Don't let the name scare you off...this is absolutely one of the BEST tasting desserts I've ever made and it's not that difficult...yes, you'll dirty several bowls....spoons and a few pans, but what's washing a few dishes compared with eating a most delicious, delightful and positively divine dessert?!? After I made the crust I wanted to quit - because the crust was THAT good....I would have been happy just eating the crust - crushed amaretti cookies mixed with melted butter and ground toasted almonds - it was obscene in it's decadence...but I went on to the next step - the filling, which is like a semifreddo - light, creamy and airy with pieces of bittersweet chocolate that melt on the tongue...I would have been ecstatic just to eat the crust and the filling...but there was still the matter of the espresso fudge sauce...I was weak in the knees when I tasted that...I'm telling you - if you only make one dessert - ever - in your entire life - this should be the one!
Notice my new bowl? On the end there...it came with a bigger one, they're by Pyrex and I love them! They have a rubber grip on the bottom so they don't slip and they are aerodynamically designed - at least they look like they are - so that whatever is mixed in them pours nicely out the pointed end...I picked the pair up for $30 at Kohls...who knew?!?
Amaretti cookies are made with Amaretto liqueur...they are basically almond macaroons and I could live off them alone. Seriously. When my mom and I were in Hawaii a few years back (yes, I'm now location dropping) we were dining in a very fine restaurant and we see this guy unwrap an amaretti cookie and take his lighter to it. Just as the flame hits the cookie wrapper the entire thing bursts into a big flame and then flies straight up into the air - it was amazing! Fireworks in a restaurant! I'm easily impressed. And it was equally fascinating watching the ashes float back down....the alcohol content in the cookies rubs off onto the wrapper and thus the fireworks...but kids, don't try this at home...
Here's how this works...you line a loaf pan, put in the crust - try not to eat it all before you do this...then you make the meringue and the cream...you fold the two together, add the chocolate bits and pour into the pan - do not lick the spoon - don't even think about it because if you do you'll end up just eating right out of the pan and your tortoni will be half the size it should be! Put it in the freezer for 4 hours...go start War and Peace, by the time you get to through the first chapter it will be time to make the killer sauce...and you're going to want to lick this spoon so go ahead - whet your appetite - if you've got the will power go for it - but remember what's waiting for you in the freezer!
Stracciatella Tortoni Cake With Espresso Fudge Sauce - Gourmet Magazine, June 2008
For Crust:
2/3 cup finely ground amaretti cookies (about 17; use a food processor)
1/4 cup sliced almonds with skin, toasted, cooled, and finely ground in food processor
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For Tortoni Filling:
3 large egg whites, at room temperature for 30 minutes
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons Disaronno Amaretto or other almond-flavored liqueur or flavoring
3 1/2 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao) shaved with a vegetable peeler
1/4 cup sliced almonds with skin, toasted and cooled
For Sauce:
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons instant-espresso powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 1/2 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Make Crust:
Butter a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan (I used a 10 x 5) and line bottom and short sides with a strip of parchment paper, leaving 4 inches of overhang on each end. Stir together ground cookies, ground almonds, and butter, then firmly press over bottom of pan. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
Make Tortoni Filling:
Beat egg whites with sugar, cream of tartar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large metal bowl set over a large saucepan of simmering water using a handheld mixer at medium-high speed until whites hold soft peaks and an instant-read thermometer registers 170 degrees, about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from pan and continue to beat meringue until it just holds stiff peaks, about 2 more minutes.
Beat cream with Amaretto in another bowl at medium speed using cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks. Fold in half of meringue gently but thoroughly. Fold in remaining meringue along with chocolate. Spoon over crust, smoothing top with offset spatula. Sprinkle with almonds. Freeze, uncovered, until firm, about 3 hours (I say 4 or more hours, unless your freezer has Arctic temps.)
Make Sauce:
Bring cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, espresso powder, cocoa, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and half of chopped chocolate to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until chocolate is melted. Reduce heat and cook at a slow boil, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and remaining chocolate until smooth. Cool to warm.
To serve: Dip bottom of loaf pan in 1-inch of warm water in a roasting pan fo 10 seconds, then lift tortoni out of pan using parchment paper. Transfer to a platter. Peel paper from Tortoni. Let stand 5 minutes to soften slightly. Cut into 6 triangular wedges. Spoon a little sauce over the top. Serves 6.
Tortoni can be frozen up to 3 days (wrap in plastic wrap after 3 hours.) Sauce can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat before using. 
Because I couldn't stand one more minute of waiting, I pulled my tortoni out of the freezer after 3 1/2 hours...and sliced right into it...it was only about 80% as firm as it should have been...but it was so good I didn't care. The next night, when the dessert fairies attacked, the tortoni had been frozen for 24 hours and when sliced it held it's shape beautifully - like a solid ice cream - so I highly recommend a minimum of 4 hours or more of freezing.
