Town Crier Food and Wine Editor
Minimum effort, maximum effect-that is my motto when it comes to cooking. Applied to hot-weather desserts, it can mean only one thing: ice cream. To me, summer is ice cream (and its cousins, sherbet and ices). And even though my culinary energy vanishes with the first heat wave, these lazy vacation months are made for entertaining, and I still want to serve something magnificent as a finale. But what sort of treat can meet all the season’s requirements?
The answer is this collection of do-ahead delights that use purchased ice cream or sherbet combined with various homemade components such as sponge cake, ladyfingers and crumb crusts. The dazzling results will keep in the freezer for several days and are always ready when you are.
One of my favorite ways to present ice cream is in dressed-up individual servings. In the Mandarin Dessert Cups, tangy orange sherbet and orange segments are spooned into delicate cups made of crisp-fried egg roll wrappers dusted with ginger. This dessert is terrific following a main-dish salad. For the Hazelnut Profiteroles with Chocolate and Raspberry Sauces, classic chou paste shells are filled with French vanilla ice cream, hazelnuts and raspberry puree. Drizzled with melted Swiss chocolate, this decandent sweet is the perfect choice after a simple meal. For a lighter ending, try some scoops of cantaloupe and easy-to-make lemon-lime ice piled lavishly into hollowed-out melon shells.
If you like the drama of a single large dessert, ice cream fills that bill, too. Berry-red Strawberry Sherbet Jelly Roll Loaf and a subtle apricot-vanilla cake make the most of seasonal flavors. Another great one is the Cappuccino Charlotte. Homemade ladyfingers and purchased sponge cake combine with creamy coffee ice cream and frozen vanilla mousse for an especially sophisticated composition.
The first time I tasted an ice cream pie was in Bar Harbor, Maine, and I have been a fan of them ever since. For the Mississippi mint one here, creme-de-menthe-laced vanilla filling is molded in a mixing bowl, then inverted over chocolate ice cream in a chocolate cookie crust. The impressive height and the sensational combination of flavors and textures makes this an eye-catching special-occasion treat. For more casual parties, the oatmeal cookie sandwiches are great for backyard picnics and barbecues. These can be made and conveniently frozen by the dozen, and eaten out of hand.
Because ice cream or sherbet is the starring ingredient of all these creations, make sure it is of the very best quality. The store-bought item should be first-class; do not use products that contain a lot of additives. Also avoid those that are made to seem fluffy by the incorporation of too much air. Ice cream will lose some of its volume with repeated handling, and what you buy must be up to the challenge. (Naturally, you can also make your own for these recipes.) Check the label for ingredients, remembering that the higher the butterfat content, the richer the ice cream. Store it at 0F or even lower, if possible.
Try not to overwork ice cream – just make it pliable enough to assemble these confections, and get them back into the freezer quickly, wrapped well. When it is time to serve, let them stand in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to thaw a bit so the flavors develop.
Because most of these delicious desserts can be made ahead and kept frozen, you might just want to keep a few on hand. Then, when the next heat wave hits, you will be prepared with a cache of super summer coolers.
MISSISSIPPI MINT PIE
The crust uses about 3/4 of an 8 1/2-ounce box of chocolate wafers.
8 servings
Pie
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons clear creme de menthe liqueur
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 1/2 quarts chocolate ice cream
Sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup whipping cream
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
For pie: Combine crumbs and butter in 9-inch pie pan; press mixture into bottom and sides. Freeze crust until firm.
Line 8-inch metal bowl with plastic wrap, allowing overhang. Stir creme de menthe into vanilla ice cream. pack into prepared bowl. Spread chocolate ice cream in pie crust. Freeze bowl and crust until ice creams are firm.
For sauce: Whisk cornstarch into milk in small bowl. Whisk in cream. Melt chocolate and butter with sugar in heavy small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Whisk cornstarch mixture into chocolate. Reduce heat and whisk until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature.
To assemble: Invert vanilla ice cream over chocolate ice cream in crust, pressing gently. Remove plastic wrap. Let edge between ice creams soften slightly. Pour sauce into center of vanilla ice cream, allowing excess to drizzle down sides. Serve immediately. (Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Freeze pie until sauce hardens to glaze. Wrap and freeze until ready to serve.)
MANDARIN DESSERT CUPS
8 to 10 servings
Vegetable oil
8 to 10 6 3/4-inch square egg roll wrappers*
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pint orange sherbet
1 can mandarin orange segments,
drained, syrup reserved
Grated peeled ginger
Grated orange and lemon peels
Heat 3 inches of oil in deep fryer or heavy large saucepan to 375F. Fold each wrapper in half. Trim each into half moon shape (when opened, wrappers should be circular). Open 1 wrapper and lower into oil. Using longhandled metal soup ladle, press wrapper to bottom of fryer; wrapper should form cup around ladle. With ladle in place, fry wrapper until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from fryer. Carefully remove ladle. Invert wrapper cup onto paper towel. Repeat with remaining wrappers. Sift powdered sugar and ginger over cups.
Just before serving, set cups on plates. Fill each with sherbet. Divide orange segments among cups. Garnish with grated ginger and peels. Drizzle reserved syrup over if desired.
*Available at oriental markets.
CAPPUCCINO
CHARLOTTE
You can use purchased ladyfingers to make this dessert even easier.
10 to 12 servings
Ladyfingers
3 eggs, separated, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Vanilla Mousse
2 cups whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 9-inch sponge cake (homemade or commercial), broken into pieces
3 tablespoons coffee liqueur
1 quart coffee ice cream
Chocolate coffee bean candies or chocolate curls.
For ladyfingers: Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using electric mixer, beat yolks, sugar and vanilla until slowly dissolving ribbon forms when beaters are lifted. Stir in flour. Using clean, dry beaters, beat whites, salt and cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Gently fold 1/3 of whites into yolk mixture to loosen. Fold in remaining whites. Spoon batter into pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe 4-inch “fingers” at 1-inch intervals on prepared sheets. Bake until ladyfingers are pale golden and dry to touch, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely. Sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder over ladyfingers.
For mousse: Using electric mixer, beat cream with vanilla and 6 tablespoons sugar to stiff peaks. Using clean, dry beaters, beat whites to soft peaks. Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Gently fold whites into cream.
To assemble: Line bottom of 9-inch springform pan with sponge cake. Drizzle with liqueur. Trim one end of each ladyfinger to be even with top of pan. Line side of pan with ladyfingers, rounded side out. Spread ice cream over sponge cake. Spoon mousse into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe mousse in long strips over ice cream. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Set pan on platter. Remove springform. Garnish top of charlotte with coffee beans or chocolate curls.
For quality ice cream I suggest you see Norm Chu or one of his staff at Baskin-Robbins at 264 State St.
