Culinary fads come and go. But the recipe for Biscuit Tortoni, a classic Italian dessert, has survived for centuries. This frozen dessert, now called Tortoni, is popular again. When you do, you are connecting with the story.
Already in 1896, the famous cookbook author Fannie Farmer prepared this dessert. Her recipe, published in “The Boston Cooking School Cook Book,” is pretty basic. You combine condensed milk, water, vanilla, and whipped cream. Sherry and crumbled macaroni are added to the mixture and frozen in paper cups. The 1979 version of the cookbook calls for light cream (half and half), sherry, and whipped cream.
Home cooks soon discovered that they could achieve the same results by blending crushed macaroni, candied cherries, and sliced almonds into vanilla ice cream. I made this for a big party and it was tricky. To incorporate the ingredients, I had to let the ice cream soften and quickly add the cookies, cherries, and nuts. Everyone raved about the dessert.
I also made a version posted by a local grocery store. But I won’t make it again because it contains raw eggs, which many consider unsafe.
Cheryl Boyer writes about this historic dessert in her “Orlando Italian Food Examiner” article, “Simple to make, easy to love… Biscuit Tortoni.” She thinks the recipe was invented in the 18th century. “This delicious dessert is now known and appreciated throughout the world,” she writes. Her article contains an updated recipe that uses whipped topping, rum extract, and beaten egg whites.
Why is this dessert popular again? One reason is that you can do it ahead of time. Some recipes call for you to freeze the mixture for 24 hours, while others recommend four hours. Pillsbury has developed an ice cream version of the recipe. Crumbled macaroni (or vanilla wafers), chopped salted almonds, and chopped candied cherries are incorporated into vanilla ice cream. Individual servings are topped with red and green candied cherries.
My updated recipe is quick to make, festive to look at, and delicious to eat. For the Christmas color, I substituted salted pistachios for the almonds. Instead of macaroni, I used crushed Amaretti cookies, crunchy almond-flavored cookies imported from Italy. These cookies are available in discount stores, specialty stores and are also available on the Internet. For best results, buy ice cream flavored with pure extract and vanilla beans. End your festive dinner in style! Serve Quick Christmas Tortoni with Amaretti cookies and pistachios.
Ingredients
1 liter of vanilla ice cream
2/3 cup crushed Amaretti cookies
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, salted, chopped
1/4 cup candied red cherries, chopped
8 whole candied cherries
method
Line a muffin tin with foil or holiday muffin tins. Let the ice cream soften slightly in a large bowl. Using a rubber scraper, quickly add the crushed cookies, pistachios, and red cherries. Scoop the mixture into muffin tins and top each with a whole cherry. Cover with nonstick foil and freeze for at least four hours. Makes 8 festive servings.
Copyright 2011 by Harriet Hodgson