Backyard Mint Ice Cream {Ice Cream Sunday}

September 23, 2012 at 8:37 am (Ice cream, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream)
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For my second Ice Cream Sunday post, I decided to make Backyard Mint Ice Cream. This recipe is Jeni’s basic recipe with “a large handful” of hand-torn mint added just before the base is chilled.

If you aren’t familiar with the base recipe, check out my Sweet Corn & Black Raspberry Ice Cream post and leave out the corn and blackberry sauce. You can also find the Backyard Mint recipe here.

Phyl’s notes:

  • The recipe says to add the torn mint to the ice cream base, chill for 4 to 12 hours, then strain out the mint. Several of the Jeni ice cream bases I’ve made have been quite thick, almost the consistency of set pudding, and I was afraid I might have trouble getting the base through the strainer. To avoid this issue, I tied the mint in a double layer of cheesecloth, as I figured this would impart the mint flavor without having to strain it. What I didn’t count on was how much of the base the cheesecloth would absorb. I ended up with about a pint of ice cream, rather than the quart it should have made.
  • I skipped the ice bath, as the base had to chill with the mint in it anyway.
  • This ice cream would be great with mini chocolate chips or small chocolate pieces added at the end of churning.

We really enjoyed this ice cream, and all wished we had more. Luckily, this is a really easy recipe to make. And I have plenty of mint in the backyard.

7 Comments

Sweet Corn & Black Raspberry Ice Cream {Ice Cream Sunday} {Recipe}

September 16, 2012 at 12:47 pm (Ice cream, Ice Cream Week, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, Recipes)
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I recently bought myself two presents: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer and The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. And since I knew I would be trying lots of ice cream recipes, I decided to declare the beginning of the week “Ice Cream Sunday”. I probably won’t post every week, and I’m sure I won’t write about all the recipes I try. But I do want a place to record my adventures so I can keep track of what I liked, what I didn’t, and what I might do differently next time.

It all started when I decided to host Ice Cream Week earlier this Summer. A full week of ice cream recipes — how bad could that be? I had picked my recipes, made all five of them, and written the blog posts., Then I discovered this recipe.

Sweet Corn Blackberry Ice Cream
Picture from saveur.com

A lot of my friends had made Jeni’s recipes, and they all raved about how good they were. So even though my Ice Cream Week recipes were in the bag, I decided to try a Jeni recipe. Saveur had a bunch of them on its website, and I pinned several to my Ice Cream board. Although they all looked good, I quickly settled on this recipe. Not only do I love black raspberries, the idea of making ice cream with sweet corn was just too strange and intriguing to pass up.

I generally don’t post recipes when I’m making them from a published cookbook, but this one is readily available online, so I’ll share it here.

Sweet Corn & Black Raspberry Ice Cream (from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup black raspberries or blackberries
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar (for black raspberry sauce)
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz.) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 ear sweet corn, husked
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar (for ice cream)
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Directions

  1. To make raspberry sauce, bring black raspberries and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 8 minutes; strain and chill.
  2. To make ice cream, in a small prep bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of the milk and the cornstarch to make a slurry. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk cream cheese and salt until smooth. Set aside.
  4. Cut kernels off cob of corn and cut cob into large chunks; reserve kernels and cob together. In a 4-quart saucepan, whisk together remaining milk and the cream, sugar, and corn syrup; add corn kernels and cob and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook and stir for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in slurry. Return to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl and discard corn solids.
  5. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into cream cheese until smooth.
  6. Cover bowl and refrigerate mixture until well chilled, preferably overnight. Or to quick chill, pour mixture into a gallon-size zipper seal bag and submerge in ice water for about 30 minutes.
  7. Churn base in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s instructions.
  8. Layer ice cream and black raspberry sauce in storage container. Press a piece of parchment or wax paper against surface of ice cream and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Makes 1 quart

This ice cream is insanely good. The sweet corn gives it a silky texture and an almost vanilla-like flavor. And the blackberry sauce adds visual appeal and a nice sweet-tart finish.

I can’t wait to try more of Jeni’s ice creams. And I haven’t even cracked open David’s book yet.

Stay tuned.

10 Comments

Guinness Stout Ice Cream {Recipe} {Ice Cream Week}

August 10, 2012 at 8:32 am (Dessert, Ice cream, Recipes)
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It’s the last day of Ice Cream Week, and what better way to finish than with a deliciously decadent stout ice cream? The malty, slightly bitter flavor of the Guinness pairs well with the sweet, rich custard. This ice cream is especially good with chocolate syrup.

This recipe is based on one from Saveur.com.

Guinness Stout Ice Cream

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half
  • 1 bottle Guinness stout, chilled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • chocolate syrup (optional)

Directions

  1. Whisk sugar, salt, and egg yolks in heavy saucepan until thick and lemon colored.
  2. Stir in cream and half-and-half. Heat mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens, about 6-8 minutes.
  3. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir in Guinness and vanilla.
  4. Cover and refrigerate ice cream base for at least 4 hours or overnight, then process in ice cream maker per manufacturer’s instructions. If desired, add chocolate syrup near the end of the churning cycle to create a chocolate swirl.
  5. Freeze for several hours before serving. The alcohol in the stout will keep the ice cream from freezing as solid as other custards.

Makes about 1 quart

It should be no surprise to anyone who knows me that I would make Guinness ice cream. Any more than it shocked me to read that Margaret had figured out how to make Tea and Biscuit Ice Cream. Or that Rebecca found a way to work baklava into ice cream. And Di made Chocolate Cookie Dough Ice Cream. Can you tell she has kids?

I hope you’ve enjoyed Ice Cream Week as much as I have. Let me know if you try any of the recipes and what you think. And I’d love to hear about your favorite ice cream recipes, too!

5 Comments

Molasses Almond Praline Ice Cream {Ice Cream Week}

August 9, 2012 at 8:02 am (Ice cream, Ice Cream Week)
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It’s day 4 of Ice Cream Week, and today’s theme is Nuts for Ice Cream. I knew I wanted to make either butter pecan or praline ice cream for today, and when I started looking at recipes I found this one for Blackstrap Praline Ice Cream on my Pinterest board, so I figured it was a good time to try it.

The original recipe is from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and was published in Saveur magazine and on their website. Jeni has an interesting method for making ice cream in which she boils out some of the water from the milk and cream and uses cornstarch and cream cheese to bind the ingredients and increase the fat content. Several of my friends swear by her recipes, so I was excited to try this one to see how it came out.

I made a few changes to the recipe, based on what was in my cupboard the day I made it. I didn’t have blackstrap molasses, so I used Brer Rabbit Mild Molasses. My ice cream was much lighter in color than the picture on Saveur, but the molasses flavor still really came through. And I used almonds for the praline (a sin, I know) because that’s what I had on hand.

The base had a pudding-like consistency. In fact, after refrigerating it overnight, that’s exactly what it looked like. It churned up beautifully. My wife and I tried it as soon as it was done churning, and it was amazing. Rich, smooth, velvety, and the praline was outstanding, with its nutty, caramel-like flavor.

But what really blew my socks off, and finally made me realize what all the fuss over Jeni’s recipes was about, was when I tried it the next day. After freezing, a lot of homemade ice cream is too solid and looses that creamy consistency.

But this ice cream was as smooth and creamy as any double-churned gourmet ice cream I’ve ever tasted. And the overnight rest in the freezer actually improved the flavor, too.

OK, so I’m sold on Jeni’s ice cream. I won’t go so far as to say I’ll never make any other kind (I still like egg-based custard ice creams), but I will definitely try more of her recipes. And we might just venture to Chagrin Falls to try some at one of her stores.

Margaret forgave me for using almonds in praline. Hopefully, her Greek friends will give her a pass, too, for making Baklava Ice Cream! And no forgiveness is needed for Rebecce, who made Nutella Gelato.

Ice Cream Week caps off tomorrow with an original recipe, Guinness Stout Ice Cream.

14 Comments

Basil Honey Frozen Yogurt {Recipe} {Ice Cream Week}

August 7, 2012 at 8:01 am (Dessert, Ice cream, Recipes)
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It’s day two of Ice Cream Week, and today I’m featuring an original recipe for frozen yogurt. About this time of year, I’m always trying to come up with ideas to use fresh basil. With the hot weather we’ve been having, my basil plants are growing like gangbusters, and I like to use it in different ways (one can only eat and freeze so much pesto).

So I decided to try adding it to frozen yogurt. I used a combination of sweet and cinnamon basil, but you can use whatever kind you have. I might try it with a bit of Thai basil next time.

The flavors of honey and basil complement each other beautifully. This is sure to be a frequent repeat around here.

Basil Honey Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients

  • About 2 cups fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 cups plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

  1. Wash the basil leaves, then blot dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels.
  2. Chop basil leaves (a rough chop is fine) and place in small saucepan with honey and granulated sugar. Heat until sugar melts and the mixture just begins to boil, then remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 20 minutes.
  3. Mix yogurt, vanilla, and lemon juice in medium bowl. Strain honey mixture through fine mesh strainer into bowl with yogurt. Mix well.
  4. Chill yogurt mixture for several hours or overnight, then churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Eat soft or freeze for a few hours to harden.

Makes about 1 quart

On tap for tomorrow: Frozen Wine Slushy

And be sure to check out:

5 Comments

Citrus Beet Ice Cream {Recipe} {Ice Cream Week}

August 6, 2012 at 7:16 am (Dessert, Farmer's market, Ice cream, Ice Cream Week, Recipes)
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It’s Ice Cream Week here at Of Cabbages and King Cakes! Five days devoted to everyone’s favorite summer treat. Today’s theme is “Fruits of the Summer”, which I have loosely interpreted to include one of my favorite farmer’s market finds: red beets.

This is a really easy recipe to put together. Roasting the beets is the most time-consuming part, and it’s mostly hands off. After trimming and cleaning the beets, you wrap them in foil and roast them until tender.

The most striking thing about this recipe is the color: it’s this amazing, not-at-all-natural-looking fuchsia.

And as for the ice cream itself…

It was surprisingly good, especially with a little chocolate syrup. The beet flavor really came through and, combined with the citrus, made this ice cream both bright and earthy.

Citrus Beet Ice Cream

Ingredients

  • 4 medium red beets
  • 1 medium orange
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Trim stems and roots from beets. Wash beets and pat dry with paper towel. Wrap beets in heavy duty aluminum foil and roast directly on center rack in oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil package from oven. Squeeze beets. They should give a bit but still be somewhat firm. If necessary, return beets to oven and roast until done.
  2. Unwrap beets and allow to cool until cool enough to handle. Rub beets to remove skins, then dice beets and place in food processor.
  3. Zest the orange and add to food processor. Juice orange and add this, along with 1/4 cup additional orange juice, to food processor. Process mixture until smooth.
  4. Add sour cream, sugar, and half-and-half and process until smooth and completely combined.
  5. Press base through a fine mesh sieve into medium bowl. Cover bowl and refrigerate until well chilled, preferably overnight.
  6. Process base in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
  7. Serve with drizzle of chocolate syrup.

Makes about 1 quart

I know it sounds like an odd combination, but it’s worth making, if only for the color.

Here’s what’s on tap for the rest of the week (links will go live on the scheduled day):

And be sure to check out the other posts for today’s theme:

13 Comments

Pimm’s No. 1 Ice Cream Cup — Sundae Sunday {Recipe}

July 24, 2011 at 7:14 am (Dessert, Ice cream, Mise en place, Recipes, Techniques)
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When Di announced that she was going to host a virtual ice cream social, I knew I would contribute this post. The only trouble was, I hadn’t written it yet. And I was planning to write four posts leading up to this one, none of which I had written, either. Nothing like a little motivation to get things done!

So here’s my Sundae Sunday contribution. Thanks to Di for hosting!

A few weeks ago, I decided to try coming up with a few curd recipes — first lemon, then lime. I wanted the citrus curds to use in ice cream — again developing my own recipes for lemon and lime ice creams. 

And all of this was done with one ultimate goal in mind: to make a Pimm’s ice cream recipe. I recently discovered Pimm’s No. 1, thanks in large part to Steve Buscemi and Boardwalk Empire. What can I say? I’m a sucker for the classics.

Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based liquor made in England from dry gin, liqueur, fruit juices, and spices. The formula is a well-kept secret. It is reported that only six people in the world know how it’s made. The taste is hard to describe. It’s light, fruity, a little spicy, with a hint of cucumber (yes, cucumber). You definitely don’t have to be a gin drinker to enjoy Pimm’s.

The classic Pimm’s drink, the Pimm’s No. 1 Cup, is commonly associated with Wimbledon. As with most classic (i.e., old) cocktail recipes, there are dozens of ways to make a Pimm’s cup. The “official” recipe, from the Pimm’s website, is 1 part Pimm’s No. 1 and 3 parts chilled lemonade, stirred together over ice, and garnished with one or more of mint, cucumber, orange, and strawberry. However, because British lemonade is carbonated and lemonade in the States is not, many recipes call for a 1:2:1 ratio of Pimm’s, lemonade, and lemon-lime soda or seltzer.

As I was enjoying the occasional Pimm’s cup during the recent heatwave,  I realized that the classic Pimm’s  No. 1 Cup would be the perfect platform on which to build a lemon-lime ice cream recipe.

I gathered the ingredients, including homemade lemon curd, lime curd, and Pimm’s syrup, and I was ready to go.

I brought milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, I whisked egg yolks and sugar for about 1 minute, until the went from this…

…to this…

I tempered the eggs with the milk, then cooked the custard until it thickened to the consistency of pudding.

I stirred in the remaining ingredients, chilled the custard base overnight, then froze it in my Kitchen Aid freezer bowl.

I served the ice cream with a little drizzle of Pimm’s syrup. It was exactly as I had envisioned it. The lemon and lime flavors predominated, with the Pimm’s adding a subtle spiciness. It was sweet, but not overly so, and perfectly satisfying as a summery dessert. Even my mom, who never touches alcohol, really enjoyed it.

Pimm’s No. 1 Ice Cream Cup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup lemon curd
  • 1/4 cup lime curd
  • zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime, combined
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime, combined
  • 1/2 cup Pimm’s syrup (recipe below)

Directions

  1. Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and light lemon colored, about 1 minute.
  2. Pour the milk into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, to temper the egg yolks.
  3. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, 5-7 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon curd, lime curd, lemon and lime zest, cream, lemon and lime juice, and Pimm’s syrup, in order, mixing well between each addition.
  5. For best results, refrigerate overnight before churning in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Pimm’s Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup Pimm’s No. 1

Directions

  1. Place sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar.
  2. Add Pimm’s No. 1, stir, and return to boil.
  3. Boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup in volume.
  4. Refrigerate until ready to use.

The syrup is great on ice cream. It will keep for several weeks in the fridge, and a little goes a long way.

15 Comments

Lime Curd Ice Cream {Recipe}

July 23, 2011 at 8:00 am (Dessert, Ice cream, Recipes, Techniques)
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I adapted this recipe from my lemon curd ice cream recipe. The bright flavor of the lime and green flecks of zest make this delicious, refreshing ice cream a simple, yet company-worthy treat.

Lime Curd Ice Cream

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup lime curd
  • zest of 2 limes
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • juice of 2 limes

Directions

  1. Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and light lemon colored, about 1 minute.
  2. Pour the milk into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, to temper the egg yolks.
  3. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, 5-7 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in lime curd, lime zest, cream, and lime juice, in order, mixing well between each addition.
  5. For best results, refrigerate overnight before churning in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s instructions.

4 Comments

Lemon Curd Ice Cream {Recipe}

July 21, 2011 at 8:22 am (Dessert, Ice cream, Recipes, Techniques)
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In my recent attempt to come up with a recipe for Pimm’s ice cream , I took Vizzini’s advice and went back to the beginning. I knew that I wanted to use lemon and lime flavors, so I searched for ice cream recipes that I could tinker with to get the mix I wanted. That, in turn, led to a search for the perfect lemon curd and lime curd.  For the lemon curd and ice cream, I ended up adapting my own recipes from some that I found online. The lime recipes were derived from the lemon ones.

As the basis of the lemon ice cream recipe, I used one from my friend Tracey’s blog, which she adapted from Murphy’s Ice Cream Book of Sweet Things. I stuck with the basic ingredients from Tracey’s recipe, but tinkered with the proportions a bit; and I made several significant changes to the instructions, which I think simplified the recipe without negatively impacting the results.

 Lemon Curd Ice Cream

(Adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup lemon curd
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • juice of 1 lemon

Directions

  1. Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and light lemon colored, about 1 minute.
  2. Pour the milk into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, to temper the egg yolks.
  3. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, 5-7 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon curd, lemon zest, cream, and lemon juice, in order, mixing well between each addition.
  5. For best results, refrigerate overnight before churning in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s instructions.

15 Comments

Lime Curd {Recipe}

July 20, 2011 at 7:36 am (Dessert, Ice cream, Recipes)
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This recipe is the second in a 5-day lemon-lime recipe extravaganza, which began with lemon curd and will culminate on Sundae Sunday with my recipe for Pimm’s No. 1 Ice Cream Cup. Having made a delicious and simple lemon curd, I decided to convert the recipe into one for lime curd. Just as easy, and just as delicious.

Lime Curd

(based on lemon curd recipe by Alton Brown)

Ingredients

  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 limes, zested and juiced
  • 1 stick cold butter

Directions

  1. Put water in a medium saucepan to a depth of about 1 inch. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Lower heat.
  2. Combine eggs and sugar in a metal bowl large enough to fit over saucepan without the bottom of the bowl touching water in the pan. Whisk until light, about 1 minute.
  3. Add lime juice and zest to the egg mixture, place bowl over simmering water, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.
  4. Cut butter into 10 pieces and whisk it into lime curd, one piece at a time, stirring until melted before adding the next piece.
  5. Scrape curd into a container, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled.

Makes 2 cups.

As with the lemon curd, this curd is great in ice cream, pie, and tarts, or on toast, scones, or a spoon. The lime curd will keep in the frigde for at least 3 weeks, but don’t stir it, or it will break down and become liquidy.

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