Raspberry Truffle Ice Cream Torte

 

I don't know about you, but I am cold.  Winter is in full force here; it was below zero earlier in the week and I am pretty much living in cozy hoodies and shearling slippers.  Despite this, ice cream took center stage as dessert for my husband's mid-January birthday in the form of this Raspberry Truffle Ice Cream Torte. Adapted from the recipe for Chocolate Banded Ice Cream Torte in Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (which if you don't own, you totally should), it's refreshingly cheerful looking in the bleak midwinter.   I think it would make a great Valentine's Day dessert, if you're into celebrating that.  The original recipe calls for three layers of ganache made with eggs, chocolate chips, butter, and sugar.  I made it as directed but would probably not do it again...the fact that the eggs don't really get cooked made me a little uneasy (undereasy? :)), and while we all survived and the birthday man finished off not only his own slice but also what my daughter and I couldn't eat of ours, I don't think dessert should be a game of roulette, so I humbly offer any of these eggless ganache recipes as alternatives for the chocolate layers.  The homemade raspberry ice cream was divine though, and I have no qualms about sharing it with you. 

Raspberry Ice Cream

We keep the freezer bowl to our ice cream maker in our chest freezer at all times, but if yours is in storage, you'll want to get it in the freezer at least 8 hours and preferably more like 24 before you plan to use it. 

For the raspberry sauce:

Heat 2 c. (1 pint) of fresh or frozen raspberries, 1/4 c. sugar, and 1/2 c. water to a boil, stirring constantly.  You may find you need a little more water...my berries had a lot of ice around them.  Remove from heat and strain if desired (I left about half the seeds), then chill thoroughly. 

For the ice cream base:

Combine in bowl:

• 1 c.whole or 2% milk, well chilled
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar

Whisk until sugar is dissolved.

Stir in:  

• 2 c. heavy cream, well chilled
• 1-2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I especially like Vanilla Bean Crush for this)

Chill mixture for 2 hours. 

Bust out your ice cream maker with giddy anticipation.  Turn the machine on, and pour the chilled vanilla base mixture in through the ingredient spout.  Let process 10-15 minutes until the mixture just begins to thicken and cling to the sides of the bowl.  Then pour in as much of the reserved, chilled raspberry sauce as the machine can safely hold (remember to allow a little room for expansion as it freezes) and process for another 10-15 minutes.  At this point, you'll have soft ice cream that you can eat guiltily straight from the maker with a spoon, scoop into a container to freeze, or layer with ganache in a springform pan to make this:

Assembly is as follows:
Pour a layer of ganache into a 9 in. springform. Freeze for a half an hour or until set. Spread in a layer of ice cream. Freeze for a half hour. Repeat both steps, then end with a final layer of ganache. Allow to set in the freezer overnight. You may need to reheat the ganache or allow the ice cream to soften to spreadable consistency, so the process is very time consuming but not difficult, and the result impressive.

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