (141 page)

Authors: Barbara Fairchild

BOOK: Bon Appetit Desserts

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CHOCOLATE SYRUP
: Bring ¼ cup water to simmer in heavy small saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Whisk until sauce is smooth. Stir in amaretto.

DO AHEAD
:
Semifreddo and sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Keep semifreddo frozen. Cool, cover, and refrigerate sauce. Rewarm sauce slightly before using.

Remove semifreddo from pan and discard waxed paper. Dip heavy large knife in hot water; cut semifreddo into 6 slices. Place 1 slice on each of 6 plates. Let stand about 5 minutes to soften slightly. Drizzle warm chocolate syrup atop semifreddo. Sprinkle with additional almonds and serve.

Why Alcohol?

Quite a few of the ice cream, sorbet, and frozen dessert recipes in this chapter include some sort of alcohol. In a few cases, we’re re-creating the flavor of a classic drink, as in the Mai Tai Sorbet. In other recipes, alcohol helps create a smoother, more palatable texture. How it does this is basic chemistry: Alcohol freezes at a much colder temperature than the rest of the ingredients, so it prevents unappealing ice crystals from forming. And of course, liqueurs such as amaretto, limoncello, and Frangelico infuse frozen desserts with intense flavor.

Meyer Lemon Semifreddo with Summer Berries

This dessert is much like a frozen mousse with a softer and denser mouthfeel than ice cream. The lemony custard is aerated with an electric mixer—not in an ice-cream maker—and then it’s lightened with some freshly whipped cream and simply placed in the freezer.
8 to 10 servings

½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

1¾ cups chilled heavy whipping cream

1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

7 large egg yolks

½ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated Meyer lemon peel or regular lemon peel

¼ teaspoon salt

4 cups mixed berries (such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and quartered hulled strawberries)

Line 9×5×3-inch metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving generous overhang. Sprinkle almonds evenly over bottom of pan. Using electric mixer, beat cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Refrigerate whipped cream while making custard.

Whisk 1¼ cups sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in large metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over large saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until yolk mixture is thick and fluffy and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 170°F, about 4 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until cool, thick, and doubled in volume, about 6 minutes. Fold in chilled whipped cream. Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan and smooth top. Tap loaf pan lightly on work surface to remove air pockets. Fold plastic wrap overhang over top to cover. Freeze semifreddo until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.

DO AHEAD
:
Semifreddo can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.

Gently mix all berries and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 3 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Unfold plastic wrap from top of semifreddo and invert dessert onto platter; remove plastic wrap. Dip heavy large knife into hot water; cut semifreddo crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Transfer to plates; spoon berries alongside and serve.

Boysenberry Sorbet and Lemon Ice-Cream Bombe

Ice-cream bombes date back to the Victorian era and got their name (French for—what else—“bomb”) because they were often made in spherical molds. In this version, alternating scoops of berry sorbet and lemon ice cream in a ring mold give the dessert a modern, striped look. A berry sauce and fresh berries make a pretty, simple garnish.
12 servings

Ice Cream

2¼ cups heavy whipping cream, divided

1 cup half and half

¾ cup sugar

6 egg yolks

½ cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel

Sorbet

1¼ cups sugar

½ cup water

8 cups frozen boysenberries or blackberries (about 32 ounces), thawed

Sauce

4 cups frozen boysenberries or blackberries (about 16 ounces), thawed

⅓ cup sugar

¼ cup water

4 cups fresh boysenberries, blackberries, and/or raspberries

Fresh mint leaves

Assorted cookies (optional)

ICE CREAM
: Bring 1¼ cups cream, half and half, and sugar to simmer in heavy large saucepan, stirring occasionally. Whisk egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in cream mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until mixture thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Strain mixture into bowl. Mix in remaining 1 cup cream, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Refrigerate until cold. Process mixture in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to container and freeze.

SORBET
: Stir sugar and ½ cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Puree berries with sugar syrup in processor. Strain through coarse sieve into bowl, pressing firmly on seeds. Discard solids in sieve. Chill until cold. Process mixture in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Carefully line 12-cup ring mold with foil, pressing as smoothly as possible to eliminate wrinkles and extending over sides. Fill prepared ring mold alternately with ⅓ -cup scoops of sorbet and ⅓-cup scoops of ice cream. Freeze 1 hour. Cover bombe with plastic wrap. Press down firmly to pack. Freeze bombe overnight.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.

SAUCE
: Puree thawed berries with sugar and ¼ cup water in processor. Strain through coarse sieve into bowl, pressing firmly on seeds. Discard solids in sieve. Cover sauce and chill until cold.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Place round platter in freezer 30 minutes. Using foil as aid, lift bombe from mold. Invert bombe onto platter; peel off foil. Mound some fresh berries in center of bombe. Arrange more berries around sides. Garnish top and sides with mint. Cut into slices and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and berries around each. Serve with cookies, if desired.

Frozen Nougat Terrine with Bittersweet Chocolate and Raspberry-Fig Sauces

This impressive dessert was inspired by nougat, a French confection made of egg whites, honey, and nuts. The nougat mousse is frozen in a loaf pan (no ice-cream maker necessary) and needs to stay in the freezer overnight, so plan accordingly. The terrine is the ideal dessert for the busy cook: It can be made up to one week in advance.
8 servings

5 tablespoons cold water, divided

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

6 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped

5 large eggs, separated, room temperature

6 tablespoons honey, divided

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur

¾ cup chilled heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons almonds, toasted, finely chopped

3 tablespoons walnuts, toasted, finely chopped

Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce with Honey (see recipe)

Raspberry-Fig Sauce (see recipe)

Line 9×5×2¾-inch metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving overhang. Pour 1 tablespoon cold water into small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted (do not allow bottom of pan to touch water). Remove chocolate from over water.

Whisk egg yolks, 2 tablespoons honey, Grand Marnier, and 3 tablespoons cold water in large metal bowl to blend. Set over saucepan of gently boiling water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) and whisk until mixture thickens and thermometer registers 160°F, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from over water; add gelatin mixture and whisk until dissolved.

Stir remaining 1 tablespoon cold water and 4 tablespoons honey in small saucepan over low heat until honey dissolves. Increase heat and boil until candy thermometer inserted into mixture registers 220°F, tilting pan to submerge thermometer bulb, about 2 minutes.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat hot honey syrup into whites. Continue beating until whites are cool and very stiff, about 4 minutes. Fold barely lukewarm white chocolate into yolk mixture; then fold whites into yolk mixture in 3 additions.

Beat cream and vanilla in medium bowl until medium-firm peaks form. Fold cream and nuts into mousse. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; smooth top. Cover with plastic; freeze overnight.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.

Freeze oval platter 15 minutes. Uncover terrine. Place platter on pan. Invert terrine onto platter; peel off plastic. Spoon Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce onto center of plates. Slice terrine; place atop sauce. Spoon Raspberry-Fig Sauce over center of terrine slices and serve immediately.