Frozen Mango, Raspberry and Vanilla Terrine with Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Sauce
Makes you happy just looking at it, right? Who can resist smiling when faced with all those colorful layers, plus golden toasted coconut and drizzles of chocolate sauce?!! And think how much happier you’ll be when you’re actually spooning this glorious concoction into your mouth! If you’re looking for an easy and crowd pleasing make-ahead dessert for Father’s Day or any of the other celebrations that seem to be popping up with increasing regularity of late, this Frozen Mango, Raspberry and Vanilla Terrine with Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Sauce is a no-brainer!
Now, I know I say this about a lot of food, but this is crazy easy and despite the layers, so not intimidating. The hardest part is waiting for the layers to freeze so that you can add another one, but hey, beauty is pain, right?
It’s also totally versatile. Here, I’ve used mango and raspberry sorbet sandwiching the vanilla ice cream but you could swap in or out any 3 flavors you prefer. I’m thinking a blueberry, vanilla and lemon version with little pieces of broken up sugar cone would be amazing or a chocolate, coconut and coffee combo with chocolate chips instead of toasted coconut,or…you get it, your imagination is the only limit!
While you wait for those layers to freeze, you can toast up your coconut so that it’s golden, crunchy and addictive—and may I suggest that you make a little more than the recipe calls for because you know that you or some other hands will be reaching for a few “little tastes”!
You can also use that time to whip up the simple chocolate sauce that some would say is not necessary but I beg to differ (sorry mom!)
It’s deep and full of dark, bittersweet flavor and strikes just the right balance between thickness and spoonability, which I think perfectly balances out the sweetness of the sorbet and ice cream. And it makes more than you need which means, yup, that’s right, leftover chocolate sauce!!
Honestly, it’s kind of fun to put together in an art project sort of way, but maybe that’s just the kind of gal I am.
You start by lining a loaf pan with a criss-cross of overlapping and overhanging plastic wrap.
Then you mash up the softened mango sorbet—
And spread it in the pan so that it can firm up in the freezer.
You repeat that with the vanilla and raspberry layers, finally topping the whole thing with the toasted coconut for the final longer freeze.
Once you’ve endured that agonizing wait, you invert, cut into slices and enjoy bite after blissful bite. YUM!! As I said, how can something like this not make you happy?!!
Frozen Mango, Raspberry and Vanilla Terrine with Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Sauce
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time for Terrine: Several hours of freezing time; Prep Time for Chocolate Sauce: 10 minutes
Ingredients
For the Terrine
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 pint mango sorbet
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 pint raspberry sorbet
For the Chocolate Sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
The Recipe
1. To make the terrine: Line a 9x4x3-inch loaf pan (or one that’s about that size) with a length of plastic wrap that hangs over the ends and then line with another 2 pieces of plastic so that you are criss-crossing them. Try to push the plastic down into the corners as much as possible. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Spoon the mango sorbet into a medium bowl and mash it around until it’s spreadable but not totally melted. Transfer it to the prepared pan and smooth it out as evenly as possible using a rubber spatula or spoon. Place the pan in the freezer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Rinse out the bowl and spoon and dry well.
3. To make the toasted coconut—spread the coconut out on a small rimmed baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, stir and bake for another 4 minutes. Check. If coconut looks crisp and golden brown, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool. Otherwise let it cook for another minute or two.
4. Repeat the mashing up procedure with the vanilla ice cream. Remove the pan from the freezer and spread the vanilla over the firmed up mango sorbet. Return to the freezer for 15 minutes.
5. Repeat the procedure with the raspberry sorbet and spread it over the chilled vanilla. Sprinkle the cooled coconut on top, pushing it down a bit into the softened ice cream. Use the overhung plastic to cover the pan well and return to the freezer for several hours, until firm. You can make this up to 1 week before serving.
6. To make the chocolate sauce: Whisk the water, cocoa, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan together. Bring to a boil. Now lower the heat and let simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and add in the chopped chocolate. Stir well until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks once it’s cooled down. To reheat, warm in a saucepan or the microwave.
7. When the terrine is fully frozen, remove from the freezer and unwrap the top. Use the plastic wrap overhang to help you pull the “cake” out of the pan. Place a large plate or platter on the top of the loaf and invert so that the bottom is now the top. Tap on the top of the pan and lift the pan away. Peel off the plastic.
8. Cut into slices, drizzle with warm chocolate sauce if desired and serve immediately with extra sauce on the side.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe for the terrine adapted from Icebox Cakes by Lauren Chattman—I tinkered a bit with this and toasted the coconut in the oven and make a different sauce to go with it. Chocolate Sauce recipe is adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. I halved the recipe.
