Posts tagged ‘ice cream’

May 13

Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

I made this ice cream to go with the chiffon cake and roasted strawberries and rhubarb. There is nothing like home made ice cream, I love making it and love eating it even more. I wanted to try using some of the rhubarb simple syrup in an ice cream base, I was a little afraid it might turn out icy but it didn’t this was so creamy and wonderful. I adapted David Lebovitz base recipe for vanilla ice cream making some additions and subtractions. His ice cream recipes are genius and I have not been disappointed with any that I have made. I also added some of the roasted strawberries and rhubarb after the ice cream finished churning. It went perfectly with the chiffon cake. I just have to say we had a fantastic Mothers Day lunch, my lovely daughter made all the food, I brought the dessert and we had a wonderful time. I plan on posting her recipe for fried chicken, it’s the best I have had.

Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk or half and half
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup rhubarb syrup
1 cup roasted strawberry rhubarb drained and chopped into small pieces

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan.

2. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks, gradually pour some of the hot milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

4.Whisk the hot custard into the cream cheese, continue whisking until there are no lumps. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

5. Freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While the ice cream is churning add the rhubarb syrup through the hole on top of the ice cream maker. Place ice cream in freezer container, fold in the strawberries and rhubarb and place in freezer until it’s scoopable.

Feb 14

30 Comments

Happy Valentines Day- Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Madeleines And Chocolate Caramel Sauce

Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day everyone, I felt I must make something chocolate for today, but didn’t want anything too heavy. This has 3 components, a chocolate madeleine, caramelized white chocolate ice cream and a chocolate caramel sauce. I built this around the caramelized white chocolate that I made, at first I was going to do a mousse but decided on ice cream, after searching the internet I found David Lebovitz recipe and saw that he took a chocolate course that Valhrona offered and made this very same thing. I am therefore crediting the great Mr, Lebovitz for the ice cream recipe. The chocolate caramel sauce is my own creation and is amazing, I sort of winged it having only made caramel sauce for the first time a few weeks ago. I used the same recipe and simply added dark chocolate to the cream, it worked out perfectly. I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Madeleines

Chocolate Madeleines:

A recipe by Gale Gand

Makes 2 dozen

1/2 cup, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, for buttering madeleine molds
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 cup cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush madeleine pans well with 4 tablespoons softened butter; refrigerate 5 minutes.
In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt remaining 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Continue to cook until butter turns golden brown, being careful not to let the butter burn. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip eggs with granulated and brown sugars until light and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and stir on low speed until combined. Add vanilla and reserved browned butter; mix just until blended.
Insert a 1/2-inch plain tip into a pastry bag and fill with batter. Pipe mounds of batter into prepared pans until each mold is full, mounding batter in the center of the molds but not filling to the edge. Alternatively, you can use a teaspoon to fill the molds with batter (which is what I did). Bake until madeleines are firm and a little mound is puffed up in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Madeleines are best eaten the same day they are baked.

Chocolate Caramel Sauce:

1 cup granulated sugar

6 tbs salted butter (yes salted) cut into tbs size pieces

2 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped (I used scharffen berger 62%)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Put the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup and microwave on high for 45 seconds, add chocolate and microwave another 30 seconds Stir until its smooth, set aside so that it will cool before adding to the caramel.

In large saucepan add the sugar, turn heat to med/high and let sit until it starts to liquify. Start stirring with a heat proof spatula, the sugar will crystalize but thats alright keep stirring until its all liquid. Stop stirring and let it cook until it turns amber in color, now add the butter, stir to combine. Remove from heat and add the chocolate cream. Stir until its incorporated in the caramel. Store in container at room temperature until ready to use. Note: If you make this ahead of time, simply place the bottle or jar in hot water to warm the caramel so it’s pourable.

Ice Cream

Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream:

A Recipe by David Lebovitz

Makes about 1 quart (1l)

Make sure the caramelized white chocolate is warm when you mix it with the cream. You can reheat it in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave on low power, stirring until smooth.

8 ounces (240g) caramelized white chocolate

1 cup (250ml) heavy cream

2 cups (500ml) whole milk

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

5 large egg yolks

1. Mix the warm caramelized white chocolate in a large bowl with the heavy cream, and set a mesh strainer over the top.

2. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the milk, sugar, and salt.

3. Whisk together the egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in half of the warm milk, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

4. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof utensil, until the mixture thickens and coats the utensil.

5. Immediately pour the custard through the strainer into the white chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Put the bowl in an ice bath, and stir until cool.

6. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

This is the best ice cream I think I have ever had, it’s so creamy and the perfect consistency, thank you Mr, Lebovitz for a wonderful recipe.

Note: In step one I deviated slightly, I heated the cream in the microwave to warm it for 30 seconds, I then added the chocolate and put it back in the microwave for another 20 seconds. It melted the chocolate and made a ganache. It was easier to combine with the custard when it was already melted.

Dessert is served

Sep 6

24 Comments

Buttermilk Ice Cream With Plum Juniper Berry Swirl

I love ice cream, and really enjoy making it rather than buying commercially prepared, don’t get me wrong I buy ice cream often but when I have the time and ingredients I really love home made. This idea came to me because I had some things I needed to use before they spoiled. I had some buttermilk I needed to use right away and plum juniper berry syrup left over from the Marx Food cocktail contest. I thought that the tangy buttermilk custard would go nicely with the sweet/tart plum syrup. It really did go well together and the resulting ice cream is delicious. I took the plum syrup and reduced it by about 1/4 so it was more of a loose jam consistency and would make a nice swirl in the ice cream. This tastes like cheesecake ice cream, it’s creamy and a little tangy and the plum swirl is subtly flavored with the juniper berries. If you have never had buttermilk ice cream I recommend you give it a try, its really good.

The Custard:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1 cup full fat buttermilk

1/2 cup sugar

5 egg yolks

1 tbs clear corn syrup.

In heavy non reactive saucepan heat cream, milk and buttermilk to scalding. Beat egg yolks and sugar with a whisk or electric mixer until light in color and thick. Slowly add some of the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture whisking constantly. Whisk to combine and add to the pan with the hot milk whisking constantly. Heat over med/hi heat until it becomes thick (165-170 degrees) and coats the back of the spoon, to test it swipe finger making a line, if it’s done the line will remain intact.NOTE: if you don’t have or cannot find full fat buttermilk use the low fat, omit the whole milk and increase heavy cream to 2 cups.

Pour into heat proof container, cover with plastic directly onto the custard. Let cool at room temperature then refrigerate overnight or until it reaches 40 degrees. You can also prepare a ice bath, pour the custard into a zip lock bag, seal it well and immerse in the ice cold bath until it’s cooled. Then refrigerate or use right away

Plum Juniper berry syrup:

2 1/2 cups ripe plums (I used methley plums they have beautiful dark almost black skin and bright red flesh) quartered with skin left on (I used 5 plums.

1/2 cup sugar

4 whole juniper berries

1/2 cup water

Place everything in saucepan, bring to a boil then reduce heat to med and let cook until thick and plums are broken down and it’s reduced by approximately 1/4 it takes about 15 minutes. Strain into a jar with a lid, pressing the plums leaving only the pulp and skin, let come to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to use. It’s pretty thick and when it’s cooled its like the consistency of loose jam.

Before you pour custard into the ice cream maker add the tbs of corn syrup to the custard, pour into ice cream maker following manufacturers instruction. When it’s ready it will be the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Put half of the custard into a freezer container, drizzle some of the syrup over the ice cream (I used 1/4 cup) and using a bamboo skewer or butter knife, swirl into the ice cream. Put the other half of the ice cream on top of it and swirl more syrup. Freeze until it is a scoopable consistency.

Jun 26

12 Comments

Blackberry,Peach Ice Cream With a Hint of Basil

One of my favorite summer fruit pies is the combination of blackberries and peaches. I also really love blackberries with basil and I make a blackberry basil simple syrup that I use for drinks and as a flavoring in many sweet dishes. It’s been really hot here in NYC and my thoughts have turned to ice cream so I took my favorite pie and turned it into a frozen treat. I made a custard base, added some of the blackberry basil syrup before pouring into the ice cream maker and then some sweet ripe peaches that I got at the farmers market. It’s really delicious, you only get a hint of the basil, and I think it adds a depth of flavor to the ice cream that is wonderful. The syrup can be used to drizzle on the ice cream, make a shake or ice cream soda it’s very versatile.

Blackberry Basil Syrup

2 cups blackberries

1 cup + 2 tbs sugar

4 basil leaves

2/3 cup water

Add everything to a saucepan and bring to a boil, continue to boil for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes. Strain into a bowl pressing the blackberries so all that is left is seeds and a very small amount of pulp. Pour into a jar and refrigerate until cold. Overnight is best. Then you can proceed to clean the strainer removing every seed that is stuck in every tiny little whole.

Custard

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cup whole milk

5 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

Place heavy cream and milk into non reactive saucepan and scald. Add egg yolks and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk until thick and a lovely light yellow color. Add half of the hot liquid into the yolks whisking constantly (tempering the egg yolks) Pour back into the pan with the rest of the milk/cream, turn flame to med/high stir constantly until it becomes thick and coats the back of your spoon. You should be able to run your finger making a line on the back of the spoon that stays intact. If using a thermometer it should be 170 degrees.

Strain into bowl, cover with plastic directly on top of the custard and let it come to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight or until it reaches 40 degree’s or lower.

Making the Ice Cream

Cold custard

3/4 cup blackberry basil syrup

1 cup chopped peaches (peeled)

Mix the blackberry syrup with the custard and pour into ice cream maker, follow manufacturers instructions. When ice cream is the consistency of soft serve add the peaches and continue churning for a few more minutes or until it’s the right consistency.

Spoon into container and place in freezer for at least 2 hours or until it reaches a scoopable consistency.

Apr 3

12 Comments

Tiramisu With a Twist…Frozen and Deconstructed

Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts, this dessert has all the flavors in a different form, how can you resist the creamy, chocolatey, coffee goodness. I took this wonderful dessert and played with it creating a mascarpone gelato flavored with marsala wine, then made chocolate espresso madeleines, a recipe I adapted from the great Gale Gand,I made the recipe as written except that I added the powdered espresso, cut them in half filled with the gelato and served with a chocolate, espresso kahlua sauce. You can make the gelato the day before so it has time to freeze, the madeleines take only a short time to make. I feel its best to put these together when you will be serving. You can bag and freeze the madeleines that you do not use and play with the proportions for the chocolate espresso kahlua sauce making as much as you need.

Gelato:

Makes 1 quart

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

5 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs marsala wine

1 cup mascarpone at room temperature

Heat the cream and milk to scalding, beat egg yolks and sugar until they are thick and creamy and a beautiful light yellow color, slowly add half of the hot milk/cream whisking constantly (You are tempering the eggs) pour back into the pan with the rest of the hot milk and whisk together. Cook on medium heat stirring constantly until it reads 175 on the thermometer or until its thick and coats the back of a spoon.

Pour into a container and at this point you can do one of two things, refrigerate covered with plastic wrap that is resting directly on the custard or you can place in an ice bath to cool.

Once it is cooled add the vanilla and marsala, stir to combine. Whisk in the mascarpone until its smooth and there are no lumps.

Pour into ice cream maker following manufacturers instructions. When its the consistency of soft serve ice cream put in a container with a tight fitting lid and freeze until it’s scoopable.

Chocolate Espresso Madeleines:

Makes 2 dozen

1/2 cup, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, for buttering madeleine molds
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 cup cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tsp espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush madeleine pans well with 4 tablespoons softened butter; refrigerate 5 minutes.
In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt remaining 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Continue to cook until butter turns golden brown, being careful not to let the butter burn. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip eggs with granulated and brown sugars until light and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and stir on low speed until combined. Add vanilla and reserved browned butter; mix just until blended.
Insert a 1/2-inch plain tip into a pastry bag and fill with batter. Pipe mounds of batter into prepared pans until each mold is full, mounding batter in the center of the molds but not filling to the edge. Alternatively, you can use a teaspoon to fill the molds with batter. Bake until madeleines are firm and a little mound is puffed up in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Madeleines are best eaten the same day they are baked.

Chocolate Kahlua Espresso Sauce:

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbs kahlua liquor

2 tsp espresso powder

5 oz dark chocolate cut into small pieces

Heat cream and sugar until the sugar is melted. Remove from heat and stir in the espresso powder, kahlua and chocolate let sit for a minute or two and stir to combine. Spoon some of the chocolate sauce on a plate, lay the madeleine filled with gelato on top.