Mint-Truffle Ice Cream Terrine with Mint and Chocolate Sauces

This was my favorite polka dot dessert and it didn't even make it to the party. I started making it the night before, but I didn't finish assembling it until the morning of the party and it didn't harden enough to be ready. It's chocolate truffles frozen in a loaf of vanilla ice cream. I like it because it's unique and also because of the rich, chocolatey truffles embedded in the ice cream. Those bites with the truffles are really good. R-E-A-L-L-Y good! I'd like to try a different flavor of ice cream next time because vanilla is my least favorite flavor. Maybe a coconut sorbet. Coconut and mint and chocolate? Sounds good to me.  

I found this recipe at Bon Appétit. I have a note about the chocolate sauce below the recipe. The recipe also calls for a mint sauce made from fresh mint, so it's green. I wasn't sure if kids would want to try it so I didn't make any. With fresh mint, I'm sure it would be really good though. For this photo I just used purchased chocolate syrup because the homemade chocolate sauce wasn't drizzling pretty for a photo.

Mint-Truffle Ice Cream Terrine with Mint and Chocolate Sauces

Truffles and chocolate sauce

1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

16 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 t. pure peppermint extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder
5 c. (2 1/2 pints) vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

Mint Sauce:

3/4 c. sugar

1/3 c. water
2 c. (lightly packed) fresh mint leaves

Preparation

Truffles and chocolate sauce

Bring cream to simmer in heavy large saucepan; remove from heat. Add chocolate; let stand 1 minute. Whisk until mixture is smooth. Whisk in extract. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours, or chill overnight.

Line baking sheet with foil. Drop scant 1 tablespoon chocolate mixture for each of 16 truffles onto prepared sheet. Dust hands with cocoa; roll chocolate mounds into rounds. Cover and freeze truffles. Cover and chill remaining chocolate mixture for sauce. (Truffles and sauce can be made 2 days ahead.)

Line 8 1/2 x 4 1/2x2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving long overhang. Spread 1/3 of ice cream (about 1 2/3 cups) over bottom of prepared pan. Press 8 truffles in random pattern (and spaced apart) into ice cream layer. Spread 1/2 of remaining ice cream over. Press remaining 8 truffles in random pattern (and spaced apart) into second ice cream layer. Spread remaining ice cream over. Cover terrine with plastic wrap overhang. Freeze at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.

Mint sauce

Bring sugar and 1/3 cup water to boil in small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour syrup into blender; cool 10 minutes. Add mint leaves to syrup and puree until smooth. Transfer sauce to bowl; cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Whisk to blend before using.)

Stir chocolate sauce over low heat until warm. Transfer to pitcher. Turn ice cream terrine out onto platter; peel off plastic. Cut terrine crosswise into slices; arrange on plates. Drizzle chocolate sauce and mint sauce around terrine.

                                        

The recipe says to use the leftover truffle chocolate as a sauce for the ice cream, but it was very thick so I added some extra whipping cream to make it a bit thinner. It was still thick. But it is sooooo heavenly. I would say I will whip some up and keep it in the fridge for impromptu ice cream nights, but that would be very dangerous. It would not last long at this house!