The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

So I finished my 3rd Daring Baker Challenge and had the best time doing it. It was a chocolate flourless torte, but part of challenge was we had to make an ice cream to top it. That is right up my alley. I own 5 different ice cream makers if you can believe that. Each one is different and used for a different purpose. I got my first ice cream maker when I was 12 years old. I still have it and it makes the best ice cream ever. It was a Norelco Likety Split. It was targeted towards kids, but we used it almost every Sunday growing up. It has two canisters so you can actually make two different kinds of ice cream at one time. It uses just regular freezer ice, and table salt. The homemade raspberry ice cream that came out of this machine was better than any Bear Lake shake you’ve ever had. My kids are loving every minute of this process too. They get totally involved in the whole thing. They were super big helps with the photo shoot and the eating of the photo shoot model.

The gelato recipe came from Giada De Larentis (AKA TittyLou! You know exactly what I mean. You almost need to cover your husbands eyes when you watch her, but she makes the best dang stuff) Gelato is just a fancy Italian name for ice cream. Seriously though this recipe was a winner. Marc and Sus- get your ice cream maker out. This is the one for you. Here is the recipe for the gelato, and that is followed by a recipe for the torte. We just drizzled everything with caramel sauce and chopped hazelnuts. I think it looks good enough to eat :). Hey and if you are interested in becoming a Daring Baker too it is dang fun. The web site is www.thedaringbakers.com. There are links in the discussions on how to enroll in the super secret society or just email me. Happy cooking loved ones!!

Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato

2 c. whole milk
1 c. cream
3/4 c. sugar
4 egg yolks
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. Nutella (Chocolate Hazelnut spread by the peanut butter)

In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 c. sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow, about 4 minute. Pour 1/2 c. of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7-10 mins.

Strain the mixture and add vanilla and Nutella. Stir until smooth. chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturers instructions to freeze.

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan (8inch springform) and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.