At one time, Chi-Chi's was the largest chain of Mexican restaurants in the United States. During its heyday, the restaurant had a number of recipes that the public would have loved to figure out. One of those was their unbelievably tasty fried ice cream. While the following is not Chi-Chi's recipe, it is close enough to fool just about any gourmet.
Gather together the "crumb" ingredients, which include 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup of cornflakes.
Take half of the cinnamon and sugar and mix them together, dividing it into two even portions.
Crumble the cornflakes in a blender, food processor, or with a rolling pin until they are finely ground and then mix them with one-half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Set the other portion of the cinnamon and sugar aside for later.
In a skillet that is at least 6 inches in diameter, cover the bottom with cooking oil (vegetable or canola recommended). This should take between 1/2 and 3/4 cup of oil. Heat it until it sizzles when a small piece of tortilla is dropped into it.
Drop tortilla into heated oil, browning it on both sides to a golden brown.
Drain the fried tortilla on a paper towel.
Use the cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat both sides of the tortilla before placing it onto a plate or in a bowl.
Drizzle a bit of ice cream topping (flavor of your choice) on the tortilla.
Scoop out a ball (about 3" in diameter) of relatively hard ice cream in the flavor of your choice. Roll the ball into the crumb mixture until it is evenly coated.
Put the fried ice cream together, placing the ice cream ball on top of the tortilla then spritzing whipped cream around it.
Although not necessary, you may opt to drizzle more ice cream topping on top of the ice cream ball before crowning the top with another spritz of whipped cream and topping it with a cherry.
Serve immediately.
Tips
Make sure the ice cream and topping flavors you choose go well together. Don't be afraid to experiment with various flavors to make the fried ice cream more unique. Make sure that the ice cream you use isn't too soft or it will not roll well in the crumb mixture. Canned whipped cream works better than Cool Whip or other similar mixtures.
Warning
Do not use olive oil as your frying substance. Serve the dish before the tortilla has time to get too cold or the ice cream too warm.
