Nutmeg Ice Cream

This was quite good as an accompaniment to various Thanksgiving desserts (apple pie, chocolate cake, pears & caramel sauce). Kara said that it “wasn’t refreshing,” and it was eggy, both of which were due, I think, to it having egg whites in addition to egg yolks, so it seemed lighter and fluffier then most ice cream recipes.

From Epicurious:

1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan bring the milk and the cream just to a boil. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, the sugar, the nutmeg, the salt, and the vanilla, whisk 1/2 cup of the milk mixture into the egg mixture, and whisk the mixture into the remaining milk mixture. Cook the custard over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula, until it registers 175°F. on a candy thermometer. Transfer the custard to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir it until it is cold. Freeze the custard in an ice-cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes about 1 quart.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Good but not outstanding. The recipe was a little strange because it didn’t ask for cooking the custard at all. Instead you mix the egg yolks for a long time, which makes them frothy & thick. However, it seemed thin both before and after its ice cream machine time, so I thought it would ice as it froze, but it was creamy.

From Martha Stewart:

1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Milk Caramel
1 cinnamon stick
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canned solid-packed pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Bring milk, cream, milk caramel, and cinnamon stick to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Remove from heat. Cover, and let stand 30 minutes. Return to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; discard cinnamon stick. Set aside.

2. Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Put yolks and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until pale and thick, about 4 minutes.

3. With machine running, add hot milk mixture in a slow, steady stream. Add pumpkin and vanilla, and beat until combined. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl set in the ice-water bath. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

4. To make ice cream sandwiches, smear ice cream between gingerbread cookies just before serving.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Best ice cream I’ve made thus far. 5 stars.

From The New York Times Magazine 

3/4 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
2 cups cream, preferably organic
2 cups whole milk
10 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel, plus more for serving.

1. Place 3/4 cup sugar and the corn syrup in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Do not stir. Cook over medium-high heat to a dark caramel, swirling as it begins to brown to distribute the sugar. Deglaze with the cream; then slowly add the milk. The caramel will harden. Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring, just until the caramel has dissolved.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar, yolks and fleur de sel. Whisk a little caramel cream into the egg mixture to temper, pour the egg mixture into the remaining caramel cream and mix. Strain the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve. Cool completely, preferably overnight, then freeze in an ice-cream maker.

3. Serve with the warm cakes and sprinkle both with fleur de sel. Makes about 1 quart. Adapted from Nicole Kaplan at Eleven Madison Park, New York.

Honey Lavender Ice Cream

Delicious and subtle. Much better then its competition, Martha’s Honey Lavender, which was much too sweet.

From Epicurious:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon dried lavender leaves (pesticide-free)
5 large egg yolks
5 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Benedictine liqueur

Bring cream, half-and-half, and lavender just to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Pour through a fine sieve into a measuring cup. Whisk together yolks, honey, and Benedictine in a bowl, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Pour custard into pan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and a thermometer registers 175°F (do not let boil).

Pour custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and cool. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 2 hours.

Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

Sweet Corn Gelato

Too much corn flavor & really starchy; sort of overwhelming. Denis at Otto said to use corn from a particular vendor at the Union Square Farmer’s Market – and possibly it was actually frozen or dried corn? Sadly, I can’t remember. I might also try it again with less soaking time and fewer kernels.

From AM New York and Otto:

Serves 6 (makes approximately 5 cups)

To get the ultimate flavor, purchase freshly picked sweet white corn, available at local farmers markets. A more starchy golden corn will not yield as good a gelato.

Ingredients:
2 ears sweet corn
1 quart milk
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
11⁄2 cups sugar
8 egg yolks
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
1. Slice the corn kernels off the cobs, and break the cobs into 3-4 pieces.
2. Place the cob pieces and the kernels in a heavy bottomed saucepan with the milk, and bring to a simmer.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, and steep for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the cob pieces, and use an immersion stick or a blender to break up the milk-kernel mixture.
5. Pass the mixture through a coarse sieve, reserving the milk, and discard the corn mush.
6. Bring the milk, the heavy cream and 1⁄2 the sugar to a simmer in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
7. Whisk the remaining sugar, the egg yolks and the salt in a metal bowl. Slowly add some of the hot milk to the yolks, whisking constantly to slowly warm the eggs.
8. Add the tempered yolks to the saucepan over low heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the mixture thickens slightly.
9. Remove the pan from the heat, and strain the custard into a bowl. Chill immediately by placing the bowl in a slightly larger bowl filled with ice, stirring quickly to promote fast, even cooling.
10. Store the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, then process it in the ice-cream maker of your choice.

Vanilla Ice Cream

First expiriment with the new ice cream maker. This recipe seemed fine; the custard smelled great as it was cooking, but I curdled it by mixing up the “stir occasionally” portion of the instructions with the “stir constantly” bit, and also not realizing that the vital thing is not to let the custard boil. Next time will be better!

Better the second time.

From Martha Stewart
Makes 1 1/2 quarts

2 vanilla beans
2 cups milk
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups very cold heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Split vanilla beans lengthwise with a sharp paring knife. Gently scrape out all the seeds.

2. Place vanilla-bean scrapings and pods in a medium saucepan with milk. Scald the mixture, cover, and remove from heat. Let steep for 30 minutes.

3. Combine egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat at medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. Alternatively, whisk together in a medium bowl.
4. Return milk to stove, and bring just to a simmer. Using a measuring cup or ladle, slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot-milk mixture into the egg-yolk mixture, whisking constantly on low speed until blended. Keep adding milk mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, until it has all been added. Whisk until combined.
5. Pour mixture back into saucepan, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. The custard should retain a line drawn across the back of the spoon with your finger.
6. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Remove pan from heat, and immediately stir in chilled cream to stop the custard from cooking. Pour through a mesh sieve into a medium bowl set in the ice bath, and stir occasionally until cooled. (Discard vanilla-bean pod and strained seeds.) Stir vanilla extract into cooled custard. Cover bowl, and transfer to refrigerator until chilled, at least 30 minutes or overnight.
7. Pour custard into an ice-cream maker, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Churn until the ice cream is just set, but not hard.
8. Transfer soft ice cream to an airtight plastic container; freeze at least 4 hours and up to 1 week.

White Pepper Ice Cream

I didn’t love the white pepper flavor. Also it was too was too icy, although that was probably my fault. Anyway, not great.

From the food network :

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
9 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, half-and-half, and vanilla bean. Whisk in the white pepper and stir the mixture occasionally to make sure it does not scorch on the bottom. When the mixture reaches a simmer (do not let it boil), turn off the heat. Set aside to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.

Whisking constantly, slowly pour the still-hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. At 160 degrees F, the mixture will give off a puff of steam. When the mixture reaches 180 degrees F, it will be thickened and creamy, like eggnog. If you do not have a thermometer, test it by dipping the wooden spoon into the mixture. Run your finger down the back of the spoon. If the stripe remains clear, the mixture is ready; if the edges blur, the mixture is not quite thick enough. When it is ready, quickly remove it from the heat.

Half-fill a large bowl with ice water. Strain the mixture into a smaller bowl to smooth it and remove the vanilla bean. Rest the smaller bowl in the ice water and let the mixture cool, stirring often, then continue according to the directions of your ice cream maker.