Spumoni
What makes us happier than ice cream? John and I always make canisters of it for the local July Fourth cookout -- typically, we are requested to bring chocolate malt and peach. An ice cream cone is an essential treat from boardwalk to countyfair, while a bowl after dinner at home is a welcome mid-week treat. A trip to the ice cream parlor is not complete until someone orders a big goopy sundae while at the counter, someone's hero is tackling a banana split. Ice cream bars barely stay in stock at the local market during hot weather, while the jingle of the ice cream truck is one nostalgic sound that hasn't gone the way of the ice man or the Helms coach.
Ice cream is dessert in and of itself, but it is also a keystone for other frozen desserts, notably bombes. But anyone who's ever been to the local pasta house on a Saturday night knows that other than itself, the ultimate ice cream dessert is spumoni. Spumoni is a bowl of ice cream -- alternatively, a wineglass of ice cream layers -- in chocolate, pistachio, and either strawberry or cherry. It is topped with sticky syruppy cherries and a dusting of walnuts or pistachios, and often drizzled with Asti Spumante. The name is an evolution of spuma, the Italian word for foam and an Italian sweet made from whipping gelato with fruit, nuts and sometimes cream. Spuma is part of the Italian tradition of sweets with foamy or soft textures, including gelato, semifreddo, and affogato.
Spumoni is the plural of spumone, but at the American table the two are used interchangeably. Spumoni may be inauthentic to true Italian cooking, but it is true to American cooking because it takes its inspiration from an Italian restaurant standby and then sends it through the soda fountain. In that way, it's as American as can be, for while we think nothing of Italian cooking as part of the American table nowadays, earlier the only exposure many Americans had to this cooking was from local restaurants in ethnic neighborhoods or fancy restaurants in cities, or by being lucky enough to be invited to feast at an Italian family table.
Here is a recipe for spumoni inspired in equal measure by those great red checkered tablecloth neighborhood joints and a stroll down the boardwalk. It's not authentic spuma but then it isn't meant to be. Spumoni is American with Italian-American influence - that's how it developed and that's how it is presented here. But once you dig in, you'll be too busy enjoying the interplay of chocolate, nuts, fruit and most of all, ice cream, to fuss too much about its provenance. The dessert itself enforces that: on top of everything else that makes spumoni a fun treat, it's messy!
Spumoni
The below provides two versions of this dessert: a loaf of ice cream layers to cut into slices for serving, and the restaurant presentation in a wineglass.
1 pint chocolate ice cream
1 pint strawberry ice cream
1 pint pistachio ice cream
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Cherries in syrup (recipe follows)
For layered slices
Ice cream is dessert in and of itself, but it is also a keystone for other frozen desserts, notably bombes. But anyone who's ever been to the local pasta house on a Saturday night knows that other than itself, the ultimate ice cream dessert is spumoni. Spumoni is a bowl of ice cream -- alternatively, a wineglass of ice cream layers -- in chocolate, pistachio, and either strawberry or cherry. It is topped with sticky syruppy cherries and a dusting of walnuts or pistachios, and often drizzled with Asti Spumante. The name is an evolution of spuma, the Italian word for foam and an Italian sweet made from whipping gelato with fruit, nuts and sometimes cream. Spuma is part of the Italian tradition of sweets with foamy or soft textures, including gelato, semifreddo, and affogato.
Spumoni is the plural of spumone, but at the American table the two are used interchangeably. Spumoni may be inauthentic to true Italian cooking, but it is true to American cooking because it takes its inspiration from an Italian restaurant standby and then sends it through the soda fountain. In that way, it's as American as can be, for while we think nothing of Italian cooking as part of the American table nowadays, earlier the only exposure many Americans had to this cooking was from local restaurants in ethnic neighborhoods or fancy restaurants in cities, or by being lucky enough to be invited to feast at an Italian family table.
Here is a recipe for spumoni inspired in equal measure by those great red checkered tablecloth neighborhood joints and a stroll down the boardwalk. It's not authentic spuma but then it isn't meant to be. Spumoni is American with Italian-American influence - that's how it developed and that's how it is presented here. But once you dig in, you'll be too busy enjoying the interplay of chocolate, nuts, fruit and most of all, ice cream, to fuss too much about its provenance. The dessert itself enforces that: on top of everything else that makes spumoni a fun treat, it's messy!
Spumoni
The below provides two versions of this dessert: a loaf of ice cream layers to cut into slices for serving, and the restaurant presentation in a wineglass.
1 pint chocolate ice cream
1 pint strawberry ice cream
1 pint pistachio ice cream
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Cherries in syrup (recipe follows)
For layered slices
- Place two layers of plastic wrap inside a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Press the layers into the sides and corners as best as can be.
- Remove the strawberry ice cream from the freezer and set aside until workable, approximately ten minutes.
- Use a strong metal spoon or spatula to transfer ice cream from container to loaf pan. Dot it closely together until there is a layer approximately 1 inch tall, and then use the back of the spoon to smooth the top of the layer of ice cream so that it is smooth and level.
- Spoon a thin layer of cherries in syrup along the layer.
- Place the pan in the freezer so that the ice cream begins to refreeze, approximately ten minutes. At the same time, return the container of strawberry ice cream to the freezer and remove the container of pistachio ice cream.
- Once the strawberry layer has set per step 5 above, repeat steps 2 and 3 above to make a layer of pistachio ice cream. Sprinkle the layer of pistachio ice cream with a thin layer of chopped pistachios.
- Place the pan in the freezer so that the ice cream begins to refreeze, approximately ten minutes. At the same time, return the container of pistachio ice cream to the freezer and remove the container of chocolate ice cream.
- Once the pistachio layer has set per step 5 above, repeat steps 2 and 3 above to make a layer of chocolate ice cream. Place a layer of plastic wrap on the top of the chocolate ice cream layer and use the spoon to smooth the layer.
- Freeze the spumoni until ready to serve.
- To serve, remove the plastic wrap from the chocolate layer of the spumoni. Grip both sides of the loaf pan (you may need to use pot holders or a towel) and upturn the loaf pan onto a rimmed serving plate. Gently shake the loaf pan until it releases the spumoni then gently remove the loaf pan. Remove the plastic wrap from the outside of the spumoni. You should have three layers of ice cream, strawberry on top.
- Run a sharp dessert knife under warm water and safely use it to cut the spumoni into thick slices as you would a pound cake. Place each slice of spumoni on a chilled dessert plate. Top each dessert with a spoonful of cherries in syrup and a sprinkling of chopped pistachios, and serve immediately.
To serve in wine glass
Place four sturdy red wine glasses in the freezer for 1/2 hour before serving.
1/2 pound fresh cherries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
- When ready to serve, place an ice cream scoop of chocolate, pistachio, and strawberry ice creams in that order into each iced wine glass. Top each dessert with a spoonful of cherries in syrup and a sprinkling of chopped pistachios.
- At table, pour a drizzle of Italian sparkling wine such as Asti Spumante or Prosecco down the side of each glass, and serve immediately.
1/2 pound fresh cherries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
- Place a drop of vegetable cleaner into a bowl large enough to hold the cherries. Fill the bowl halfway with water and carefully swish the water and the cleaner together.
- Place the cherries into the cleaning water and swirl around to cover all of the cherries.
- Empty the cherries into a colander and rinse them well with cool water, shaking the colander to be sure to reach all of the cherries with the rinse. Set the colander aside to drain while you make the syrup.
- Measure the white sugar into a sturdy saucepan. Gently pour the water into the pan.
- Place the pan on the stovetop and turn the burner to medium. Gently use a whisk to stir the water and sugar together while the mixture heats. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a low boil. Once the mixture is clear (approximately two minutes after reaching the boil), turn off the burner and place the lid on the pan.
- Working one at a time, remove and discard the stem and pit from each cleaned and rinsed cherry and cut each cherry in half. Once you have stemmed, pitted, and cut each cherry, use a large spoon to carefully transfer them into the hot simple syrup.
- Place the lid back on the pan and set the cherries in syrup aside until ready to use. They will soften and get sticky-sweet as they sit.
- Leftover cherries in syrup may be stored in glass jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to one week.
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