July Daring Bakers Challenge -Swiss Ice Cream Roll

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home. Instructions and PDF file can be found  here.

My inspiration for my Swiss Roll came to me while I was in my garden gathering basil. I love the odor that's released when you even brush against basil. I remembered a dessert I had at Ray's Boathouse that was a strawberry cake,with whipped cream,chocolate ganache and a sweet basil sauce. I loved how those flavors came together so I decided to try and combine them for this challenge. First of all if you do nothing else make the Basil Ice Cream ! Oh my goodness it is indescribable-one of those can't stop eating kind of desserts-don't say I didn't warn you. And the balsamic strawberry ice cream-the flavors combined with the basil make you think you are eating your strawberries fresh out of the garden! Thank you Sunita for coming up with this challenge because I learned so much and I don't think this is something I would have done on my own !

                                                                           

Roulade or Swiss Roll
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 ounces), plus more for dusting baking sheet
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter , cut into two pieces
2 tablespoons cold water
1/4 cup cocoa (3/4 ounce), Dutch-processed, sifted, plus more for unmolding and garnish
1/8 teaspoon table salt
6 large eggs , separated, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar (2 1/3 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation:
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 18 by 12-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, cover pan bottom with parchment paper and spray parchment with nonstick cooking spray; dust baking sheet with flour, tapping out excess.
2. Bring 2 inches of water to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Combine chocolate, butter, and water in small heatproof bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set bowl over pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and heat until butter is almost completely melted and chocolate pieces are glossy, have lost definition, and are fully melted around edges, about 15 minutes. (Do not stir or let water in saucepan come to boil.) Remove bowl from heat, unwrap, and stir until smooth and glossy. While chocolate is melting, sift cocoa, flour, and salt together into small bowl and set aside.

3. In bowl of standing mixer, beat egg yolks at medium-high speed until just combined, about 15 seconds. With mixer running, add half of sugar. Continue to beat, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary until yolks are pale yellow and mixture falls in thick ribbon when beaters are lifted, about 8 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine, scraping down bowl once, about 30 seconds. Turn mixture into medium bowl; wash mixer bowl and beaters and dry with kitchen towel.

4. In clean bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. With mixer running, add about 1 teaspoon of remaining sugar; continue beating until soft peaks form, about 40 seconds. Gradually add remaining sugar and beat until whites are glossy and supple and hold stiff peaks when whisk is lifted, about 1 minute longer. Do not over beat (if whites look dry and granular, they are over beaten). While whites are beating, stir chocolate mixture into yolks. With rubber spatula, stir quarter of whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining whites until almost no streaks remain. Sprinkle dry ingredients over egg and chocolate mixture and fold in quickly but gently.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan; using offset icing spatula and working quickly, smooth surface and spread batter into pan corners. Bake until center of cake springs back when touched with finger, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes.

6.While cake is cooling, lay clean kitchen towel over work surface and sift 1 tablespoon cocoa over towel; with your hands, rub cocoa into towel. Run paring knife around perimeter of baking sheet to loosen cake. Invert cake onto towel and peel off parchment.

7. For finished cake: Starting at a long side, roll cake and towel together into jelly roll shape Cool for 15 minutes, then unroll cake and towel. Using offset spatula, immediately spread whipped cream filling evenly over surface of cake, almost to edges. Re roll cake gently but snugly around filling. Chill in refrigerator until ready to start filling with the ice cream. Then slice approximately 20 pieces about 1- 1 1/2 inches wide .

Whipped cream filling
Ingredients
2C of whipping cream

1 vanilla pod, cut into small pieces of about ½ cm (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
5 tbsp of caster sugar (or grind regular sugar in your food processor until it becomes very fine)

In a large bowl beat the ingredients until thick and spreadable.

The Basil Ice Cream is so incredibly indescribably delicious !

Vanilla-Basil Ice Cream with Chopped Valhrona Chocolate
Makes approximately eight 1/2-cup servings
Adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1 pints heavy cream
1 cup skim milk
1 1/2 ounces fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4  cup finely chopped Valhrona chocolate nibs

Preparation1. Pour cream and milk into non-reactive sauce pan. Add basil. Put over medium to medium-high heat until cream is scalded. Remove from heat.

2.In two containers, separate yolks from whites (reserve whites for another use -- don't waste them). add sugar to yolks and whisk until they reach ribbon stage (about 6-8 minutes).

3.Using a small measuring cup (1/8 cup measure), carefully and slowly temper cream into yolks. Do not get any basil in the yolks. Keep tempering until about half the cream has been added. Strain cream into another bowl, add that cream back to sauce pot. Return the tempered yolks and cream to the sauce pot (it will be slightly frothy). Continue to stir over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes or until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and transfer to another container. Allow to chill in refrigerator overnight.

4.Using your chosen method of churning ice cream, add the chilled ice cream base to tumbler and churn. About half way through churning, add the chocolate. Once ice cream is semi-solid, transfer to the storage container/s of your choice and freeze.

Hot Fudge Sauce

From New York Times

TOTAL TIME 10 minutes
Ingredients2 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate in small pieces
1 1/4 cups sifted high-fat Dutch-process cocoa like Valrhona, Pernigotti or Droste (sift, then measure)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
1. In medium saucepan, combine cream, butter, sugars and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer 45 seconds. Add chocolate, and whisk to dissolve. Remove from heat, add cocoa, and whisk until no lumps remain.

2. Return pan to low heat, and simmer sauce until glossy, whisking constantly, 20 seconds. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Once it's cooled follow instructions for assembly.

Roasted Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream
Thanks to Closet Cooking !
(makes 4 servings)
Ingredients:
2 cups strawberries (cleaned and hulled)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup full milk
1/2 cup sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
3 egg yolks

Preparation
1. Toss the strawberries in the balsamic vinegar and sugar and let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Pour the mixture on a baking pan covered in foil folded up on the sides to capture the juices.
3. Roast the strawberries in a preheated 425F oven until they start to caramelize, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Place the strawberries and the juices into a container and chill in the fridge.
5. Heat the cream, milk and sugar in a sauce pan until it almost boils, about 5 minutes.
6. Reduce the heat to low.
7. Add one tablespoon of the cream mixture to the eggs to temper them.
8. Add the egg mixture to the sauce pan.
9. Cook at low heat until it thickens and can coat the back of a spoon.
10. You may want to strain the mixture at this point to remove any bits that may have formed while cooking.
11. Chill the mixture in the fridge.
12. Mix the cream and strawberry mixtures.
13. Freeze according to the instructions for your ice cream machine.

Assembly

1.Open the roll and spread the whipped cream mixture, making sure it does not go right to the edges (a border of ½ an inch should be fine).
2.Roll the cake up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed, seam side down.
3.Remove the Swiss Roll from the refrigerator and cut the Swiss roll  into 20 equal slices ( approximately 2 cms each ).
4.Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with cling film/plastic wrap.
5.Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes).
6.Soften the basil vanilla ice cream. Take the bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till firm ( at least 1 hour)
7.Add the cooled fudge sauce over the basil vanilla ice cream, cover and freeze till firm
8.Soften the balsamic strawberry ice cream and spread it over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely set .
9.Remove the plastic cover, and place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water. The bowl will come away easily

NOW YOU KNOW WHY WE ARE CALLED DARING BAKERS !