Ice cream & Sorbet recipes and tips

[LEdlund]

Tell me about the peach preserves in the recipe: Can you taste it? How does it change the consistancy? What do you think would happen if I left them out?

[Busboy]

I was fortunate to get a piece published in recently on making ice creams and sorbets. It's no longer available for free on the Post website (though well worth the $1.75 it costs to fetch it from the archives) (maybe) but, if you'd like, I can probably e-mail it through e-gullet or possibly post it here somehow. In the mean time, here's one of the recipe's they didn't print. It's probably slightly complicated for a first atempt, but once you get a creme anglais down (or if you already have it down) it's pretty simple.

Lavender-Mascarpone Ice Cream with Poached Fruit

Voltaire said: “ice cream is exquisite – what a pity it isn’t illegal.” If the food police have their way, though, the following recipe may well end up banned. Until then, enjoy the richest – and yet most delicately flavored – recipe I know. Serving sizes can be adjusted down.

For the ice cream:

5 large eggs yolks (6 if using organic eggs, which usually run smaller)

250 gm container mascarpone

1 cup Milk

½ cup cream

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup honey

1 sprig fresh lavender

1 tsp vanilla

Mix milk and cream, add lavender, and bring to a boil. Taste the mixture occasionally as it heats – lavender varies in intensity and can easily overwhelm the ice cream. As soon as the flavor becomes distinct, but still understated, remove the lavender.

While the milk-cream mixture is heating, beat sugar and honey into the egg yolks until the sugar dissolves.

Pour the boiling milk/cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking as you do. Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir continuously over low heat or a double boiler until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, or reaches 170 degrees. This may take 10-15 minutes.

Pour into a bowl set in an ice bath and chill to room temperature.

Whisk the mascarpone in until fully blended.

Strain the mixture into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Freeze according to your machine’s manufacturer’s instructions, scoop into a chilled bowl and place in the freezer 1-2 hours to harden.

Yield: 6 servings (about 3 cups)

For the poached fruit:

1 bottle fruity white wine

3/4 cup sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

2 whole cloves

2 partially ripened pears or other fruit, pealed and halved

Combine all ingredients save the fruit in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

Add the fruit, simmer gently until fruit softens to taste.

Remove from heat, allow fruit to sit in the liquid until serving time. Reheat gently if desired.

[JohnnyH]

I have a recommendation for a recipe.

I like to make homemade ice cream on summer holidays (using the old-fashioned outdoor ice cream maker) and have been searching for a great vanilla ice cream recipe that didn't include eggs.  I'd tried many cooked egg-based recipes but was disappointed since they all seemed to come out tasting like vanilla pudding.  I tried non-cooked egg ice cream recipes and stopped making them when I found bits of frozen yolk on the paddle.

But I found a winner:  This past July 4th, I downloaded Alton Brown's "Serious Vanilla Ice Cream" from the FoodNetwork web site and was ecstatic with the results.  There are no eggs in the recipe.  It's a little pricey since it does call for a real vanilla bean, but it was worth every penny.  You heat the mixture until it reaches 170°.  Then let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate it overnight before churning.

The end result was a smooth, light and very intense vanilla ice cream, almost as if you had blended whip cream with vanilla ice cream.  A sensuous soft serve ice cream, if you will.  You're supposed to let it "ripen" (harden) in the freezer but I thought it lost a lot of its charm once it was frozen.

You can find the recipe here:

Alton Brown's "Serious Vanilla Ice Cream"

Thanks for the heads up on this. We just got an ice cream maker also, and have kind of crapped out on the three batches we've made so far.

[Toliver]

Tell me about the peach preserves in the recipe: Can you taste it? How does it change the consistancy? What do you think would happen if I left them out?

Ah, if you omitted the preserves then you'd miss the joy of science in the ice cream...at least, according to Alton Brown:

Transcript of Alton Brown's "Churn Baby Churn" episode

Click on the above link and then scroll down to the text box just above SCENE 4. In it he explains why he added the preserves in the first place.

No, you cannot taste the peach preserves in the final ice cream. Did it really change the consistency of the final recipe? I have no idea. I just know that the final outcome was a whipped, creamy concoction of some delicious "serious" vanilla ice cream.

If you do decide to follow the recipe (and I would recommend doing so the first time just so you have a proverbial "yardstick" to measure with), be aware that any pieces of peach from the preserves that find their way into the ice cream won't dissolve away when cooked. If they bother you, just strain the mixture with a sieve, after cooking it, as you pour it into your ice cream maker's canister to remove any remaining chunks of fruit. We ended up serving the ice cream on my Mom's hot, freshly made peach cobbler so it was a moot point anyway!

Oh, and I doubled the ice cream recipe for my outdoor canister, which holds 4 quarts, and it still didn't make it up to the "Fill" line. I went ahead and let it churn a little longer than I should have until the ice cream touched the inside of the top of the lid. I'm sure the extra added air in the final volume added to the sinful sumptuousness of the ice cream.

[gsquared]

Having an ice cream machine, it is just plain crazy to allow the summer to wilt away without making fruit ices, given the abundance of soft fruit. Here is one (courtesy of Hal McGee's tables)

Sweet Mango fruit ice:

Cut up ripe mangos into smallish pieces and put in a blender. Blend, adding a tablespoon or two water to get the process going.

To each 1.5 cups of mango, add 9 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. The sugar may seem excessive, but trust the HM table- the ice will seem much less sweet on the palate once frozen, and will remain beautifully scoopable even after days in the freezer.

Churn.

This was the first fruit ice I tried in my Gelato, and since then I have been hooked. Winter down here, though, so we wait........

[Clerkenwellian]

thank you all for the suggestions.

Unfortunately my first attempt at using the thing was a dismal failure: instead of strawberry icecream I ended up with cold strawberry milkshake. I suspect the freezer isn't cold enough, but have stuck a thermometer in and will check later.

Has anyone else had any difficulties using the Magimix Glacier thingy?

[gsquared]

Is the Magimix one of those that you put the container in the freezer? If so, was it in there for long enough - 10-12 hours?

[Busboy]

Unfortunately my first attempt at using the thing was a dismal failure: instead of strawberry icecream I ended up with cold strawberry milkshake. I suspect the freezer isn't cold enough, but have stuck a thermometer in and will check later.

When did you put the insert in the freezer? I don't have the same brand of freezer you do, but most of them say you need to freeze the insert for a full 24 hours before use. I've tried popping them in in the morning and making dessert in the evening, and that is not enough time.

Better luck on your next attempt!

[Rhea_S]

I just have a cheap Cuisinart ice cream maker, but I've had good results. I freeze the container for at least two days and I chill my custard/ice cream base at least overnight if not a full 24 hours. The resulting ice cream, straight from the machine, is usually quite soft -- like mousse. I transfer it to a plastic container and put in the freezer for an hour or so and it firms up perfectly. Hope that helps.

[JFLinLA]

Unfortunately my first attempt at using the thing was a dismal failure: instead of strawberry icecream I ended up with cold strawberry milkshake. I suspect the freezer isn't cold enough, but have stuck a thermometer in and will check later.

When did you put the insert in the freezer? I don't have the same brand of freezer you do, but most of them say you need to freeze the insert for a full 24 hours before use. I've tried popping them in in the morning and making dessert in the evening, and that is not enough time.

Better luck on your next attempt!

I also found that I had to lower the temp a bit on my freezer to get the canister cold enough. I have no idea why it was set where it was.

[Clerkenwellian]

Unfortunately my first attempt at using the thing was a dismal failure: instead of strawberry icecream I ended up with cold strawberry milkshake. I suspect the freezer isn't cold enough, but have stuck a thermometer in and will check later.

When did you put the insert in the freezer? I don't have the same brand of freezer you do, but most of them say you need to freeze the insert for a full 24 hours before use. I've tried popping them in in the morning and making dessert in the evening, and that is not enough time.

Better luck on your next attempt!

thanks - was in for 12 hours so perhaps this was not enough

[rickster]

I just have a cheap Cuisinart ice cream maker, but I've had good results. I freeze the container for at least two days and I chill my custard/ice cream base at least overnight if not a full 24 hours. The resulting ice cream, straight from the machine, is usually quite soft -- like mousse. I transfer it to a plastic container and put in the freezer for an hour or so and it firms up perfectly. Hope that helps.

I've found chilling the base like this to be the key to getting decent results from my machine. Sometimes I even put the base in a bowl in the freezer until it begins to freeze around the edges before putting it in the ice cream machine.

[enthusiast]

i got a machine a month ago. brilliant. and i'm keen to do things properly but so far i've just played around.

successes

strawberry - just strawberries + cream + sugar > blended

gooseberry - i was making a fool, the consistency wasn't right (too much liquid), added some sugar, popped it in the machine. the best so far.

mango sorbet - mango + water + sugar + vodka

failures

mango sorbet - exactly the same as above but it was hairy (any suggestions? would sieving have worked?)

trying to be "healthy" by using half yogurt/ half cream. just didn't do it for me

[Busboy]

mango sorbet - exactly the same as above but it was hairy (any suggestions? would sieving have worked?)

trying to be "healthy" by using half yogurt/ half cream. just didn't do it for me

Running the puree through a sieve, even a relatively coarse one, should cure the "hair" problem.

[gsquared]

mango sorbet - exactly the same as above but it was hairy

Buy fibre-less mangos - down here we hardly get the hairy ones any more.

[Clerkenwellian]

So far the machine's produced highly colourful slush (which then turns to ice if I put it in the freezer) but nothing you'd call ice cream. I suspect my freezer's not cold enough to properly chill the bowl - it doesn't get below -12C (not unusual for a combined fridge/freezer).

May bite the bullet and buy an ice cream maker with built in freezer: does anyone have any recommendations here? The most widely available ones in the UK seem to be the Gaggia and the Magimix.

[jackal10]

I have a robot coupe Gelato Professional.

Makes great icecream, but very noisy and hard to clean as the bowl is not detachable.

[enthusiast]

Mine's the Gaggia Gelateria - it was a present but it's about £260. it works brilliantly. the only small issue (which is just one of practice) is if the paddle stops (when its stiff) and you don't remove the ice cream the texture can get ruined.

bowl is removable. its a doddle to clean. its not too nosiy. and it only takes c 5 mins to warm up (?!)

Edited July 31, 2003 by enthusiast (log)

[Suzi Edwards]

i have a magamix le glacier 1.5 and and a separate fridge freezer and have had no problems. my previous problem was that the icecream maker didn't fit into the top freezer bit on my fridge, but we have no problems now.

it's easy to clean, my only complaint is that you can't really make that much ice cream in one go.

[Daniel]

Well winter is here and what better time to make ice cream. I just got a new side by side ice cream maker.. Two flavors ate once.. This also coincides with me receiving my double strength vanilla extract from penseys.. I am definately making a chocolate gelato that i will post the recipe for.. But i was wondering if anyone had any really good ice cream recipes.. Alot of times when i make the ice cream it gets too frozen after putting it in the freezer.. Is there something i can do to avoid that, with out eating the whole thing right after i make it? Also, eggs or no eggs? Whats the difference? What i am looking for is a really really good vanilla, and a good cinamon.. Edit to add: Olive oil gelatto would be great too,.

Edited February 7, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Moopheus]

Alot of times when i make the ice cream it gets too frozen after putting it in the freezer.. Is there something i can do to avoid that, with out eating the whole thing right after i make it?

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That depends. Ice cream basically begins to degrade from its fresh state as soon as the machine stops. And to me, the point of having the machine is to have it as fresh as possible, so I try not to make more than I'm going to use in a short time.

Home freezers are much colder than ideal storage for ice cream, and they cycle widely, so a lot of what should be free water gets frozen, and the small ice crystals your machine has made get bigger. Stabilizers will slow this some, but at the cost of thickening of the texture of the ice cream. In custard-type ice creams (with eggs) this may be less noticeable than in plain (no eggs) ice cream, where even a slight thickening may be noticeable. Personally, I like the pure creamy texture of well-made plain ice cream, though I would never say no to a nice gelato!

[Daniel]

Last night I made three ice creams.. I made a regular vanilla.. A chocolate Gelato, and a cinamon I used for the vanilla:

Two cups of Cream

Two Cups of Milk

Two TableSpoons of Double Strength Vanilla

A cup of sugar

Pinch of Salt

Added chocolate nips while it was mixing towards the end

For the cinamon I used:

1 cup whole milk

1 cup whipping cream

two 6-inch cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

4 egg yolks

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch salt

Brought the mixture of milk and cream to a boil with the sticks. Let it sit for a half hour off the heat.. Then added that mixture to the whisked eggs, sugar, and ground C. Put that on low heat for a while.. Then did a quick chill with a double bowl sitting in ice.

With the gelato... I used Scharfenberger Cocoa as well as Bitter Sweet Chocolate... It came out terrific..

[SethG]

Okay, Spring is almost here, so what better time to make ice cream!

I FINALLY got myself the Cuisinart machine, and today I wanted coffee ice cream so I just did a quick search on the web and came up with this recipe, which seemed good enough to start with.

I actually upped the richness ante by using one cup milk and three cups cream. And I heated the eggs to 140 degrees for four minutes before cooling them and whipping them with the sugar. This is a precaution I wouldn't bother with on my own, but my mother is visiting this weekend and I can't imagine living with the guilt that would accompany giving her salmonella.... but I digress.

The ice cream is still setting up in the freezer, but it came out of the machine tasting great, and with the texture of soft-serve.

I'm looking for other recipes, and I'm especially looking to use fruits this year as they come into season. And so, with seasonality in mind, anybody have a great recipe for ice cream with:

strawberries?

rhubarb?

asparagus??

[sandra]

So far the machine's produced highly colourful slush (which then turns to ice if I put it in the freezer) but nothing you'd call ice cream. I suspect my freezer's not cold enough to properly chill the bowl - it doesn't get below -12C (not unusual for a combined fridge/freezer).

May bite the bullet and buy an ice cream maker with built in freezer: does anyone have any recommendations here? The most widely available ones in the UK seem to be the Gaggia and the Magimix.

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I have the Magimix Gelato Chef 2200 - bought it from Nisbet's Nisbets's

much better price than anywhere else and you don't have to carry it around...delivery to your door! it is heavy.

The bowl is not detachable, but a sponge and some paper towels do the job quickly, and not too loud, about 1/2 hour churn depending on recipe...

[linlee]

This is such a dead easy recipe I'm almost ashamed to post it. I do not know where I first got it so if I owe credit, please consider yourself credited.

Pineapple/Buttermilk Ice Cream

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple whirled in blender or food processor with

3/4 cup of sugar (this smoothes the pineapple and melts the sugar).

Add 2 cups of buttermilk. Blend. Chill 'til cold. Freeze.

If you add the calories up it is practically calorieless and also almost fat free.