Tartufo — ice-cream truffle

i. Origin & history

Tartufo ("truffle") was reportedly invented in 1946 at the Roman restaurant Tre Scalini, where it remains the signature dessert. The dark cocoa coat is meant to mimic the look of a Périgord black truffle.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 6 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 500 ml chocolate ice cream
• 1 small piece soft sponge cake
• 1 tbsp amaretto
• 1 tbsp dark rum
• 6 amarena cherries in syrup
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp icing sugar

iii. Method

1. Soften the ice cream slightly. Scoop 6 large balls onto a parchment-lined tray; freeze 1 hour to firm.
2. Push your thumb into the centre of each ball; insert a small piece of sponge soaked in amaretto and rum, plus a cherry. Reshape into a smooth ball. Freeze 1 hour.
3. Mix cocoa and icing sugar. Roll each frozen tartufo in the cocoa mix until thickly coated.
4. Freeze another 30 min before serving. Serve dome-up with a drizzle of cherry syrup.

iv. Tips & common mistakes

• Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
• Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
• Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.

v. Variations

Bianco tartufo uses vanilla ice cream and white cocoa. Pistachio tartufo uses pistachio ice cream and chopped pistachios as the coat. Hazelnut tartufo uses hazelnut gelato and crushed hazelnut praline.

vii. More from Italian

• Spumoni — layered Italian-American ice cream
• Baked Alaska — meringue-covered ice cream
• Mochi Ice Cream — ice cream in mochi
• Frozen Custard — Midwest soft-serve
• Pistachio Gelato — Sicilian pistachio gelato
• Monaka — Japanese wafer ice-cream sandwich