Biba's Northern Italian Cooking - Biba Caggiano [80]
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
1 recipe Egg Custard Gelato, page 235
4 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon crème de cacao, or other liqueur of your choice
⅓ cup heavy cream
Prepare egg custard and chill in refrigerator about 1 hour. Place in bowl of ice-cream machine and freeze it according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Meanwhile, put 1 or 2 inches of water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Put chocolate, crème de cacao and cream in a medium metal bowl and set it over pan. Turn heat off. Stir occasionally until chocolate is completely melted. Cool chocolate to room temperature.
When gelato is completely frozen, scoop it up and place into a large chilled bowl. Slowly, dribble in some of cooled chocolate and, with the sharp edge of a spatula, using a crisscross motion, roughly mix it with gelato to create swirls.
Serve gelato immediately, or transfer it to an airtight container and freeze it 1 or 2 days.
WARM BERRIES IN VODKA SAUCE WITH CUSTARD GELATO
Frutti di Bosco alla Vodka e Gelato di Crema
At the end of a multi-course meal at Franco Rossi in Bologna, Franco, the owner of the restaurant, brought to table a large coppa of egg custard gelato topped by vividly bright mixed berries that had been tossed in caramelized sugar and vodka. It was a simple, yet magnificent end to a very good summer meal.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
1 recipe Egg Custard Gelato, page 235
2 cups mixed berries of your choice, washed and patted dry with paper towels
¼ cup water
⅓ cup sugar
¼ cup vodka
Prepare egg custard and chill in refrigerator about 1 hour. Place in bowl of ice-cream machine and freeze it according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer for a few hours. About 15 minutes before you plan to serve it, transfer gelato to refrigerator.
If using strawberries, hull them and cut into quarters. Put the water and sugar in a large skillet over medium heat, and stir until sugar is completely dissolved and has a nice glossy, thick, brown color. Remove skillet from heat and add vodka. Place skillet back on medium heat and stir until sauce has a thick caramel texture. Add berries and stir just long enough to heat berries through and to coat them with caramelized sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.
Spoon gelato into chilled serving glasses, top with some of mixed berries and their juices, and serve at once.
Tip
Cooking with alcohol:When cooking with wine or liquor, make sure that the pan is away from any flames and off the burner before adding alcohol. Otherwise, the flame may ignite the alcohol in the bottle and cause it to explode while you are pouring it. Always be cautious when cooking with alcohol.
ESPRESSO-CARAMEL CUSTARD
Fior di Latte al Caffé
When properly prepared, fior di latte, one of the most popular desserts served in the trattorie of Italy, is absolutely outstanding. A good fior di latte should have a creamy consistency and a firm texture. It should be free of unappealing bubbles, and it should ooze and shine with the coating of caramel syrup.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
Caramel Syrup
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
Espresso-Caramel Custard
2 cups milk
1 cup brewed Italian espresso or strong American coffee
6 large eggs
⅓ cup sugar
Prepare syrup: Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over high heat until mixture is thick and bubbling and has a rich golden brown color, 5 to 6 minutes.
Pour caramel quickly into 6 small custard molds, tilting and rotating molds to coat bottom evenly. Set aside until sugar has hardened completely, 8 to 10 minutes. (To clean hard syrup from pan, fill it with water, bring it to a boil and scrape sugar off.)
Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
Prepare custard: In a medium saucepan, bring milk and espresso to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered making sure that milk does not cook over, until mixture is reduced to about three-quarters of its original amount, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
In a medium bowl, beat