by David Fisco
31 May 2011
Word count: 324
Dessert
Many dinner parties begin with cheese, crackers and wine as an appetizer, but this iconoclastic sundae makes a novel finale to a summer dinner for adults.

Ingredients
  • half gallon of premium vanilla ice cream
  • one batch of Zinfandel sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of Zinfandel
  • 2 cups of whipping cream
  • 2-8 ounce bars of cream cheese
  • 8 tablespoons of powdered sugar
  • 12 to 15 large graham crackers
  • a few drops of milk

Instructions
  1. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are crumbs. Set aside.
  2. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and 4 of the tablespoons of powdered sugar. Add drops of milk until the sweetened cheese can be piped. Fill a pastry bag with the cheese mixture and set aside.
  3. Combine the 2 cups of whipping cream and 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar and whip with an electric beater until firm. Add the 2 tablespoons of Zinfandel and continue whipping until incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the whipped cream and set aside.
  4. Place one or two scoops of ice cream in each of your serving glasses.
  5. Pipe concentric circles of the cream cheese mixture on top of the ice cream. Don't put too much cream cheese into the sundae, two or three concentric circles are enough.
  6. Spoon a generous amount of Zinfandel sauce on each sundae.
  7. Sprinkle some graham cracker crumbs on top of the sauce.
  8. Pipe the whipped cream on top of each sundae.
  9. Decorate by sprinkling graham cracker crumbs on top of the whipped cream and serve quickly.

Equipment needed

  • ice cream scoop
  • electric mixer
  • food processor
  • 2 pastry bags with or without decorating tips
  • measuring tablespoon
  • spoon
  • glasses for serving
Further Details
If you don't have a food processor, you can place the graham crackers in a plastic bag and pound them with a heavy object until they are crumbs.
Try substituting mascarpone for the cream cheese if you'd like a tangier sundae.
Makes about 6 sundaes.