another cinnamon ice cream

I've made plenty of cinnamon ice cream and this isn't much different. But there are chopped up oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

I add about 1 tablespoon of cinnamon per pint of base. Maybe some nutmeg or pumpkin pie spices if you're into that. Or some cayenne (<---I'm into that). Also, it's that time of year. Yes: eggnog time. So, maybe add eggnog too (think: thick custard, tasty, well-spiced...almost an ice cream base on its own).
My friends (all 2 of them) and I make cookies when we are relaxing at our parents’ homes. Since reaching cookie saturation two nights ago, I felt it appropriate to realize the potential of the already toasted, spiced, chocolate-laden oatmeal. So, after a quick chop and some lazy handfuls of cookie remnants, the ice cream was done. It's good.

peanut butter cookies and peanut butter cookie dough ice cream

Which came first: George Washington Carver or Cookie Dough tubes? In an effort to forget that question, I stumbled on this idea. Why not make cookie dough ice cream out of cookies other than chocolate chip? So, here's peanut butter dough. Maybe there will be cranberry white chocolate oatmeal dough at some point? Who knows? I do.

But anyways, nothing like pulling a batch of peanut butter cookies out of the oven late at night. Though I omitted those lovable fork marks, I'm confident enough in their taste and my ability to crumble any discernable marks while mixing into peanut butter ice cream base. Oh, and there will be 72% chocolate chunks. Nice touch, I thought.

I used Jiff peanut butter for the recipe. I know, I should have used my already open jar of natural nuttiness, but I was a afraid of the effects of a mass oil spill in my ice cream. Maybe I could emulsified (using an egg as a tool for combining the oil and water-based milk) the peanut butter into the base at the custard stage, but I'm still skeptical. There's nothing like a gooey, spreadable ice cream to remind you of failure.

I'm waking up 20 minutes early tomorrow to finish the ice cream. Too much demand for such a small machine (the ice cream machine). Too little time for such a small machine (the ice cream maker).

BERRY CHIP ICE CREAM

It's been awhile since my last post. Lots of school and work. Luckily there's always a weekend of cooking and relaxing to look forward to. I'd never done a berry flavored base before, so I took this opportunity and a bag of unclaimed mixed berries and created what would become a reliable crowd pleaser.

BERRY CHIP ICE CREAM
:: 2 c ice cream base
:: 16 oz whole frozen mixed berries
:: 3/4 c brown sugar
:: 1/4-1/2 c water
:: 2 oz chopped white chocolate
:: 2 oz shaved dark chocolate

- bring, water, berries, and brown sugar to simmer.
- mash while in saucepan and reduce to thick syrup.
- push berries through sieve to remove seeds.
- chill berry syrup and add to ice cream base before mixing.
- mix in chocolate toward end of freezing.

A bright purple/pink vibe and creamy texture well versed by chocolate. Really smooth and fresh tasting and without too much chocolate. I'll be making more of this (or a variation) soon.

Ginger Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

In honor of my OldMan, known to buy anything ginger. He's visiting on Sunday and I know he's been looking forward to some homemade happiness. This was my first venture into ginger ice cream. I used some strong ginger stuff from Trader Joe that I usually use with toast. Though I'll definitely add more next time, it's a good start.

GINGER CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM
::3 T traderJoe's Spreadable Ginger
::3 oz chopped dark chocolate (the darker the better)
::2 c ice cream base

-Chill ginger and whisk into ice cream base.
-Put in ice cream machine
-Vary-chop (=non uniform, for lots of different textures) the chocolate. Heating the chocolate a few seconds in the microwave helps knife flow (thanks for the tip Stacerella of chickybandita.com)
-Add chocolate about 2/3 way into churning.

As I said earlier, more ginger (probably about 4-5 Tbs. But it's still great. It's like eating chocolate covered crystallized ginger. Nice.

I haven't given myself camera access recently, but some photos will emerge...eventually. sorry about that

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

School and work have been taking most of my time. All my time. At least, until 12pm Friday, when I unwind with some cooking, baking, and churning. It's good.

Like mashed candied sweet potatoes, but ice cream. Without the toasted marshmallows (although if I had a little butane torch, it would be awesome to serve toasted mini-mallows atop the frozen orange deliciousness).

Sweet Potato Ice Cream
::1 sweet potato
::1/2 c maple syrup
::1/4 c cream
::6 T butter
::cinnamon
::salt
::vanilla
::2 c ice cream base

-Peel, quarter, and score sweet potatoe before roasting with 2 Tbs butter, salt, and a little maple at 400 until tender.
-Mash/whip potatoes with cinnamon, cream, vanilla, and remaining syrup and butter.
-Let mixture cool and mix with ice cream base before freezing in machine.

This turned out really well. It's sort of like sweet potato pie or my grandmas sweet potato casserole. In fact, next time I'm planning on some graham cracker crust, maybe some toasted marshemallows.

Banana Bread Ice Cream

It's really good. Inspired by last week's mini-batches, this flavor is a worthy translation of a fresh baked loaf of banana goodness. Though I omitted roasted nuts, I couldn't pass up chocolate chunks. And that oat/granola glaze I put on top my loafs: that's in there too.

BANANA BREAD ICE CREAM
::2.5 c milk
::2 c cream
::5 egg yolks
::salt
::vanilla
::2T cinnamon
::1 ripe banana (finely cut)
::.5 lb dark chocolate (coarsely chopped)

- Mix yolks, sugar, salt
- Slowly whisk in scalded milk
- Return to heat until custard thickens
- Add cream and chill
- Add cinnamon and vanilla before placing in ice cream maker.
- Add banana about 2/3 way into churning
- Layer/Top with oat mixture (recipe below)

OAT TOPPING
-Mix cup oats, 1/2 c sugar(preferably brown), 4T melted butter, salt, vanilla, cinnamon.
-Bake @350 for about 20 minutes, until crisped.

Great combination of flavors and textures. Maybe a little more chocolate next time, but maybe not. Nothing was overpowering or too subtle. Just good.
-Place in freezer and break up before adding to ice cream.

Banana ice cream. Cinnamon ice cream. One base: two flavors

Whenever you have a small chunk of time (maybe less than 20 minutes) make batch of simple ice cream base. It will stay for about a week in a cold fridge, save you time making it, and the low temperature will produce great, smooth results.

ICE CREAM BASE (makes 4.5 cups)
::2.5 cups milk
::1.5 cups cream
::5 egg yolks
::1.5 cups sugar
::salt

- Mix yolks with sugar and a dash of salt.
- Slowly whisk in scalded milk.
- Return to heat and thicken custard.
- Take off heat, add cream, cool.

It's really easy, really thick, really great results. I made small pint batches using 1.5-1.75 cups base depending on mix-ins.



BANANA ICE CREAM
- 1/2 banana, minced and sprinkled with salt and cinnamon.

CINNAMON ICE CREAM
- 1.5 tbs cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cayenne.

Both of these came out awesome, and because I was using so little base, it only took about 15 minutes in the mixer. Now I'll make a batch of these combined...BANANA BREAD ICE CREAM...it's coming soon

banana ice cream

One of the first ice creams I made two summers ago was french banana (french vanilla & banana). Partially for originality and partially due to my mother's deathly banana allergy, I've stayed away from the flavor. But it's so good and I'm excited to have recently re-discovered it. And there are so many additions that can be made to the base or as mix-ins.

BANANA ICE CREAM
::2 cups milk
::2 cups sugar
::2 cups cream
::4 egg yolks (at least)
::1 ripe banana
::salt
::cinnamon

- Beat yolk with sugar and dash of salt
- Slowly whisk in scalded milk
- Heat until custard forms
- Mix in cream and cool
- Finely slice banana and sprinkle with salt and cinnamon
- Add bananas to ice cream maker with about 10 minutes left.

For this batch I mixed in a simple fudge of semi-sweet chocolate, butter, cream, and salt. Next time I may fold in some peanut butter (thinned/lightened with whipped in simple syrup) or add a little butter to the base or use extra egg yolks. Or add chopped roasted nuts or fresh berries or oatmeal cookie chunks. Or use bananas flambéed or roasted with your favorite spices.

Really delicious, not overpowered with bananas. Summer.

Caramel Chocolate Cashew Ice Cream

My response to a request from Stacerella: "yummy chocolate chunk, whole cashew ice cream". I'm always up for a challenge. I used a caramel base, 85% cocoa Lindt chocolate, salt and sesame roasted cashews. Great.



CARMEL CHOCOLATE CASHEW ICE CREAM
::1.5c sugar
::2c milk
::4 egg yolks
::2c heavy whipping cream
::sesame roasted cashews (recipe below)
::85%cocoa Lindt chocolate bar

-Melt sugar in saucepan on medium/high and stir until browned (take off heat before desired brownness and continue stirring)
-Slowly add scalded milk. Carmel will harden up, so return to heat and mix until dissolved in milk (may take a while)
-Beat egg yolks with a dash of salt.
-Whisk milk with egg and return to heat until custard forms.
-Add cream and chill.
-Freeze in ice cream machine.
-Toward end of cycle, add cashews and chocolate (shaved, or chunks)

SESAME ROASTED CASHEWS
::1c whole cashews (raw, unsalted)
::sesame oil
::salt
-Lightly coat cashews in oil.
-Sprinkle with salt
-Place under broiler, stirring every minute or two until browned.
-Freeze before using with ice cream.

Yeah, this is a great batch to break in my new house. I served across the street at a potluck and it was a hit. The sesame cashews are excellent with the ice cream and even better just from the oven. The chocolate was nice and bitter: a good contrast to sweet caramel and salty cashew.

chocolate fudge cheesecake ice cream

It's been a while since my last post. On the 17th I moved out of my apartment, forcing me to pack my pantry and forgo a week long exercise in nomadic living. This also involved my parents taking my ice cream machine for a week to lure me home for a few days of visiting and laboring.

My mother's request: Chocolate cheesecake. And, due to her high chocolate demands, the addition for bittersweet fudge became apparent, indeed: naturally delicious.



CHOCOLATE FUDGE CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM (for 1.5 quarts)
:: 4 egg yolks
:: 8oz cream cheese
:: 1.5 cups brown sugar
:: half-a-lemon's juice
:: salt
:: 2 cups milk
:: 1 cup chocolate
:: 1 cup cream

- Mix egg yolks, cream cheese, brown sugar,lemon juice, salt
- Mix chocolate (either cocoa or bittersweet chips, whichever your mother forces you to add more of) with milk and scald mixture.
- Slowly whisk in milk to egg mixture and return to heat.
- Mature custard and take off heat.
- Add 1 cup cream and cool.
- Add vanilla (or possibly other flavors: maybe raspberry, peanut butter, caramel, tastiness, etc.)and use ice cream machine.
- Layer finished ice cream with fudge (recipe below) before ripening in freezer.

REALLY QUICK EXPERIMENTAL FUDGE #4
- Melt 1/2 cup semi-sweet (or bittersweet) over a double boiler or saucepan on low heat.
- Add a little oil, salt, cream (sweetened condensed milk would work), vanilla (toward end)

"This is one of the best ice creams I've ever had"-mom
"I don't like cheesecake too much, and this is an accurate rendition"-dad
"Lots of chocolate. Very rich"-everyone

Needless to say, it was a success. I've pretty much nailed down a good cheesecake base now. I've done the chocolate and pumpkin, and will probably try something a little more subtle next time it's used. Maybe raspberry with chocolate chunks.

A side note: inquire your local cheese monger regarding Humboldt Fog. A goat-lover's dream. Creamy, tangy, smooth.

rice pudding ice cream

Rice pudding, that wonderful dish. Thick and thin, buttery with cinnamon, or fresh with flower essence. All good. I'd come up with this idea about a month ago, maybe longer. I intended to preserve the flavor and (relatively) texture of one dessert in another, more chilled creation.

RICE PUDDING ICE CREAM
- Heat 3 cups milk with 1/4 cup white rice, simmering about 30 minutes, until rice is nearly tender.
- Mix 4 egg yolks with 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey (heating honey allows for quicker, more accurate measuring). RESERVE EGG WHITES
- Slowly stir in milk/rice with sweet eggs.
- Bring back to heat until custard thickens.
- Mix in 1.5 cups cream.
- Beat egg whites to soft peaks (or more, I had to whisk by hand, which proved tiring, inefficient, and only yielded soft peaks)
- Stir/fold the whites into the custard and chill.
- Add 2 tablespoons ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER before running through machine.

This was awesome. It's cold, smooth, fresh, and undeniably rice pudding-ish. The texture of the frozen rice feels great and chewy during a brief moment of pre-swallowing enjoyment.

I had been hoping to add some pistachios, perhaps a touch of cardamom, but those will have to wait for the next batch. And though I'm interested in trying a buttery, cinnamon version, it will be hard to veer away from the fragrant blossom scent.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream

I designed this ice cream last December for a potluck. I decided the Thanksgiving potluck was the correct venue for revival. It was the first ice cream recipe I wrote down, and let me just say: It's so much simpler making ice cream with a recipe than on a whim. After collecting ingredients, the base sort of just jumped together.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM
- Cream 8oz cream cheese with 1.5 cups sugar.
- Mix in 4 eggs, salt, and half-a-lemon juice.
- Slowly whisk in 2 cups scalded milk.
- Bring together custard on low heat
- Cool at least 4 hours.
- Mix in 1 can pumpkin pulp, the kind you use to make pumpkin bread and pie... but NOT PUMPKIN PIE IN A CAN, unless you want extra sweetness, spices, etc.

I usually would add more spices, flavors, and textures (might I say: graham cracker crust?), but this was being served with apple pie, so I let the pumpkin speak for itself. And it did, loudly, with a bright orange smile.



Enjoy

rich chocolate ice cream

A handful of days ago, I was craving a warm mug of warm beverage. With ingredients on hand (cocoa, brown sugar, salt, instant coffee, Bailey's) I heated up a tasty cup. Inspired, I was eager to freeze the flavors.

RICH CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
- mix 5 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 cup cocoa, and 1.5 cups packed brown sugar.
- slowly whisk in 2 cups of scalded milk
- bring custard into its own, and remove from heat.
- add 2 cups whipping cream

The combination of chocolate and coffee: always great. Brown sugar adds a more full flavor than regular, granular sugar. And the extra salt highlights everything. Addictive indeed.

white chocolate mocha

Inspired by a "White Chocolate Soy Mocha" from Primo coffee, a new joint on the corner of Liberty and 5th. The drink was so good that I needed to eat it, frozen, with a spoon.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOCHA ICE CREAM
- Slowly heat 2.5 cups milk and add 1 cup white chocolate chips and mix until melted.
- Add 1/4 cup hot water to 5-6 teaspoons instant coffee then mix into milk.
- Beat 5 egg yolks with less than 1 cup sugar.
- Slowly mix in hot milk with eggs and bring back to heat.
- Take off heat once custard coats the spoon/spatula.
- Mix in 1.5 cups heavy cream, chill, add tablespoon vanilla mix in maker.

This was the dessert of the potluck. I made the base while the chicken was in the oven, so I couldn't let it chill over night, but the results were still excellent. Most people have not ejoyed truly fresh ice cream, so my friends were amazed at the results as I passed spoonfulls around from the unripened flavor.

Next time: more white, less coffee, more vanilla, less milk, more cream

vanilla ice cream, blueberry sauce

Every once in a while a batch of fresh and creamy vanilla ice cream hits the spot (many spots, actually)

- Scald 2 cups milk (scald = some steam and small bubbles around the sauce pan's edge)
- Wisk 1 cup sugar with 4-5 egg yolks
- Slowly stir in hot milk with eggs
- Return to heat until custard is thickened (custard should hold to back of spoon/utensil). MAKE SURE NOT TO OVER HEAT THE CUSTARD! IF THE EGGS START SEPARATING, REMOVE FROM HEAT AND RUN MIX THROUGH STRAINER.
- Remove from heat, mix in 2 cups heavy cream.
- Cool overnight, at least 4-6 hours
- Before freezing in maker, add 2 tablespoons vanilla extract.

This was a good batch. I like eating homemade ice cream best after about 3 hours of ripening (setting in freezer), while it's still somewhat soft.
I prefer the flavor of real vanilla bean, but, seeing that I had to borrow my vanilla extract from the neighbors, a bean was out of the question.



Also....BLUEBERRY SAUCE
- mix 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 3/4-1 cup water, 3/4-1 cup brown sugar, half-a-lemon juice
- allow to bubble for 10-15 minutes, until thoroughly combined/reduced.

This is a really quick easy sauce that compliments the ice cream well. Any frozen fruit will work. Maybe combine your favorite fruits, even adding in fresh herbs/spices after taking off the heat (lemon blueberry thyme?)

a new age of GELATO

It’s been a week since my new Gelato machine arrived and it’s just produced its first, righteous batch.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY
Base
- mix 4 egg yolks with 1 cup sugar and slowly mix in 1 cup tempered milk
- bring back to low-medium heat and stir frequently until it coats the spoonula ( if kept on the heat too long custard will start separating…shame)
- after sitting to near room temp, mix in 1.5 cups cream
- chill throughout the day or overnight
Raspberry
- 1 cup frozen raspberries (frozen is more consistent quality, and cheaper than fresh…but, if in season fresh, local is always preferred. Also, buy fresh berries in bulk and freeze them for off-season recipes)
- add 1/4 cup water and simmer/boil until reduced
- chill
Chocolate
- 1 cup semisweet chips and 1/2 cup cream
- will become hard in fridge. Bring back to soft consistency by sitting out or in microwave for 30 seconds.

mix Base, Raspberry, Chocolate together in then add to maker
should make about 1/2 gallon

Finished the batch this morning and it’s great. Subtle chocolaty (more can be added) and sweet/tangy raspberry flavor.

peaches and too much cream

I made a quart of peach ice cream. Used a 2:1 cream:milk ratio for the base...neadless to say it tastes as buttery as it sounds.

Base
- Scald 1 cup Milk (2%)
- Lightly beat 4 egg yolks with just under 1 cup sugar
- Slowly beat scalded milk into yolk/sugar
- Cook until thick on low/medium heat
- Let cool a little and mix in 2 cups cream
Can be stored in fridge for some days

Peaches
- Peel and cube 3 large, white peaches
- Mix with 1/2 cup sugar and half-a-lemons juice in a saucepan
- Leave it on medium heat until thick
- at some point: pulverize with potato mashing device

Just before adding to machine, mix base and peaches (also the time to add other flavors (ie:vanilla))

Next time a 1:2 ratio...we'll see

for now: eating it 3 spoonfuls at a time