Spumoni (Italian ice cream like dessert)

This is a delicious, rich, impressive looking frozen dessert, which is surprisingly easy to make, and can also be made a day ahead. Prep time for this recipe = freezing time

• Ready In: 4 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 1 Quart

Ingredients

• First Mixture

• 2  cups milk
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 5  egg yolks
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring or 1⁄2 teaspoon  rum flavoring (or your personal favorite)

• Second Mixture

• 1  cup heavy cream
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 8  maraschino cherries, cut into small pieces
• 1  tablespoon  candied orange peel, cut fine
• 8  shelled  blanched almonds, cut into thin slivers

Directions

1. Chill a 1 quart spumoni mold well.
2. If you don't have a spumoni mold, a 1 quart gelatin mold will work very well.
3. First Mixture: Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla in a sauce pan.
4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickend (like a pudding).
5. Cool mixture.
6. Place cooled mixture in a freezer tray and freeze until medium hard (about 2 hours).
7. It should be soft enough to spoon out easily, but hard enough to hold its shape.
8. Second Mixture: In Bowl, beat heavy cream and sugar together until stiff.
9. Gently mix in the cherries, orange peel and almonds.
10. Chill the second mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.
11. Filling Mold: When first mixture is ready (semi-frozen), remove from freezer tray and line the inside of the chilled mold with it.
12. With the back of a spoon, shape a hollow in the middle of the first mixture.
13. Fill the hollow with the second mixture.
14. Cover the top of the mold with plastic wrap or waxed paper, and freeze for about 2 hours (until very firm).
15. To serve, dip mold briefly in warm water and unmold onto a serving plate.
16. Cut spumoni into 6-8 portions.