Thursday, June 2, 2011

Biscuit Tortoni

When I was little, my Dad would take me and my brother out for the afternoon on a Saturday to give mom a break. We'd do errands, whatever mom needed. When we came home we'd pick mom up for dinner and go to our favorite local place, a family style Italian restaurant. I always finished with a Tortoni. Biscuit Tortoni in a paper cup topped with a maraschino cherry. And my Dad always had a taste. I smile just thinking about it. I had my first date with my husband at that place, but was so nervous I never had the Tortoni :) Now it's gone but definitely not forgotten. So I made Tortoni. It reminded my husband of his favorite ice cream,  Good Humor Toasted Almond Ice Cream Bars! And my kids, they loved it. And they smiled when they thought of their Grandpa, who also took them to that restaurant and everywhere else when they were little! Just to give me a little break   :)

I did a google search for Tortoni a while back, a few years ago, and found such a great recipe on Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy and she gives a little history about the Tortoni. Just like I remembered. It was so good the when I made it that first time, but I never did get to it again. Not sure why, her recipe is so easy, it took no time at all. So I remembered and looked in my bookmarks and had to have it again. And it was so good, they want another batch. I need to buy more cookies and ice cream. Fast. Why did I wait so long?




and so once again I didn't follow directions completely and used a pint instead of a quart. And one 7 oz bag of Lazzaroni Amaretti Cookies.


Tortoni
Original source: Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy
adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup blanched and sliced, slivered or chopped almonds
2 1/2 cups amaretti cookies (I used a 7 oz. bag of Lazzaroni Amaretti Snaps Cookies)
2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur (more or less to taste)
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 quart homemade or premium quality vanilla ice cream, softened (I used a pint)
Maraschino cherries, drained and halved for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place chopped almonds on small baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly golden. Set aside to cool. Or you can toast them in a nonstick skillet (no oil, dry) on the stove over medium heat. Be careful to watch them so they don't burn.

Put the cookies in a Ziploc plastic bag and crush the cookies into small pieces with a rolling pin, a meat pounder or your hands.  Be careful not to turn them into tiny crumbs. Place crumbled cookies in a medium bowl and toss with the almonds. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cream with an electric mixer until thickened. Pour in the amaretto and whip until medium peaks form. Spoon the cookie mixture into the whipped cream, reserving 3/4 cup or so for topping.

Add the almond extract to the softened ice cream and stir until blended and very smooth. Fold the cookie/whipped cream mixture into ice cream.

Spoon into little pastry cups or ramekins. Sprinkle each cup with some of the reserved cookie mixture and top with a cherry. Freeze until firm.

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Joining Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.






and

Savory Sunday @ The Sweet Details

45 comments:

  1. This is a keeper for a summer dessert; great photo. I can almost taste it and it is creamy good.
    Rita

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  2. Looks like a great dessert and your Dad sounds very special:@)

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  3. What a sweet dad! Those are special memories :)

    I never heard of Tortoni but it is now on my list to try!

    Looks perfect sitting there with the crumbs, nuts and cherry!

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  4. Carol that is so sweet. Both the story and the luscious Tortoni!


    Your story brought back memories of our weekends with dad, who would always take us to the beach, to give Mom a break.

    Once we were done playing and baking in the sun, we would all shuffle over to a nearby restaurant, known for their frog legs. No, the frog legs were strictly for dad.

    My 'meal' consisted of a no-holds-barred Hot Fudge Sundae, bigger than my head. And, unlike you, I lacked the 'sharing' trait.
    I haven't changed all that much.

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  5. I have never heard of a tortoni, but judging by the ingredients and the way it looks, it must taste amazing! Love the presentation. That little cup is so cute!

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  6. Great summer dessert. I love how simple it is to make it. I sure will give this a try this summer. Hope you'll have a great weekend Carol.

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  7. This is a great summertime treat. it looks and sounds delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  8. I have never had tortoni before...it looks so beautiful and delectable. Thank you for sharing it.
    Angie

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  9. Toroni always reminds me of my first trip to Italy! Gelato was not the rage then in the 70's, as it is now, and tortoni was the dessert of the day! I loved it and it took me a long time to find it again in NYC, and now it is neraly impossible.

    I will have to try making this, Carol, as I'm sure home made is the best! I also love Susan's blog!

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  10. What a nice daddy! This looks so delicious - I'm going to try this for sure
    Mary

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  11. I've never had that before but it looks and sounds amazing.

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  12. Beautiful story! I've never had this before but it looks delicious!

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  13. Carol that is such a nice compliment to your dad. We love tortoni and I'm thinking of making it for Father's Day. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  14. What a sweet memory! :)

    I've never tasted Tortoni. It looks like a great dessert for the summer. Thanks!
    ~Judy

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  15. I laughed at you being nervous on your first date. Don't we all get nervous?

    This is a good treat for summer!

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  16. I've never heard of this before, but I would so much love to make it sometime. It looks and sounds so good! I'll have to see if I can find some amaretto cookies somewhere. :)

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  17. Absolutely fantastic!
    You're the best!

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  18. Carol, what a sweet story. Bet your dad is smiling down. ;)

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  19. Food memories mark our lives!Never tasted it but it looks fantastic!

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  20. Love the story :) This sounds so delicious and I'd love to try it!

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  21. My mother used to make tortoni...she'd always put a cherry on top. I loved it. And haven't ever made it either. This looks marvelous, Carol. I can't wait to try it. Great summer dessert!

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  22. I remember spumoni and tortoni, that's the only desserts Italian restaurants used to have. I do not like Italian cookies though! So much anise...:(
    Yours looks very good!

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  23. Deaar Carol, You brought back memories for me. Thank you because they are good memories of the family having this for dessert from the local Italian bakery. One of my favorite desserts. I should give this a try. I have never attempted making this, but will take your word that it isn't difficult. Have a blessed weekend. Catherine xo

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  24. I just love it!!!(even without the precious memories)A very refreshing treat!Hope you have a nice weekend!

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  25. I feel like such a bad Italian seeing as how I've NEVER HAD TORTONI. I need to change that because if there's one flavor I love...it's almond!

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  26. I love your story! It made me smile and think of my own family traditions. I've never had tortoni but I'm going to make it. So cute and sounds yummy.

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  27. Wonderful memories. We used to go our to the Dairy for icecream. My dad's brother was in charg eof the cows there at that time. Now it is much more commercialized and the charm is gone. By chance, my uncle's daughter owns an icecream shop, but not the same one at all.

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  28. I only made this once and TBG thought it was too labor intensive but I loved it and thought it was worth it. I'll have to compare your recipe with mine to see if there's any difference. Love your pic! Made me want some tortoni.

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  29. I have never heard of Tortoni before, but, OMG, that sounds heavenly. Saved the recipe for use in the very near future.

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  30. Tortini brings back happy childhood memories for me, too. Would love to give this a try!

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  31. Oh, this sounds so yummy! And what a fun memory for the inspiration! Have a wonderful weekend!

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  32. I must try this recipe since I always got the Toasted Almond Bar whenever the Good Humor truck came through our neighborhood!

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  33. I enjoyed your memory. It's great when food is a part of a good memory and then we are able to recreate the food again. Looks delicious.

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  34. How wonderful to recreate a childhood memory, and a delicious dessert to boot!

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  35. It's always a relief when I see that other people (who are good bakers) make mistakes in recipe amounts. I did that twice in one recipe this week, and so a remake was required. This looks yummy!

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  36. Such a wonderful memory. I loved this.

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  37. I love the memories and happy times that some foods remind us of. I've never had Tortini, but it sounds and looks delicious! I may give it a try!

    Thanks for your comments about my coffee cake muffins, they are yummy!

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  38. This looks like a good one for a deck party!

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  39. WOW. That's one indulgent looking dessert!

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  40. Wow! That looks truly amazing!!! I love how childhood memories come alive with food...Food is certainly one of the best ways to create memories...

    -Shilpa

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