Frozen desserts used to be truly elegant fare at any time of year
By: Faith Bahadurian
Give me a few extra minutes to kill and proximity to a bookstore, and chances are I’ll shortly be the proud owner of yet another cookbook. So on a frigid afternoon last winter I found myself browsing the well-stocked cookbook shelves of Half Price Books in Montgomery. I walked out with a copy of "Ice Cream and Iced Desserts," perversely captivated by the frosty bowl of pastel-hued ice cream on its cover.
Frozen desserts used to be truly elegant fare at any time of year, but, other than ice cream, we rarely come across them in homes or restaurants today, with the notable exception of the Baked Alaska at Chambers Walk Café in Lawrenceville.
Now that we’re in the full heat of summer, I am marveling over one frozen treat after another in the book, all gorgeously photographed. The recipes go way beyond basic ice cream and sorbet, although those are well-covered, along with water ices and granitas. The basic ice cream chapter includes flavors like Crème Fraiche and Honey, Apricot and Amaretti, and Brandied Fruit and Rice. Among the sorbets, Pear and Sauternes, minted Earl Grey, and strawberry-lavender stand out. A chapter on Herb, Spice & Flower ices provides further temptation.
The cream-free and low-fat section gives recipes for Indian Kulfi (with pistachios of course) and Middle Eastern Dondurma Kaymalki (flavored with honey and orange flower water). And vegan Date and Tofu Ice, below, can be whipped up with or without an ice cream maker, which is true of nearly all the recipes.
Other chapters cover tortes and gateaux, bombes and terrines, and all manner of company-perfect elegant iced desserts. Some are complicated, but many are surprisingly simple and can be made with store-bought products. These desserts will have you "chillin’" in no time at all.
All recipes adapted from "Ice Cream and Iced Desserts," Joanna Farrow and Sara Lewis, Hermes House, 2000.
SOFT FRUIT AND
CRUSHED MERINGUE GATEAU
Serves 6.
Note: You can now buy meringue cookies in almost any supermarket, which makes this recipe a snap to make. And I wouldn’t hesitate to mix in some blueberries in place of currants.
3½ cups mixed strawberries, raspberries or red currants
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
3 cups best quality vanilla ice cream
4 ounces of meringue nests or cookies
Dampen a 2-pound loaf tin and line it with clear plastic film.
If using strawberries, hull and chop them into small pieces. Mix with other berries and sugar in a bowl until fruit softens but is not mushy.
Put the ice cream in a bowl and break it up with a large fork. Crumble the meringues into the bowl and add the fruit mixture.
Fold all the ingredients together until evenly combined and lightly marbled. Pack into the prepared loaf pan and press down gently to level. Cover and freeze overnight. To serve, invert it onto a plate and peel away the clear film. Serve in slices.
WHITE CHOCOLATE
AND BROWNIE TORTE
Serves 10.
11 ounces white chocolate, broken into pieces
2½ cups heavy cream
9 ounces rich chocolate brownies
Cocoa powder, for dusting
Dampen the sides of an 8-inch round springform tin and line with a strip of parchment paper. Put the chocolate in a small pan. Add 2/3 cups of the cream and heat very gently until chocolate has melted. Stir until smooth, then pour into a bowl and leave to cool.
Break the brownies into chunky pieces and scatter on the bottom of the tin. Pack down lightly to make a fairly dense base.
Whip the remaining cream until it forms peaks, then fold in the white chocolate mixture. Spoon into the tin to cover the brownies, then tap the tin gently on the counter to level the chocolate mixture. Cover and freeze overnight.
Transfer the torte to the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving. Then remove the sides of the tin and decorate with a light dusting of cocoa powder. Cut into wedges for serving.
DATE AND TOFU ICE
Serves 4.
1½ cups pitted dates
2½ cups apple juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10½ ounces chilled tofu, drained and cubed
2/3 cup unsweetened soy milk
Put dates in saucepan. Pour 1¼ cups of the apple juice over them and leave to soak for 2 hours. Simmer for 10 minutes, then leave to cool. Using a slotted spoon, lift out about ¼ of the dates, chop roughly and set aside.
Purée the remaining dates in a food processor or blender. Add cinnamon and process with enough of the remaining apple juice to make a smooth paste. Add the tofu cubes a few at a time, processing after each addition (you may still see flecks of tofu; that is fine). Finally, add any remaining apple juice and soy milk.
By Hand: Pour mixture into a plastic tub and freeze for 4 hours, beating once with a fork or electric mixer to break up ice crystals. After the 4 hours, beat again with a fork to ensure a smooth texture.
Using Ice Cream Maker: Churn mixture until very thick, but not thick enough to scoop. Scrape into a plastic tub.
Stir in most of the chopped dates and freeze for 2-3 hours until firm. Scoop into dessert glasses and decorate with remaining chopped dates.

