Recipe: Vanilla Latte Ice Cream Tart with Fudge Sauce

By Gwen Ashley Walters

Vanilla Latte Ice Cream Tart
with Fudge Sauce

From Triple Creek Ranch, Montana
8 servings

To save time, you can make the ice cream up to 3 days before you finish the tart, or you can substitute store-bought coffee ice cream.

Vanilla Latte Ice Cream:
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup prepared espresso

1. Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside.

2. Heat cream, milk, vanilla and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is hot, stirring occasionally.

3. Whisk yolks and slowly pour 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolks, stirring constantly. Pour warmed yolk mixture into the rest of the hot cream mixture and whisk constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Strain the cream mixture through a sieve into a bowl and chill in the ice water.

5. When mixture is chilled, stir in the espresso. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

Fudge sauce:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Bring cream and corn syrup to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Refrigerate for a few minutes until slightly cool, but still pourable, about 30 minutes.

Crust:
8 chocolate graham crackers (about 2-1/2 cups ground)
1/2 cup roasted and skinned hazelnuts*
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Finely grind the chocolate graham crackers, roasted and skinned hazelnuts and sugar in a food processor. Add the melted butter and process until mixture forms moist crumbs, about 30-40 seconds.

2. Press mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly. Pull the ice cream from the freezer to begin softening.

3. Spread a thin layer of fudge sauce (about 1/2 cup) evenly over the bottom of the crust. Freeze until set, about 15 minutes.

4. Spread the softened ice cream over the fudge-lined tart, smoothing the top. Freeze until set, about 15 to 20 minutes.

*To roast hazelnuts, heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread hazelnuts on a sheet pan and roast for 15 to 18 minutes, just until the skins darken and start to crack. Remove from the oven and cool. You will hear a lot of crackling as they cool. Once cooled, place a handful or two in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously. Most of the skins will come off, but don't worry if some don't. Repeat the process until all the nuts have been skinned.

Meringue:
3 egg whites
Pinch cream of tartar
2/3 cup sugar

Whip egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy and starting to thicken, about 1-1/2 minutes. Slowly add sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.

Putting it all together:

1. Spread another thin layer (about 1/2 cup) of fudge sauce over the set ice cream and freeze again until fudge sauce is firm, about 20 minutes.

2. Spread the meringue over the top, creating little peaks by lifting up the spatula multiple times all over the top.

3. Heat the broiler. When hot, place the meringue-topped tart under the broiler until the peaks are toasted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn the meringue.

4. Warm the remaining fudge sauce over low heat. Lift tart out of pan, cut into wedges and serve with warm fudge sauce.

Travel Bites

Triple Creek Ranch

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Gwen Ashley Walters is cookbook author, cooking teacher, food writer and Certified Culinary Professional with a degree in Culinary Arts. Gwen's travel guide/cookbooks, The Great Ranch Cookbook, (1998) and The Cool Mountain Cookbook, (2001) were published by Pen & Fork Communications.

This page created May 2001

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