Christmas Tortoni Food

CHRISTMAS TORTONI

Steps:

• Place paper or foil baking cup in each of 8 medium muffin cups, 2 1/2x1 1/4 inches. Mix cookie crumbs, almonds and 1/4 cup candied cherries; fold into ice cream.
• Divide ice-cream mixture among muffin cups. Decorate with red and green candied cherries. Freeze about 4 hours or until firm.

TORTONI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Break the macaroons into pieces and toast them on a baking sheet until golden, dry and crumbly. Let cool. Grind to fine crumbs in a food processor. You need about 1 cup.
• Combine the sugar and 3/4 cup water in a small, heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the syrup reaches 230 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Meanwhile, in a mixer, whip the egg whites until they form firm peaks. By hand, whip the yolks until fluffy. In the mixer bowl, fold together the whites and yolks.
• When the sugar is ready, turn on the mixer to medium speed and, with it running, slowly pour in the syrup in a fine thread. Reduce the speed to low and whip until the mixture cools to room temperature. Mix in the vanilla.
• Whip the cream and fold it into the egg mixture.
• Line the base of a 2-quart soufflé dish (or other mold) with parchment. Spoon half the crumbs into the base. Cover with the mousse. Top with the remaining crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
• Dip the base of the dish in a bowl of hot water. Run a knife around the edge of the mold, then invert onto a plate. Cut into wedges.

CHERRY TORTONI

Steps:

• Cook cherries:
• If using frozen cherries, thaw, reserving juices. Simmer cherries, 1/2 cup sugar, and liqueur in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cherries are soft, about 5 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch and water until combined, then whisk into cherry mixture and boil 1 minute. Transfer to a shallow bowl and chill, uncovered, 1 hour.
• Make crust:
• Pulse 1 cup almonds in a food processor until finely ground (do not pulse to a paste). Transfer to a bowl and stir in wafer crumbs and butter with a fork until combined well. Pat crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of buttered springform pan, then freeze while making filling, about 30 minutes.
• Make tortoni filling:
• Beat egg whites with remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water using a handheld electric mixer at medium-high speed until whites just hold soft peaks and instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from saucepan and continue to beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks, about 2 minutes more.
• Beat cream with Marsala in another bowl at medium speed until it just holds stiff peaks. Fold in ground amaretti and half of whites gently but thoroughly. Fold in remaining whites and pour into crust in pan, smoothing top.
• Drain cherries in a sieve set over a bowl and reserve juices. Scatter cherries evenly over top of tortoni, then swirl cherries into tortoni with tip of a sharp knife for a marbled effect. Sprinkle top of tortoni with remaining 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds and freeze, loosely covered, until firm, at least 4 hours.
• Let stand in pan at room temperature 10 minutes to soften slightly before serving. Carefully remove side of pan, then cut tortoni into wedges and serve with cherry juices.

ALMOND TORTONI

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat egg white until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, and continue beating until thick and glossy; set aside.
• Whip cream in a large bowl. Carefully fold in sherry, almond extract, macaroon crumbs, ground almonds, and chopped red and green cherries. Gently fold egg white into cream mixture.
• Spoon into 8 paper baking cups placed in medium size muffin tray. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. Cover muffin tray with clear plastic wrap, then wrap with aluminum foil. Freeze overnight.
• To serve: Let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature, then garnish with maraschino cherry halves.

BISQUE TORTONI

Steps:

• Beat egg yolks with sugar over a hot fire until steam begins to rise.
• Remove from the fire to ice and continue beating until the mixture becomes quite stiff.
• Stir in bisque crumbs.
• Pour into a 2-quart brick or melon mold thinly lined with frozen apricots.
• Pack in ice and salt for two hours.
• Be careful to overfill the mold, as the mixture will shrink a little.

BISCUIT TORTONI

Steps:

• Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, slowly beat the almond paste, almond extract, and confectioners' sugar until completely blended. Add the egg white and beat until smooth. Let the batter rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip. Pipe out 1-inch mounds of the batter onto a parchment-lined or nonstick cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and tan. Set on a rack to cool. When completely cool and crisp, chop the macaroons in a food processor. You should have approximately 1 1/4 cups of crumbs.
• Tortoni Cream: Spread out almonds on a cookie sheet and place in a preheated 325 degree oven for 3 minutes. Turn tray around, toss nuts with a metal spatula and toast for another 3 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup of cream, the macaroon crumbs and confectioners' sugar. Chill for 30 minutes. Mix in the rum and vanilla and chill for another 30 minutes. Whip the remaining 1 cup of cream to soft peaks and fold into the macaroon mixture.
• Divide the mixture among eight 4-ounce paper cups. Top with the almonds and cherries, if desired. Freeze for 4 hours or until firm.

BISCUIT TORTONI

Steps:

• Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place chopped almonds on a tray and toast in preheated oven until lightly colored and fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Crumble the cookies into 1/2 inch pieces by wrapping in a tea towel and tapping lightly with a rolling pin or mallet. Do not crush into small pieces. Place crumbled cookies in a medium bowl and sprinkle with rum. Toss with almonds and chocolate chips. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat cream with an electric mixer until thickened. Pour in brandy and beat until soft peaks form. Spoon whipped cream over cookie mixture. In whipped cream bowl, now beat ice cream just until softened (with a flat whip, if available). Fold cookie and cream mixture into ice cream. Freeze until serving.

TORTONI, FROZEN ALMOND CREAM DESSERT

Steps:

• Put the cookies in a small heavy-duty plastic bag and crush them with a heavy object.
• There should be about 1/4 cup crumbs.
• Combine the cream, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and almond extract in a large chilled bowl.
• Beat with a hand-held electric mixer on high speed until the cream holds soft peaks when the beaters are lifted.
• In a clean bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites with the salt on low speed until foamy.
• Gradually increase the speed and beat until the the whites hold soft peaks.
• Fold the whites into the whipped cream.
• Spoon the mixture into 8 wine goblets.
• Sprinkle the tortoni with the amaretti crumbs.
• Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving.