Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream Ball

Total Time: 5 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 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)

Recipe

• 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.