Tartufo Food

TARTUFFO

Steps:

• Scoop ice cream into 6 balls, using 1/2 cup ice cream for each.
• While ice cream is still in scoop, push a chocolate-covered cherry into the center of each.
• Place in a baking pan lined with plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours, until firm.
• Meanwhile, melt chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water.
• Lay a long sheet of wax paper on an overturned jelly roll pan.
• Pour chocolate on the paper and spread it to cover the length and width of the paper using a thin metal spatula.
• Freeze until just before serving time.
• (Chocolate will get crackly hard).
• To serve: Break up chocolate into jagged pieces.
• Place a few pieces in bottoms of 6 dessert dishes.
• Top with ice cream balls and sprinkle each with the remaining chocolate pieces.
• (Desserts may be frozen at this time).

TARTUFO

Steps:

• Caramel sauce:
• In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar with 1/4 cup of water.
• Bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture turns a deep golden brown. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Tartufo:
• Combine the cookie crumbs and chocolate chunks in a large resealable bag.
• Using a large round ice cream scoop, scoop out a ball of ice cream and leave it in the scoop. Poke a hole in the center of the scoop with a handle of a wooden spoon and put a cherry into the hole. Cover the hole with a bit of ice cream and put the scoop of ice cream into the bag of cookies and chocolate pieces. Shake around pressing gently to completely coat the ice cream. Put the scoop on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes. Repeat the process with remaining ingredients.
• Before serving, divide the caramel sauce among 4 plates. Remove the Tartufos from the freezer and slice them in half. Arrange 2 halves on each plate and garnish with mint sprigs.

TARTUFFO

Steps:

• With a small ice cream scoop, make walnut-sized balls of the chocolate ice cream. Shove a hazelnut into the center of each ball. Freeze. With a larger ice cream scoop, dig out flat globs of vanilla ice cream and pack it around the chocolate ice cream ball, covering completely. Freeze for 30 minutes. Roll in chocolate shavings and keep frozen.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT TARTUFO

Steps:

• Combine milk, cream, and 1/3 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat; stir until the sugar dissolves, about 3 to 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar until the egg yolks are light in color, about 4 minutes. Stir 1/2 cup of the milk mixture into the egg yolks, then pour all of the egg mixture into the saucepan, stirring continuously. Cook, stirring continuously, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Add the chocolate hazelnut spread, espresso powder, and vanilla, stirring until well combined. Pour through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Refrigerate several hours until cold.
• Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer gelato into an airtight container and place in freezer until solid.
• To make the tartufo: Scoop 4-ounce portions of gelato and form into balls using your hands. Poke a hole in each ball and place 1 cherry in each, cover with gelato, and place on a baking sheet. Roll gelato balls in the grated chocolate until coated and return to the freezer until ready to serve. Serve with whipped topping, if desired.

CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO TARTUFO

Steps:

• Line a small domed glass bowl (ours was 4 1/2-inch-diameter with a 1 1/3-cup capacity) with plastic wrap, leaving a 4-inch overhang on all sides. Pack 1 ice cream flavor into each side of bowl. Make an indentation in each flavor; place a cherry in each and cover with ice cream. Wrap in plastic and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.
• In a bowl, mix together cookie crumbs and 1 teaspoon oil. Fold back plastic and press crumb mixture onto ice cream; smooth with an offset spatula. Rewrap and freeze at least 15 minutes.
• Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil.
• Fold back plastic from ice cream. Invert bowl onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet. With a hot cloth, wipe outside of bowl to loosen. Lift bowl and completely remove plastic. Pour chocolate over top, starting in center and working outward, in one stream.
• Freeze tartufo on rack to harden, at least 5 minutes. Serve, or wrap loosely in plastic and keep frozen up to a week. To serve, transfer to a plate with a thin metal spatula (if it sticks, dip spatula in hot water and wipe dry).

ITALIAN TARTUFO

Steps:

• Soak cherries in rum.
• Sift sugar; cocoa, and instant coffee together and place in a heavy sauce pan.
• Add the water and mix well.
• Bring to a boil and cook until everything is well mixed.
• While syrup is cooking, whip the egg yolks until light and fluffy.
• Reduce the speed of the beaters to the lowest level and add the hot syrup in a continuous fine stream.
• Continue beating until the mixture is thick and forms a ribbon pattern when the beater is pulled away.
• Chill well. (about an hour).
• Whip the cream with the 2 tablespoons of rum until stiff.
• Fold into the chocolate mixture.
• Fold in the chopped chocolate.
• Arrange foil lined paper cups in a muffin pan.
• Fill each cup 1/3 of the way full.
• Place a cherry in each cup then fill the rest of the way.
• Freeze at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
• Before serving pipe whipping cream on top if desired.
• It will keep in the freezer for about a month wrapped tightly in aluminum foil.