For the Thanksgiving holiday, I made Chocolate Ice Cream and Honey Thyme Ice Cream. Do you know how there are moments where you want everything to be perfect? Well, this is how I felt about debuting my ice cream to my family. Unfortunately, the ice cream was sub par. The flavors were good (which I guess counts the most), but the consistency was off. I have two theories on why this could be. The first is that I normally make small batches of ice cream and leave the ice cream churner in the freezer for about a week before churning my ice cream. As there were going to be 12 people at our Thanksgiving dinner, I needed to make much larger batches of ice cream. Since my ice cream churner holds only up to 2 quarts of ice cream at a time, I had to make the ice cream in batches over a couple days. As such, the ice cream churner was in the freezer for less than 24 hours at a time. This could have affected the texture of the ice cream. The second possibility is that my ice cream maker may be broken. It seemed like the actual churning part of the ice cream maker was not churning as much as it could be. I will keep experimenting over the next couple weeks to see which of these possibilities is more likely. If it is the ice cream maker, I will have to buy a new one, so be on the lookout for a blog about the pros and cons of different ice cream makers over the next couple weeks.
Despite all my ice cream woes, the ice cream was still a hit! The Honey Thyme Ice Cream was the favorite of the day, with no left-overs at all. I am so grateful that I could spend the day eating and being merry with such wonderful people and family. Instead of my usual ice cream recipe, I am posting a list.
The things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:
My husband
My family (parents, sister, extended family and in-laws)
My friends
My dog
Having a warm house to come home to everyday
Having enough food to eat
Living in peace
Having a job that allows me to pay the bills and put clothes on my back and still allows me time to pursue my other interests, such as ice cream making
Ice Cream
Running
Books
Origami
Travel
My life experiences
My education
Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.
Since I have been trying to improve the consistency of my ice cream, I decided to do a redo on my sweet cream ice cream. There were two reasons for this. First, sweet cream ice cream is a good base off of which to build other flavors. I want to make sure I have a base that both both tastes good AND has a good consistency, as I start to design other flavors. The second reason is that it was my husband's birthday and he loves sweet cream ice cream. Rather than making a cake, I decided to make some sweet cream ice cream. In order to gain a better consistency than I did my first time around, I turned to my trusted source, Bon Appetit magazine, and made sure to use plenty of egg yolks as stabilizers.
Sweet Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream (Courtesy of Bon Appetit)
1cup whole
milk
1/4cup sugar
Pinch of kosher
salt
1/2vanilla bean,
split lengthwise, or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
5large egg yolks
1/4cup sugar
1 1/2cups heavy cream
Combine cream,
milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean;
add pod or add vanilla extract. Bring mixture just to a simmer, stirring to
dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. If using vanilla bean, cover; let sit 30
minutes.
Whisk egg yolks
and sugar in a medium bowl until pale, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in ½
cup warm cream mixture. Whisk yolk mixture into remaining cream mixture. Cook
mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat a
wooden spoon, 2–3 minutes.
Strain custard into a
medium bowl set over a bowl of ice water; let cool, stirring occasionally.
Process custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer to an airtight container; cover. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours
and up to 1 week.
Note: In order to make the sweet cream ice cream, I left out the vanilla. My husband loved the ice cream. Sweet cream and Honey Thyme are competing for first place in his mind.
Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.
This weekend I was invited to a Vegetarian Thanksgiving Potluck at my friend's house. What did I bring? Ice cream, of course! Since it is Thanksgiving, I decided to try to be somewhat seasonal, especially as I would already be serving ice cream in November. I was slightly nervous about debuting my ice cream to a large group of people. So far, it has been primarily only my husband and I eating my ice cream. Still, I thought it would be a great opportunity to try and make a pumpkin flavored ice cream.
Alexander McCream Spiced Pumpkin Ice Cream (courtesy of epicurious)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
drop
of vanilla extract
Pour the milk and cream into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to steam but not boil.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Add 1/3 cup of the sugar and whisk until pale and slightly fluffy. Gradually and slowly, pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Return the mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat, stirring frequently, until the custard thinly coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not let boil.
Pour back into the bowl and set aside for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooled to room temperature. For more rapid chilling, fill a sink halfway with cold water and ice and place the bowl of mixture in it for 20 minutes. Never put the hot mixture into the refrigerator.
Put the pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla extract, remaining sugar into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add to the chilled custard and whisk well. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.
When the churning is completed, use a spoon or spatula to scrape the ice cream into a freezer-proof container with a lid. Freeze until it reaches the correct scooping texture (at least 2 hours).
I am not a huge pumpkin flavored person. I do not wait year around for the pumpkin latte season, but I thought this ice cream was pretty good. My husband said it reminded him of a pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks. More importantly, people other than my husband (who has to say my ice cream is good) actually thought it was good. One guest asked where the ice cream came from, as well as for seconds. I was proud to think that perhaps he had thought the ice cream was store bought. I would definitely rate this ice cream a success, so if you need a Thanksgiving dessert, it's not too late to try this one now.
Enjoy the pumpkin latte season everybody!
Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on!
Depending on your tastes, honey thyme ice cream may either sound like a complete disaster or a rather interesting culinary experience. I was in an adventurous mood, so I was leaning towards the later while bracing myself for the former. For once, my adventurous spirit paid off. Honey and Thyme is my favorite ice cream flavor yet.
Honey and Thyme Ice Cream (courtesy of Bon Appetit)
2cupsheavy whipping cream
1cupwhole milk
15large fresh thyme sprigs (I used dried thyme)
8(2 x 1/2-inch) strips lemon peel (yellow part only)
2large eggs
1/4cupsugar
1/2cuphoney
1/4teaspoonvanilla extract
Bring first 4 ingredients to boil in medium saucepan.
Remove from heat. Cover and let steep 2 hours.
Whisk eggs and sugar in medium bowl. Add honey to cream
mixture. Simmer over medium heat, stirring until honey dissolves. Gradually
whisk cream mixture into egg mixture. Return custard to same pan. Stir over
medium heat until custard thickens enough to coat spoon and thermometer reads
170°F to 175°F, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Strain into clean bowl; whisk in
vanilla. Cover; chill until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
Process custard in ice cream maker according to
manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to bowl, cover, and freeze until firm, at
least 3 hours and up to 3 days.
I loved this ice cream, as did my husband. He said it was favorite ice cream yet, even beating out the sweet cream ice cream. Believe me, this is no easy feat. It is so good that I have been requested to make it for Thanksgiving dinner, which will be the ultimate test of its tastiness. For those of you wondering what it tastes like, it reminds me vaguely of the Indian dessert, Gulab Jamun. Perhaps because there is honey in both dishes. If you are really curious about what it tastes like though, just make it. Words cannot do this ice cream justice.
Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.
Despite not blogging for awhile, I have actually been busy experimenting with ice cream making. Over this time, I have found egg yolks make a huge difference in the texture of an ice cream. They definitely act as a natural stabilizer (see my previous post on what a stabilizer is). As a result, the ice cream holds its consistency a little bit more and does not melt as fast. You need a minimum of two egg yolks and can often use as many as six egg yolks. In general, I would say the more egg yolks you use the better. Hence the blog title.
I have also found that Bon Appetit offers not only wonderful ice cream recipes, but wonderful ice cream making advice in general. For those of you seeking tips on improving your ice cream or just curious about the ice cream making process in general, I recommend checking out this article: Common Ice Cream Mistakes - And How To Avoid Them.
For my ice cream flavor this week, I made a Bon Appetit classic. You will notice it contains plenty of egg yolks and had a great consistency.
Brown Sugar Balsamic Swirl Ice Cream (courtesy of Bon Appetit)
1 1/2cupsheavy whipping cream
1 1/2cupswhole milk
3/4cup(packed) dark brown sugar, divided
6large egg yolks
1/2cupbalsamic vinegar
Combine heavy whipping cream, whole milk, and 1/2 cup
sugar in heavy large saucepan. Bring cream mixture to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Meanwhile, whisk yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in
large bowl until very thick, about 2 minutes.
Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture.
Return mixture to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until custard thickens and
thermometer inserted into custard registers 180°F, about 3 minutes (do not
boil). Strain custard into large bowl set over another bowl of ice and water.
Cool custard completely, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Cover and chill
overnight.
Boil balsamic vinegar in heavy small saucepan until
reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 6 minutes. Cool syrup in pan.
Process custard in ice cream maker according to
manufacturer's instructions. When ice cream is done, spoon in balsamic syrup
and churn 3 to 4 seconds longer to swirl. Transfer ice cream to container.
Cover and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.
I liked this ice cream. The vinegar was a nice balance for the sweetness of the brown sugar and the egg yolks gave the ice cream itself a great texture.
Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.
Last weekend was a busy one for my husband and I. We ran a half marathon in Staten Island and took my niece to an Aquarium in Connecticut. As such, there was little time for making ice cream (blasphemous, I know). I had originally wanted to make a flavor in honor of the Staten Island Half, but I could not think of anything that screamed Staten Island. If anybody has any suggestions for a Staten Island flavor, I would be happy to hear them.
For this week, I decided to go in a different direction. I made two ice creams flavor to make up for having no ice cream last week. The first flavor I made is not exactly an ice cream, but a sorbet (close enough).
I made lemon sorbet (this was a special request from my husband, who wanted something fruity). The lemon sorbet came out quite well, I thought. It reminded me of the Italian ices I used to have as a kid, but better.
Lemon Sorbet:
Ingredients:
3 cups granulated sugar
3 cups water
2 1/4 cups lemon juice
Directions:
Bring the sugar and water to boil in a pot over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. When cool, add the lemon juice. Churn in ice cream maker and freeze over night before serving.
The other ice cream flavor I made was Coffee Butter Almond Ice Cream. I had high hopes for this ice cream, but alas, it did not come out so well. I ended up throwing the batch away.
One thing I have noticed since embarking on this project is that although many of the flavors come out quite well, I have struggled with the consistency or texture of my ice cream. When scooped into a bowl, my homemade ice cream tends to melt very fast. I have followed all the usual guidelines, always freezing my ice cream churner for at least 24 hours in advance and allowing the batter to sit in the fridge for 24 hours before churning it. Nonetheless, the ice cream seems to turn soupy very quickly.
I did some research online and found that most commercial ice creams that are bought in a store contain what are called "stabilizers" that prevent the ice cream from crystallizing and help make the ice cream firmer. The water in milk and the fat in cream tend to separate (something I have noticed with my ice creams when I allow them to sit in the fridge). The stabilizers prevent this separation from taking place and make for a more solid ice cream. In other words, stabilizers are like a bonding agent or glue for food. As you may have guessed, stabilizers are not natural. Many of the stabilizers used in commercial ice creams include: guar gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum and locust bean gum. There are debates as to how harmful these stabilizers are. Some claim not at all and others claim they are toxic. It all depends on the research you want to believe. I am not well versed enough in science and the ingredients in stabilizers to know which side is right in this debate. My personal bias though is that real food, even unhealthy real food, is always better than fake food, especially fake unhealthy food. As such, I would like to avoid using commercial stabilizers in my ice cream. I did do some research into natural stabilizers, however, and found that egg yolks are often used as stabilizers. In the chocolate ice cream recipe I made and loved, I used a lot of egg yolks. I also thought the texture of this ice cream was the most ice cream like. As such, I will be using recipes with a lot of egg yolks in them from now on.
The other thing I found out in my research is that sugar, like alcohol, does not freeze. Sugar, however, does dissolve. This is the reason that many ice cream recipes call for dissolving the sugar in milk over heat before making the ice cream. I strongly recommend doing this and perhaps heating the sugar and milk for a couple extra moments to make sure the sugar has really dissolved. Good luck!
Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.
Recently, the UN launched a gender-equality campaign called He For She. The campaign was announced by the UN Women's Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson. For those of you who don't know, Emma Watson is the actress who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies.
I understand and even share at times the skepticism that surrounds celebrity political causes. I also understand the critiques that it should not take a young and attractive female actress to bring attention to the cause of feminism,which promotes valuing women as individuals and not for their youth and beauty. Nonetheless, I think Emma Watson's speech is a fairly good one. As Ms. Watson stresses, feminism is "the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes." At a time when our society has become increasingly polarized and feminism has become wrapped up in negative connotations, He For She is a campaign that is meant to bring people together to recognize and celebrate our common humanity as both men and women. It is a shame that we need a celebrity to bring attention to the issue of gender inequality, but if Emma Watson's celebrity status can bring about a positive change for gender equality, then this is a good thing.
If you have not had a chance to see Emma Watson's speech, you can watch it below:
As a supporter of gender equality and a fan of Harry Potter, I decided to make an ice cream flavor that I associate with Emma Watson's role as Hermione Granger. That flavor, of course, is butterbeer (a popular drink in the Harry Potter books). I had wanted to make a butterbeer ice cream anyway, so this seemed like the perfect excuse to do it.
As I began to do some internet research on what butterbeer ice cream might include, I came across a vast number of websites that had already created their own butterbeer. Many people were engaged in arguments about which butterbeer recipe was most authentic, which I found ironic given that butterbeer is fictional, and thus no one has a better basis for claiming their recipe is more authentic than another. Nonetheless, I found this recipe, which I picked because it sounded tasty. I also added some of my own modifications.
Butterscotch Sauce:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp water
3 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp heavy cream
In a small saucepan combine dark brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in butter, vinegar, salt and heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, put mixture in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 - 4 hours.
Ice Cream Base:
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cream soda
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Whisk milk and sugar together until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir in cream soda, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Once everything is thoroughly mixed together, cover and refrigerate for 2 - 4 hours.
Once the ingredients are cold, mix the butterscotch and ice cream base together. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn for 20 - 30 minutes.
This ice cream definitely tastes better after it has been in the freezer for a day or two. It has a strong butterscotch flavor, which I enjoy. I particularly like to imagine that I am sitting in Hogsmeade enjoying butterbeer with all my friends from Hogwarts. It makes the ice cream taste even better.
Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.
