Spumoni Recipes

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.

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.

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.

Steps:

• Chill a 1 quart spumoni mold well.
• If you don't have a spumoni mold, a 1 quart gelatin mold will work very well.
• First Mixture: Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla in a sauce pan.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickend (like a pudding).
• Cool mixture.
• Place cooled mixture in a freezer tray and freeze until medium hard (about 2 hours).
• It should be soft enough to spoon out easily, but hard enough to hold its shape.
• Second Mixture: In Bowl, beat heavy cream and sugar together until stiff.
• Gently mix in the cherries, orange peel and almonds.
• Chill the second mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.
• Filling Mold: When first mixture is ready (semi-frozen), remove from freezer tray and line the inside of the chilled mold with it.
• With the back of a spoon, shape a hollow in the middle of the first mixture.
• Fill the hollow with the second mixture.
• Cover the top of the mold with plastic wrap or waxed paper, and freeze for about 2 hours (until very firm).
• To serve, dip mold briefly in warm water and unmold onto a serving plate.
• Cut spumoni into 6-8 portions.

Steps:

• Let cookie dough stand at room temperature 5-10 minutes to soften. In a large bowl, beat cookie dough and 3/4 cup flour until combined. Divide dough into three portions., Add remaining flour, cherries and if desired red food coloring to one portion. Add cocoa and liqueur to the second portion. Add pistachios and if desired green food coloring to the remaining portion., Roll each portion between two pieces of waxed paper into an 8x6-in. rectangle. Remove waxed paper. Place cherry rectangle on a piece of plastic wrap. Layer with chocolate and pistachio rectangles; press together lightly. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight., Preheat oven to 375°. Cut chilled dough in half widthwise. Return one rectangle to the refrigerator. Cut remaining rectangle into 1/4-in. slices. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough., Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes before removing to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

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.

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.)