Cherry Pistachio Ice Cream Food

SPUMONI ICE CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Remove the lid from the cherry ice cream and let sit at room temperature until the ice cream softens to the consistency of thick cake batter, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the lids from the pistachio and chocolate ice creams and let soften in the refrigerator until the ice creams are softened to the consistency of thick cake batter, 20 to 30 minutes.
• While the ice creams soften, cover the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with one layer of whole amaretti cookies, flat sides down. Put the remaining amaretti in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a heavy pan. Line another 9-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap, leaving a few inches of overhang. Add the crushed cookies and set aside until Step 4.
• On top of the whole cookies in the springform pan, spread the softened cherry ice cream in an even layer. Tap the pan gently on the counter to remove air pockets. Distribute the maraschino cherries over the cherry ice cream, saving a handful for the top of the cake. Spread the softened pistachio ice cream in an even layer on top of the cherries. Tap the pan gently on the counter to remove air pockets. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 2 hours or up to 1 week. (If at any point the ice cream is melting to liquid, pop the cake and ice creams in the freezer to firm to a spoonable consistency.)
• Immediately after placing the cherry and pistachio layers in the freezer, prepare the chocolate layer: Shake to distribute the cookie crumbs evenly in the cake pan. Spread the softened chocolate ice cream in an even layer over the cookies. Press down as you go to adhere the ice cream to the cookies, then tap the pan on the counter to remove air pockets. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 2 hours or up to 1 week.
• Run a knife around the cake in the springform pan, then unmold the springform and transfer the cake to a serving plate. Use the plastic wrap overhang to remove the chocolate ice cream out of the cake pan. Invert the layer onto the pistachio ice cream so the crushed cookies are on top (do not remove the plastic wrap). Freeze until set, about 4 hours or overnight.
• When you're ready to serve, whip the cream with the sugar and salt until stiff peaks form. Remove the cake from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap from the cake. Working quickly, with a spoon or offset spatula, frost the sides and top of the cake with the whipped cream, then decorate with sprinkles and the reserved maraschino cherries. Serve right away. (If you find the cake too solid to cut, run your knife under hot water before slicing and wipe it dry between cuts. Also remember that the first piece is always the trickiest to get out.)

PISTACHIO AND CHERRY BOMBE

Steps:

• In a food processor, grind the pistachios and granulated sugar into a fine meal.
• Transfer pistachio meal to a medium bowl; add the zest, honey and egg whites and combine the ingredients using your hands until fully integrated.
• Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, pressing evenly until about 1/3-inch thick, and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. The mixture should still be soft and pliable, like the center of a chewy cookie, with some color on top. When you poke it with your finger, the dent should remain.
• Line a 10- to 12-inch, freezer-proof bowl (about 4 quarts) with parchment paper and plastic wrap, allowing enough overhang to cover the top of the bowl. Set aside about one-third of the biscotti dough (this will form the bombe's base later) and press the remaining dough into the bowl while the dough is still warm. (The layer should be as even and thin as possible, ideally about 1/3-inch thick.) Set aside until completely cooled to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, roll out the remaining biscotti dough into a rough circle between two pieces of clean parchment paper. It should be about 1/3-inch thick. Trim it to fit the opening of the bowl. Set aside to cool completely.
• Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan, cook the cherries with the granulated sugar over medium heat for 10 minutes; they should be sweet and soft with a good amount of liquor. Set aside to cool completely.
• Remove 2 pints of ice cream from the freezer to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. When the biscotti bowl has cooled and the ice cream is easily scoopable but not at all runny, spoon 2 pints of ice cream into the center of the pistachio bowl and spread evenly with a spatula in the bottom and up the sides, about 1-inch thick. Place a nesting bowl or any smaller bowl in the center and use the bowl to tamp the ice cream down. Transfer the large bowl to the freeze to chill until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
• Remove another pint of ice cream from the freezer and let soften 10 minutes at room temperature. In a medium bowl, fold the cooled cherries and their juices into 1 pint of ice cream, leaving some pockets of vanilla. Spoon this mix into the center of the biscotti bowl (which is now covered with a frozen layer of plain vanilla ice cream). Freeze until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
• Spread the remaining 1/2 pint vanilla ice cream on top of the cherry layer. Cover the top of the bowl with the rolled-out remaining biscotti and tamp down. Freeze at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• To serve, turn the bombe out onto a plate. Sift confectioners' sugar on top. Using a Microplane, grate pistachios all over the top of the bombe. More cherries are a lovely garnish. Slice and serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY, PISTACHIO, AND RASPBERRY ICE CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Boil dried tart cherries and orange juice in heavy small saucepan until all liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat; cool completely.
• Line 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, extending over sides of pan. Finely grind cookies and almonds in processor; add butter and process until moist crumbs form. Press crumbs onto bottom of foil-lined pan. Place in freezer.
• Mix chocolate ice cream, chopped chocolate, and cherry mixture in medium bowl. Spoon over crust; smooth top. Freeze 30 minutes. Top with raspberry sorbet; smooth top. Freeze 30 minutes. Mix pistachio ice cream and orange peel in another medium bowl. Spoon over sorbet; smooth top (ice cream will come all the way up to top of pan). Cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Using foil as aid, lift ice cream cake from pan; peel off foil. Use spatula dipped into hot water to smooth sides of cake. Transfer cake to platter. Garnish top of cake with chocolate curls or amaretti cookies dipped halfway into room-temperature Hot Fudge Sauce. Cut cake into squares. Serve with Hot Fudge Sauce.
• Test-kitchen tip:
• Soften the ice cream and sorbet in the microwave on high in two to three 10-second intervals until just soft enough to spread. *Light, airy Italian almond macaroons that are available at some supermarkets and Italian markets.

CHERRY PISTACHIO ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place freezer bowl of ice cream maker into the freezer. It is better to keep it in there 24/7 that way it is always ready.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
• Stir in the heavy cream.
• Stir in the 2 packages of pistachio pudding mix, making sure there are no lumps.
• Pour mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix until it has thickened (about 25-30 minutes).
• Remove ice cream from freezer bowl and place into a separate container.
• Cut up about 1/4 cup of maraschino cherries. Remove the stem. Add a little bit of the juice if desired. Depending on preferences, more/less cherries can also be used.
• Place freezer bowl and the ice cream into the freezer to further harden.
• Enjoy!

PISTACHIO ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Finely grind 1 cup of the pistachios and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a food processor, being careful not to turn the mixture into butter. Bring the milk and cream to a boil in heavy large saucepan. Remove from heat.
• Combine the egg yolks and remaining 1/2-cup sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk to blend. Gradually whisk 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs. Gradually add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream into the hot cream in the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 6 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and strain into a large bowl. Add pistachio mixture and almond extract. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to keep a skin from forming, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• Remove from the refrigerator and pour into the bowl of an ice cream machine. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After the ice cream is made, transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.
• Garnish with whipped cream and toasted pistachios.

RASPBERRY PISTACHIO SEMIFREDDO

Steps:

• For the raspberry puree: Add the raspberries and sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth. (You can also do this using a stick blender.) Push the raspberry puree through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the seeds. If using, stir in the raspberry liqueur. Refrigerate until needed. (You can prepare the raspberry puree up to a day ahead of time.)
• Line a 9 x 5-in (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan with two strips of parchment paper, one coming up the short sides of the pan, the second one overlapping at the bottom, but coming up the long sides of the pan. (You can also line the pan with plastic wrap but the sides of the semifreddo once unmolded won't look as smooth.) Set aside.
• For the pistachio semifreddo: First, soak the pistachios. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the shelled pistachio nuts and simmer for two minutes. After two minutes, drain and rinse the nuts under cold water to cool them completely.
• Dry the nuts with paper towels. Peeling the pistachios is optional but using the nuts with the skin on will change both the color and texture of the pistachio semifreddo (it won't be as smooth). To peel a pistachio, simply pinch it between your fingers: the skin should come right off. This step takes a bit of work, but it's worth it. Alternatively, you can look for peeled pistachios, which are slightly more expensive than regular pistachios, but are going to save you some time. (It is still necessary to blanch peeled pistachios).
• Once the pistachios are blanched, peeled, and cooled, transfer them to the bowl of a food processor with ¼ cup (50 g) of the sugar. Pulse until the nuts are very finely ground, stopping from time to time to scrape down the bowl. Set aside.
• In a clean, stainless steel bowl, add the egg whites. Beat until foamy, then add in ½ cup of the remaining sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating about 30-45 seconds between each addition and repeating until you've incorporated all the sugar. Keep beating until the meringue is shiny and forms sift peaks that ever so lightly droop at the top.
• In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream with the remaining sugar (¼ cup) and the vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Using a spatula, fold the meringue into the whipped cream, then incorporate the ground pistachios.
• To assemble: In the prepared pan, spread 1/3 of the pistachio semifreddo over the bottom of the pan. Drizzle with 1/3 of the raspberry puree, then sprinkle 1/3 of the chopped pistachios and 1/3 of the raspberries.
• Repeat these steps once, then finish by spreading the remaining pistachio semifreddo mixture as the final layer. Level out the top and carefully fold the overlaying parchment paper over the semifreddo to protect it. (Save the remaining raspberry puree, chopped pistachios, and raspberries for serving.) Freeze for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight. Pistachiosemifreddo will keep fresh in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
• SERVING: Take the semifreddo out of the freezer. Carefully peel the parchment paper covering the top of the semifreddo. Slide a thin knife between the parchment paper and a side of the pan and run the knife all around the semifreddo to loosen it. Invert the pan over a serving dish, then lift it to unmold the semifreddo. Carefully peel off the parchment paper and discard.
• Drizzle the semifreddo with the remaining raspberry puree, then garnish with pistachios and raspberries. Serve right away, using a serrated knife to slice thick pieces for each guest. Return any extra semifreddo to the freezer right away.
• ADDITIONAL SERVING IDEA: You can create scoops of this pistachio semifreddo, just as you would serve ice cream. It will look beautifully rippled and be just as amazingly delicious. Serve it in bowls with extra raspberry puree, pistachios, and fresh raspberries, or over an ice cream cone.
• STORAGE: Wrap leftover semifreddo with plastic wrap, or transfer to an airtight container. Enjoy within 2 weeks.
• NOTE: This recipe uses a French meringue, which means the egg whites are not cooked before they're added to the pistachio semifreddo mixture. If you're worried about using raw egg whites, you can use liquid egg whites(egg whites sold in cartons), which are pasteurized.