Valentino and Ice Cream

My first Daring Bakers challenge!

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

The Valentino cakes ended up being a perfect dessert for Valentine's Day. I chose to make mini cakes in mini heart-shaped pans (the shape of a heart is the traditional way to serve the cake). I also made a chocolate raspberry sauce to drizzle over the Valentinos. This is a very dense and decadent treat!

We were able to choose the flavor of ice cream we made, so I picked cookies and cream... yum! I do not have an ice cream maker, so I followed a recipe that allowed me to make it without the machine. Also, I added more oreos than the recipe called for--- love the chunks!

Valentino

16 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped *you can use any chocolate you want

½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.

8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C

9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.

10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold

*I used mini pans and baked for 15 minutes

Chocolate Raspberry Sauce

1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

In a saucepan over low heat, combine milk and chocolate; stir until smooth. Add in butter and jam; stir until smooth. Serve hot and leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups chilled whipping cream
2 cups oreos *I used more :)

1.Break cookies into small bite size pieces. Place the pieces in a bowl or measuring cup and set aside until needed.

2.Pour the milk into a heavy saucepan. Over medium heat bring the milk to a gentle simmer (approximately 175°F) or until it begins to bubble around the edges. Remove from the heat.

3.After removing from the heat, add the sugar and salt to the scalded milk.

4.Stir the scalded milk until sugar and salt are completely dissolved.

5.Add half and half, vanilla, and whipping cream. Stir until well blended.

6.Pour into a bowl and allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

**Speed cooling process by placing the bowl in an ice water bath.

7.Once the mixture has cooled, cover with plastic wrap and allow the mixture to age in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. This aging process will give the mixture better whipping qualities and produce ice cream with more body and a smoother texture.

8.After aging (chilling) the mixture, remove from the refrigerator and stir the mixture. The ice cream is now ready for the freezing process.

9.Transfer the ice cream mixture to a freezer safe bowl or container if not already in an appropriate one. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, foil or an airtight cover.

10.Place the container in the freezer and allow the mixture to freeze for 2 hours.

11.Remove from the freezer and beat with a hand mixer to break up ice crystals that are beginning to form. Cover and place back in the freezer.

12.Freeze for 2 more hours and then remove from the freezer and beat again with the hand mixer. The ice cream should be thick but to soft to scoop. If it is not thick enough, return it to the freezer for additional freezing time. Beat again before adding cookie chunks.

13.If ice cream has thickened properly, stir in the cookie chunks until well distributed throughout the ice cream. Do not beat with the hand mixer after the cookie chunks have been added. Beating would break the cookies into crumbs and tiny pieces.

14.Pour into a plastic airtight freezer container. Pack the ice cream in the container. Be sure to leave at least 1/2 inch head space for expansion.

15.Cover and place the container in the freezer and allow the ice cream to freeze until firm.