20 ounces chocolate chip ice cream

2 cups 4-grain flake cereal (or Corn Flakes), crushed

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 eggs

1 teaspoon water

4 8-inch flour tortillas

Oil for deep-frying

Cinnamon mixed with sugar

Whipped cream

4 maraschino cherries

Form ice cream into 4 balls. Place in baking pan and freeze solid, 2 hours or longer. Mix cereal, sugar and cinnamon. Divide equally between 2 pie plates or other shallow containers. Beat eggs with water.

Roll each ice cream ball in cereal mixture and press coating into ice cream. Dip coated ball in egg wash, then roll in second container of cereal mixture. Again press coating onto ice cream. Freeze coated ice cream balls solid, 4 to 6 hours.

Shape each tortilla into hourglass form (with narrow waist) by cutting off curved slice from two opposite sides. One end will serve as base for ice cream. Other end will be decorative fan.

Heat oil in wok or large deep-fryer. Place tortilla between two ladles or large spoons of different sizes (smaller ladle on top). Place tortilla so that base end is cupped in larger ladle to form basket, with back of upper fan supported by handle of larger ladle. Deep-fry until crisp. Drain and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Set aside.

Deep-fry frozen coated ice cream balls 30 to 45 seconds. Place each fried tortilla in large-stemmed glass, with fan part of tortilla standing vertically above glass. Set fried ice cream ball in base of tortilla. Top with dollop of whipped cream and decorate with cherry.

Yield: Makes 4 servings.

Source: El Torito