Spumoni Recipes

PHONY SPUMONI

Steps:

• Combine 1 goat cheese log, the beet and horseradish in a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper; cover and refrigerate.
• Wipe out the food processor and add the remaining goat cheese log, the herbs and garlic; puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper; cover and refrigerate.
• Wipe out the food processor again and add the cheddar, pimentos, cream cheese, mayonnaise, scallion and hot sauce; puree until smooth.
• Line a 1-quart bowl with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang. Spread the beet-cheese mixture in the bottom of the bowl; press gently with plastic wrap to smooth it into an even layer. Spread the herbed cheese mixture on top, then the pimento cheese mixture, pressing each layer with plastic wrap until smooth and even. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. Uncover and invert onto a platter; discard the plastic wrap. Serve with crackers.

VALERIE'S SPUMONI

Steps:

• Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch aluminum loaf pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with plastic wrap on all sides, leaving a 2-inch overhang; the cooking spray will help the plastic stick directly to the sides of the pan.
• In a food processor, pulse the chocolate wafers until very fine, like sand. Add the chocolate sauce and pulse a few more times until the mixture comes together. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and firmly press into the bottom of the pan to create a crust. Freeze for 30 minutes to set.
• Meanwhile, remove the chocolate-chocolate chip gelato from the freezer to soften. After 30 minutes, remove the loaf pan from the freezer and spread the chocolate gelato over the crust; use a small offset or rubber spatula to spread the gelato into a flat, even layer. Return the loaf pan to the freezer for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, let the vanilla bean gelato soften at room temperature.
• When the vanilla gelato has softened, transfer it to a bowl and stir in the sliced Amarena cherries, the Amarena syrup and the red food coloring if using. Mix until the cherries are evenly dispersed and the food coloring is completely incorporated. Remove the loaf pan from the freezer and evenly spread the cherry gelato over the chocolate gelato. Place back in the freezer for at least 1 hour more; it takes longer for the cherry layer to set.
• Thirty minutes before the cherry layer is set, remove the pistachio gelato from the freezer to soften. When softened, spread in an even layer over the cherry gelato; the pistachio layer should come up nearly to the top of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
• When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap from the top of the pan and invert the spumoni onto a cutting board. Gently lift the loaf pan away and remove the remaining plastic wrap. Slice the spumoni into 3/4-inch slices, using a chef's knife dipped in warm water; dip the knife in the warm water between each slice. Serve immediately.

NO CHURN SPUMONI

Steps:

• Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap so it hangs over the sides.
• Combine the melted ice cream, heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk and salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
• Place the cherries in a smaller bowl and press with a fork until they are mashed and juicy, but still retain some texture. Add one-third of the whipped cream mixture and fold together. Spread evenly into the prepared loaf pan.
• Add half of the remaining plain whipped cream mixture to a second smaller bowl and fold in the cookies. Spread evenly on top of the cherry layer.
• Add the pistachios and a few drops of green food coloring to the remaining plain whipped cream mixture and mix until the coloring has dissolved. Spread on top of the cookie layer.
• Cover and freeze for 4 hours.
• Using the plastic wrap, lift the ice cream mixture out of the pan. Slice and serve.

SPUMONI SLICES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. Divide dough in three portions. Stir chocolate into one portion. Add pecans and green food coloring to the second portion. Add cherries, almond extract and red food coloring to the third. , Roll each portion between two pieces of waxed paper into an 8x6-in. rectangle. Remove waxed paper. Place chocolate rectangle on a piece of plastic wrap. Top with the green and pink rectangles; press together lightly. Wrap with plastic and chill overnight., Cut chilled dough in half lengthwise. Return one rectangle to the refrigerator. Cut remaining rectangle into 1/8-in. slices. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 375° for 5-7 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks. Repeat with remaining dough.

SPUMONI

Steps:

• Prepare the vanilla and chocolate ice-cream bases: Whisk 2 cups milk, 3/4 cup sugar, and 5 egg yolks together in a heavy 2-quart saucepan until blended. Drop in the vanilla bean, and set the saucepan over very low heat. Switch to a wooden spoon and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. (If you have an instant-reading thermometer, check the temperature from time to time. The base will thicken shortly after the temperature reaches 180° F.) Strain the mixture into a small bowl, and cool to room temperature with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly to the surface. Clean the saucepan. Whisk 2 cups milk, 3/4 cup sugar, 5 egg yolks, and the cocoa together in the saucepan until blended. Cook and stir as described above until thickened. Strain the chocolate mixture into a separate small bowl and cool as above. The bases can be refrigerated for up to 1 day before continuing.
• If you have an ice-cream maker, freeze the ice-cream bases separately, according to manufacturer's directions, and set the finished ice creams in the freezer as you finish. If you don't have an ice-cream maker, place the bowls of ice-cream base in the freezer and freeze, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is frozen but soft enough to be spooned out easily.
• Whip the cream and 1/4 cup sugar in a chilled bowl until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold the cherries, nuts, and candied peel into the whipped cream. Refrigerate the whipped cream.
• Line up six 10-ounce paper soft-drink cups on your work surface. Remove the vanilla ice cream from the freezer. (If it has become too hard to scoop easily, let it stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes.) Working quickly, scoop one-sixth of the ice cream into one of the cups and spread it into an even layer that comes about 3 inches up the sides of the cup and is about 1/4 inch thick, leaving enough room in the center for a layer of chocolate ice cream and the whipped-cream filling. Place the cup in the freezer immediately and repeat with the remaining ice cream and cups. Freeze until the vanilla ice cream is solid, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Check the consistency of the chocolate ice cream. If it is too solid to spoon easily, let it stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes. Tear off six squares of plastic wrap or wax paper large enough to cover the tops of the ice-cream molds, and set them close by. Take the flavored whipped cream out of the refrigerator and have it close by. Take one of the cups out of the freezer and spoon a layer of the chocolate ice cream inside the vanilla ice cream, making that layer even with the top of the vanilla ice cream and leaving enough space in the center for the whipped-cream filling. (You may not need a full sixth of the chocolate ice cream to do this.) Drop a little of the whipped cream into the center of the mold and tap the surface of the cup to settle the whipped cream into the indentation. Add the whipped cream little by little, tapping the cup after each addition, until the whipped cream is even with the ice-cream layers. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper pressed directly to the surface, and return immediately to the freezer. Repeat with the remaining cups. Freeze for at least 2 hours or up to one day before serving.
• To serve, remove wax paper or plastic wrap. With a sharp, serrated knife, cut the cup in half lengthwise from the top, straight through the ice cream. Working carefully, peel the cup from the spumoni halves and serve on chilled plates.

SPUMONI BOMBE

Steps:

• Coat inside of 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper by cutting two strips, one the width and the other the length of the pan, overlapping them inside the pan. Both should be long enough to generously hang over edges of pan. Place in freezer to chill for 15 minutes. Beat pistachio ice cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until soft but still holding its shape, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pistachios; remove pan from freezer. Transfer pistachio ice cream to pan, forming a 1-inch layer and smoothing with a small offset spatula. Return pan to freezer until the ice cream hardens, about 40 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, combine cherries, rum, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat (be careful not to ignite); reduce heat; cover pan. Let cherries simmer until all liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool.
• In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form; set aside. Soften vanilla ice cream as above. Fold whipped cream into vanilla ice cream. Remove mold from freezer; add a layer of vanilla mixture, smoothing top with a small offset spatula. Return to freezer.
• When vanilla layer is firm to the touch, about 45 minutes, soften chocolate ice cream as above. Add cooled cherries; mix until just combined. Remove mold from freezer; fill to top with chocolate-cherry mixture. Smooth top with an offset spatula; cover with plastic wrap. Return to freezer until completely hardened, about 4 hours or overnight. To unmold, remove from freezer; dip in very hot water for a few seconds. Sprinkle sliced almonds, if using, over chocolate ice cream to keep ice cream from sliding when turned out. Using the overhanging parchment, gently lift ice cream out of pan. Invert onto cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice into servings.