Frozen Mint Chocolate Checkerboard
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup green creme de menthe
- 7 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 large eggs, separated and at room temperature for 30 minutes
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer; a 9- by 9- by 2-inch baking pan; an ice cream maker; a 1/2-gallon cardboard milk or juice carton; a long thin metal spatula
- Bring cream, milk, sugar, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Whisk eggs in a bowl until blended, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking.
- Transfer custard back to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 175 to 180F on thermometer (do not let boil).
- Immediately pour through a fine-mesh sieve into cleaned bowl, then stir in liqueur.
- Cool custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then chill, its surface covered with a round of wax paper, until cold, about 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line bottom of square baking pan with wax or parchment paper.
- Melt chocolate with water in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring, then cool to lukewarm.
- Beat yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes in a standing mixer or about 8 minutes with a handheld.
- Fold in melted chocolate.
- Beat egg whites with cleaned beaters until they hold soft peaks.
- Beat in remaining 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.
- Fold one third of whites into chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
- Spread batter evenly in baking pan and bake in middle of oven until puffed and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out with crumbs adhering, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Transfer pan to a rack, then cover top of cake with 2 layers of dampened paper towels and let stand 5 minutes.
- Remove towels and cool cake completely in pan (cake will deflate as it cools).
- Sift 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa over cake, then loosen edges with a sharp knife.
- Invert a wax-paper-lined baking sheet over cake and invert cake onto it, then gently peel off wax paper now on top.
- Freeze custard in ice cream maker.
- Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm but still spreadable, about 30 minutes.
- Oil milk carton, then line bottom and long sides with a sheet of plastic wrap, leaving at least a 2-inch overhang.
- Trim cake to form a 7 1/2- by 6 1/4-inch rectangle (reserve trimmings for another use), then cut rectangle lengthwise into 5 (7 1/2- by 1 1/4-inch) strips.
- Using thin metal spatula, arrange 2 strips on bottom of carton, flush against each long side.
- Fill space between strips with ice cream (preferably using a small offset metal spatula).
- Arrange 1 cake strip down center of carton (on top of ice cream) and fill spaces on both sides of cake with ice cream.
- Arrange remaining 2 cake strips against long sides of carton (on top of ice cream) and fill space between them with ice cream.
- (There will be some leftover ice cream.)
- If ice cream becomes too soft during assembly, freeze until just firm enough to work with, about 15 minutes.
- Cover top with plastic wrap overhang, then freeze until dessert is hardened, at least 8 hours.
- To serve, unwrap overhang and invert carton onto a chilled platter, using plastic wrap to help pull cake from carton.
- Trim sides evenly to neaten loaf if necessary (ice cream may ooze a bit on sides), then sift remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa over top.
- Cut into slices with a sharp knife.
heavy cream, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, green creme, bittersweet chocolate, water, eggs, sugar, salt, dutch, baking pan
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/frozen-mint-chocolate-checkerboard-108191 (may not work)