Chocolate and Raspberry Banded Ice Cream Torte

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was a Chocolate-Banded Ice Cream Torte, selected by Food, Family, and Fun. I stuck with the original idea of the torte, using raspberries to flavor vanilla ice cream, sandwiched between layers of chocolate. I usually don't post recipes I've adapted from this book, but this dessert was so wonderful that I felt compelled.

The original recipe uses raw eggs in the chocolate, and normally I wouldn't have a problem eating this myself or serving it to others - the cases of salmonella are just too rare for it to be a serious threat as long as the eggs are kept refrigerated and used while fresh. However, I was bringing it over to my brother's house as a dessert, and my sister-in-law is pregnant, so I tried to find some whole pasteurized eggs. Three markets later, I still couldn't find any, so I ended up buying a carton of pasteurized egg whites. I was a little worried it might affect the way the chocolate was held together or tasted, but seeing how well the dessert came out, I wouldn't change it back. I also avoided the Chambord (after I bought the bottle), just in case. I know, a bit extreme, but I'm playing it safe.

Recipe - Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
Torte:
14 tablespoons butter, each tablespoon cut into four pieces
9 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate (like Valrhona), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups pasteurized egg whites
1 (12-ounce) package frozen black raspberries, thawed
1 tablespoon Chambord or other raspberry liqueur (optional)
1 quart high-quality vanilla ice cream (like Häagen-Dazs)

Syrup:
8 ounces fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar

Grease a 8-inch springform pan. In a double boiler over medium heat, add the butter and chocolate. Mix together with a whisk until melted thoroughly - don't overheat or the chocolate will separate from the butter. Once it is combined, remove the bowl from heat and add the sugar. Cool the mixture for at least 5 minutes, and then slowly pour in the pasteurized eggs while whisking. Once it is homogenous, hit the bowl hard on the counter a few times so the bubbles come to the surface and pop.

Pour a third of this chocolate mixture into the springform pan and swirl until it is evenly distributed. Place into the freezer for 30 minutes, or until solid. Once it is solid, place the ice cream into a large food processor and add the black raspberries. Process until all the raspberries are broken up and distributed through the ice cream evenly. Spread half of the ice cream evenly on top of the chocolate, then place into the freezer for 15 minutes or until hard. Store the remaining ice cream in the freezer. Once the torte layer is solid, pour on another third of the chocolate mixture and swirl until evenly distributed. Freeze 30 minutes, then add the remaining chocolate and freeze an additional 15. Finally, add the remaining chocolate on top and freeze for at least 6 hours.

Before serving, pour hot water into a towel and surround the springform pan for 30 seconds. Pop open the springform and remove the torte. Place back into the oven so the melted sides can set up again before it's served. While waiting for it to cool down again, take 6 ounces of the fresh raspberries (leaving the rest for decoration) and place into a small saucepan with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place over medium heat and stir with a spoon until the raspberries have broken up releasing the syrup. Pour into a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds and skin. Cool in the refrigerator before serving. Remove the torte from the freezer 15 minutes before cutting to let it warm up a bit. Using a knife warmed by running under hot water, cut the slices of torte and serve with a spoonful of syrup and a few raspberries on the side.

This is absolutely one of my favorite recipes so far. My mom complimented me on it, saying you could easily find it in a nice restaurant for $9 a slice. This was my first time actually splurging by getting the best quality chocolate and ice cream I could, and it absolutely made all the difference in the final taste.