Whipped creamSliced almonds, toasted
ICE CREAM: Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk sour cream, egg yolks, and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot cream. Return to same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into large bowl. Whisk 1 minute to cool. Stir in vanilla. Refrigerate custard until cold, at least 3 hours.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.
Process custard in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to container; cover and freeze until firm.
DO AHEAD: Ice cream can be made 4 days ahead. Keep frozen.
PEACH TOPPING: Combine peaches, sugar, and cardamom seeds in large bowl. Let stand until juices form, stirring occasionally, at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Scoop ice cream into sundae dishes. Spoon peaches and syrup over. Top with dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle almonds over and serve immediately.
In this case, “black and tan” refers to chocolate sauce and caramel sauce (not the equally appealing Guinness and pale ale combination). These are simple sundaes—feel free to add sliced bananas, some crushed malted milk balls, or a cherry on top. Makes 6
¾ cup chilled heavy whipping cream
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Chocolate Fudge Sauce (see recipe)
12 scoops vanilla ice cream
¾ cup Caramel Sauce (see recipe)
⅓ cup chopped toasted pecans
Whisk cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Spoon 1 tablespoon warm Chocolate Fudge Sauce into each of 6 pilsner glasses. Place scoop of ice cream atop sauce in each glass. Spoon 2 tablespoons Caramel Sauce over ice cream in each glass. Top each with second scoop of ice cream, then 2 tablespoons Chocolate Fudge Sauce. Spoon whipped cream atop sundaes. Sprinkle with nuts and serve immediately.
The sauce would be excellent with almost any flavor of ice cream—and also makes a great gift presented in a mason jar. Makes about 1⅓ cups
½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup water
½ cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
Whisk sugar and cocoa in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in ¼ cup water, then cream. Bring mixture to boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Let stand 1 minute. Add vanilla and salt; whisk until chocolate is melted and sauce is smooth.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm slightly before using.
This delicious sauce has just a hint of salt to balance the sweetness. Caramel sauce isn’t difficult to make once you get the hang of it; see page 31 for some tips that demystify the process. Makes about 1¼ cups
¾ up sugar
¼ cup water
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butterPinch of salt
Using wooden spoon, stir sugar and ¼ cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Increase heat to medium and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan and swirling pan, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Immediately add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Whisk to blend. Add butter and salt and whisk until sauce is smooth.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm slightly before using.
Essensia gives the ice cream and the apricot topping a sophisticated flavor If you can’t find Essensia, use another Orange Muscat. Crumbled amaretti cookies add a nice crunch to this dessert. Makes 6
Essensia Ice Cream
1 cup half and half
⅔ cup sugar
6 large egg yolks
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1½ cups Essensia (sweet dessert wine) or other Orange Muscat wine
Apricot Topping
2¼ cups water
¾ cup sugar
3 ¼-inch-thick orange slices with peel
½ cinnamon stick
1½ pounds apricots, halved, pitted, quartered
¼ cup Essensia or other Orange Muscat wine
Amaretti cookies (Italian macaroons), crushedIngredient Tip: Amaretti CookiesAmaretti are light, airy, crunchy Italian almond macaroons; they’re available at some supermarkets and at Italian markets.
ESSENSIA ICE CREAM: Bring half and half and sugar to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Whisk egg yolks in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot half and half mixture. Return to same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into large bowl. Whisk in cream, then Essensia. Refrigerate custard until cold, at least 3 hours.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.
Process custard in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to container; cover and freeze until firm.
DO AHEAD: Ice cream can be made 4 days ahead. Keep frozen.
APRICOT TOPPING: Combine water, sugar, orange slices, and cinnamon in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add apricots. Adjust heat so liquid barely simmers and cook until apricots are just tender, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer apricots to medium bowl. Boil syrup, orange slices, and cinnamon until syrup is reduced to 1 cup, returning any juices that accumulate in apricot bowl to saucepan, about 15 minutes. Add Essensia to syrup. Pour syrup with orange slices and cinnamon over apricots. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
DO AHEAD: Topping can be made 2 days ahead. Discard orange slices and cinnamon before using.
Scoop ice cream into sundae dishes. Spoon apricots with some syrup over. Sprinkle sundaes with crushed amaretti and serve.
This is no ordinary sundae: Instead of ice cream, there’s cool strawberry sorbet. Instead of sauce, a strawberry compote and sabayon (light, foamy custard) made with Prosecco, the Italian sparkling wine. And on top? No cherry—but crunchy sugary almonds. Makes 6
Sugared AlmondsNonstick vegetable oil spray