Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream Ball

My mum makes this every year around Christmas or New Years - it is so delicious! You can vary the flavor of ice cream with the seasons, though, like strawberry instead of peppermint, to make this a year - round dessert. The eight cup bowl is important - you can measure one by pouring 8 cups of water into a bowl. The recipe is from Marlene Sorosky's Season's Greetings. Don't let the number of steps dissuade from making it - it is really quite simple. Prep time includes everything that is not freezing, cook time is an approximation of total freezing solid time.

• Ready In: 5 hrs
• Serves: 12-14

Ingredients

• 10  ounces  semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 5  large eggs, separated,at room temperature
• 3  tablespoons Creme de Cacao
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 1 1⁄2 pints  good quality vanilla ice cream
• 1 1⁄2 pints  pink peppermint ice cream (or make your own by mixing red food coloring, peppermint flavoring, and chopped candy canes with van)
•  candy canes or   peppermint candy (to garnish)

Directions

1. Line an 8 cup bowl with plastic wrap (don't worry about wrinkles).
2. Melt the chocolate in double boiler or microwave, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
3. Whisk in egg yolks and creme de cacao.
4. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low speed, beat egg whites until foamy.
5. Increase speed to hight and beat until soft peaks form.
6. Add the sugar, 1 tbsp.
7. at a time, beating until stiff but moist peaks form.
8. Stir one third of the whites into the chocolate/yolks mixture, then fold the chocolate into the rest of the whites until blended.
9. Spoon the mousse into the 8 cup bowl and freeze for 1 hr.
10. ,or until the mousse is firm enought to spread over the bottom and sides fo the bowls, forming a thin shell.
11. Return the bowl to the freezer untilt he chocolate is firm.
12. Soften vanilla ice cream slightly in refrigerator and spread it over the chocolate mousse.
13. Return the mold to the freezer until firm.
14. Soften the peppermint ice cream slightly in the fridge and spread it in the center of the mold, smooth the top.
15. Cover the ball with foil and freeze until solid.
16. (it can be frozen several months in advance!) Several hours before serving, invert the bowl onto a serving platter and remove the bowl and plastic wrap.
17. Smooth the outside of the chocolate with a spatula, and decorate the top with crushed candy canes and line the bottom rim with vertical candy canes.
18. Return to the freezer until firm.
19. Remove the mold fromt he freezer 20- 30 minutes before serving to soften enought to cut wedges.