Issue Date: July 15, 2007
Easy ice cream desserts
Start with a premium-quality ice cream or sorbet, add fruit and other goodies, and a delicious dessert is all yours.
Swirl store-bought lemon curd into vanilla ice cream for a real treat.
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You could serve those little store-bought brownie bites and a few pints of ice cream, and your guests would enjoy it, but who'd remember the dessert later? However, if you line a loaf pan with those same brownies, jazz up that ice cream and add liqueur-flavored cherries, then you've got Black Forest Ice Cream Cake, a dessert they'll still be talking about next season.
Or, you can grab their attention with Tropical Banana Splits. These light and attractive desserts require no advance preparation; you can assemble them while someone else clears the dinner dishes. Want a dessert with the "wow" factor? Try Meringues with Lemon Curd Ice Cream and Blueberry Sauce. If you've never made meringues, give these a try. The airy disks crisp up in the oven, literally baking while you sleep. Fold prepared lemon curd into vanilla ice cream (why hasn't an ice cream maker developed this flavor yet?), and make a quick sauce of blueberry pie filling and fresh blueberries.
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Tropical Banana Split
4 bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise and crosswise
1 pint each mango, raspberry and coconut sorbet (or other sorbet flavors of your choice)
2 cups fresh pineapple,cut into small dice
1/2 pint raspberries, optional
1/2 cup toasted, coarsely chopped pistachios
Set two pieces of banana on each dessert plate. Arrange a 1/4-cup scoop of each sorbet around the banana pieces.
Scatter pineapple and raspberries around the plate and add a squirt of whipped cream.
Sprinkle with pistachios and serve immediately.
Serves 8
Per serving: 341 calories, 3g protein, 59g carbohydrates, 11g fat (5g saturated), 21mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 40mg sodium
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Black Forest Ice Cream Cake
1/2 cup slivered almonds
24 bite-sized, muffin-shaped brownies, halved crosswise*
1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
3 Tbs. almond-flavored liqueur, such as amaretto
1 pint premium vanillaice cream, softened
1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) chopped semisweet chocolate
1 pint premium chocolateice cream, softened
Vegetable cooking spray
*Find them at grocery store and food warehouse bakery sections. Or cut any brownie to fit the loaf pan. Don't worryif the brownies crumble. Most can be pinched back together.
Toast almonds in a 350-degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until golden.
Coat a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, then line with plastic wrap; spray again. Line the bottom and sides of the loaf pan with brownie halves, placing the cut sides facing the pan.
Remove 1/2 cup of the smooth cherry filling (not the fruit) from the can of filling and discard. Stir liqueur into cherries; set aside.
Soften the ice creams enough so that folding in the almonds and chocolate is just doable. (Microwave the cartons on high for about20 seconds.) Using a rubber spatula, fold almonds into vanilla ice cream, then spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Top with cherries.
Fold chopped chocolate into chocolate ice cream, then scrape it into the loaf pan, spreading it evenly over the cherries. Top with remaining brownie halves. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 3 hours (or up to 1 month).
Turn out onto a cutting board and peel off plastic wrap. Slice and serve immediately.
Serves 12
Per serving: 385 calories, 6g protein, 46g carbohydrates, 20g fat (10g saturated), 51mg cholesterol, 2g fiber, 114mg sodium
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Meringues with Lemon Curd Ice Cream and Blueberry Sauce
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tb. cornstarch
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 quart premium vanilla ice cream
3/4 cup (about 10 ounces) store-bought lemon curd
1 21-ounce can blueberry pie filling
1/2 tsp. finely grated zest and 2 Tbs. juice from 1 lemon
1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 200 degrees. Cut parchment paper to fit two cookie sheets, crumble the paper, then smooth it out again and line sheets to prevent sticking. Using a cookie cutter or custard cup asa guide, draw eight 3 1/2-inch circles onthe parchment.
Whisk sugars and cornstarch; set aside. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until they turn from foamy to white and beaters just start to leave a trail, about 3 minutes. On low speed, add sugar mixture, a heaping tablespoon at a time. Increase speed to medium-high and beat to the consistency of marshmallow cream, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Drop a heaping 1/3 cup of meringue into each circle, and use an offset or rubber spatula to spread out meringue to form disks. Bake for 2 hours, then turn off the oven and oven light; let dry overnight (do not open oven door). Peel meringues off parchment. (Store in an airtight tin for up to 1 month.)
Microwave ice cream on high until just pliable, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl; fold in lemon curd with a rubber spatula. Return to freezer to firm up.
Cook pie filling, lemon zest and juice, fresh blueberries and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan until bubbly. Cover and keep warm.
Set a meringue on a dessert plate. Top with a scoop of ice cream, then spoon on some blueberry sauce.
Serves 8
Per serving: 547 calories, 6g protein, 96g carbohydrates, 15g fat (10g saturated), 95mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 89mg sodium
Store your finished meringues in an airtight tin for up to several weeks.
Swirl store-bought lemon curd into vanilla ice cream for a real treat.
Pam Anderson is the author of four cookbooks. Her latest is "Perfect Recipes for Having People Over" (Houghton Mifflin, $35).
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