How to Make Spaghetti Eis

As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I spent several of my childhood years living in Germany. That is where I discovered one of the greatest German delicacies, Spaghetti Eis. For those of you not in the know, Spaghetti Eis is a fabulous strawberry sundae made to look like a plate of noodles topped with marinara sauce. I gobbled up these delightful dishes by the bowlful every time I had a chance. But I have never seen the dish served anywhere stateside, and therefore haven’t tasted this kid favorite since I was 16 years old.

Until last week. On our last day in Manarola, Italy, we decided to get one more gelato, wandered into a little gelateria near the harbor called Bar Enrica, and opened the menu. The words ‘spaghetti gelato’ shouted off the page, and the words ‘spaghetti eis’ shouted from my mouth a second later.  Of course I ordered it and it was every bit as delicious as I remembered it being three decades ago.

So delicious, in fact, that I decided not to wait another 29 years until fate put it on a menu in front of me again. With a little googling, I discovered that making Spaghetti Eis is much less complicated than it looks. You don’t even have to have any expensive equipment. All you need to make the ‘spaghetti’ is a potato ricer, which you can buy very inexpensively. I ordered one from Amazon specifically to make this recipe, and it worked out wonderfully. The rest can be done with supplies already in your house.

My Recipe for Spaghetti Eis

Ingredients

2 cups strawberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (or to taste)
Vanilla ice cream
Dried coconut flakes or grated white chocolate (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare the ‘tomato’ sauce.  Cut the strawberries in half and place in a medium sized saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 12 minutes, while stirring.  Once the strawberries are very soft, mash with a potato masher or fork. Allow the sauce to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a jar and place in the fridge. Be sure that it is completely cool before you use it for the spaghetti eis, as this dish melts quickly.

   

   

   

2. Prepare the whipped cream. Chill a metal mixing bowl in the freezer. Using your hand mixer, beat the cream with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
3. Prep and chill. Using an ice cream scoop, place a ball of whipped cream on the plate or bowl you plan to use the serve the Spaghetti Eis. Place in freezer. At this time, also put the potato ricer in the freezer. Chill for 10 minutes.

   

4. Assemble. Remove everything from the freezer and fridge, so that you can work quickly.  Spoon the vanilla ice cream into the potato ricer. My ricer came with several sizes of plates; I used the one with the smallest holes. Press over the whipped cream ball, moving around so that it looks like heaped noodles. If the ice cream begins to melt, return the plate to the freezer for a couple minutes after you finish pressing. Spoon the strawberry sauce over the ice cream. Quickly sprinkle the coconut flakes or white chocolate over the ‘spaghetti’ to resemble grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

   

   

   

I made everything from scratch (except the ice cream) but you can also buy pre-made strawberry sauce and whipped cream. If you decide to go this route, Stonewall Kitchen makes a delicious strawberry vanilla topping. You can also eliminate the whipped cream entirely.

Let me know how it turns out. Guten Appetit!