Ice Cream, Gelato, Sherbet--Cook-Off 11

[misstenacity]

I'm about to make lemon ice cream for the first time, and I have my components chilling:

1. 'custard' base of half-n-half thickened with cornstarch, flavored with steeping lemon rind, and sweetened up real good.... (the rind will get strained out)

2. and separately, a syrup of reduced lemon juice and honey

Now, when I combine the two tomorrow enroute to their freezing, is the thing going to curdle? Did I make a boffo mistake by using not all cream for the dairy base?

Thanks!

Andrea

http://foodpart.com

http://tenacity.net

[Tepee]

My first ice-cream-making attempt (no ice-cream maker, freeze, whizz, freeze, whizz)...Black Sesame Seed Ice-cream. Recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of ground seeds...I added 5 tablespoons, and yet I think doubling that would make it perfect. It was still delicious...we finished everything off in 2 sittings.

Edited February 24, 2006 by Tepee (log)

[miladyinsanity]

I had black sesame ice cream on Monday. Pretty good, but I can't help but wonder how wonderful it would have been with a touch of salt and perhaps some toasted whole sesame seeds on top.

[misstenacity]

Regarding my lemon ice cream above, it didn't curdle thankfully, but ended up WAY too lemony. Well, maybe I should take that back. When served as part of a dessert plating in a quenelle form, it is probably fine. When I eat a damn big serving of it by itself.... very lemony. Took my tastebuds right off my tongue. :-)

Today I made a really nice new flavor - maple oat date. Used date sugar as well as maple sugar (from King Arthur Flour), and then folded in chopped dates and toasted rolled oats as I was transferring it to harden. Unfortunately, it did still get a bit icy, though the flavor was lovely. I'll tweak with it some more and try to reduce the crystallization.

Andrea

http://foodpart.com

http://tenacity.net

[ulterior epicure]

I had black sesame ice cream on Monday. Pretty good, but I can't help but wonder how wonderful it would have been with a touch of salt and perhaps some toasted whole sesame seeds on top.

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um, recipe, please? (if you have access to it!)

u.e.

[ulterior epicure]

another request:

for all you ice cream-makin' mavens out there, i've got a puzzle for you all! i was recently handed a vague recipe for a wonderful caramel ice cream. here were the ingredients:

1. 8 egg yolks

2. 1 cup cream

3. 1 cup whole milk

4. 1/2 cup brown sugar

5. 1/4 cup port wine

Unfortunately, no method was provided.... anyone have any guesses as how the "caramel" component is formed? Or, how this ice cream might be made? I'm guessing the port come in at the very end.

u.e.

[miladyinsanity]

I had black sesame ice cream on Monday. Pretty good, but I can't help but wonder how wonderful it would have been with a touch of salt and perhaps some toasted whole sesame seeds on top.

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um, recipe, please? (if you have access to it!)

u.e.

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No recipe. I bought it.

another request:

for all you ice cream-makin' mavens out there, i've got a puzzle for you all!  i was recently handed a vague recipe for a wonderful caramel ice cream.  here were the ingredients:

1. 8 egg yolks

2. 1 cup cream

3. 1 cup whole milk

4. 1/2 cup brown sugar

5. 1/4 cup port wine

Unfortunately, no method was provided.... anyone have any guesses as how the "caramel" component is formed?  Or, how this ice cream might be made?  I'm guessing the port come in at the very end.

u.e.

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I'm guessing here, but you might not need to caramelize the sugar. That's why brown sugar was specified.

If that's not the case, I'd heat the milk and cream together, temper in the egg yolks, then stir in the caramelized sugar.

Another possibility would be to cook the sugar together with either the milk or the cream until it turns brown, and mix it into the other dairy product which has the egg yolks tempered in.

I'd definitely put the wine in last.

[ulterior epicure]

I'm guessing here, but you might not need to caramelize the sugar. That's why brown sugar was specified.

If that's not the case, I'd heat the milk and cream together, temper in the egg yolks, then stir in the caramelized sugar.

Another possibility would be to cook the sugar together with either the milk or the cream until it turns brown, and mix it into the other dairy product which has the egg yolks tempered in.

I'd definitely put the wine in last.

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miladyinsanity:

after some thought, i agree that the sugar isn't "carmelized" per se. i actually think that it's sort of like dulce de leche (your second method) - sugar+milk (or cream?) until it goes dark.

and yes, the port goes last - during the freezing process? or before the sugary cream/custard cools? that's what i can't figure out.

u.e.

Edited March 5, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[Pam R]

y'all may just kick me right out of this cook-off... but. I was talking to some customers last week about these fruit nectars I sell. They happen to be Israeli, but that's not important - if you have a favorite, somewhat thickish fruit nectar that's all you need. I was telling them how wonderful these juices are and said to them that my favorite one 'tastes like it's a fresh ripe pear that's been squeezed into a can'. Hmmm... I thought.... sorbet!

So I took two cans home and tossed them into the ice cream machine. Oh my. I didn't add anything and it didn't need anything added. I can't wait to try the mango nectars.

[miladyinsanity]

and yes, the port goes last - during the freezing process?  or before the sugary cream/custard cools?  that's what i can't figure out.

u.e.

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That might not matter.

The way I see it, if you put in the port before the sugary cream/custard cools, then some of the alcohol might evaporate. But this also means that (assuming you belong to the group of people who believe in letting the custard chill overnight in the fridge) that it'll allow the flavors to mature together.

[FoodMan]

My latest ice creams:

I made three of them last week for my father in law's birthday. A Dulce De Leche one, Vanilla and Strawberry. The last two use Alton's Vanilla recipe as a base, The Dulce de Leche is courtesy of The South American Table. All three are nice and creamy and full of flavor.

[ulterior epicure]

I made three of them last week for my father in law's birthday. A Dulce De Leche one, Vanilla and Strawberry. The last two use Alton's Vanilla recipe as a base, The Dulce de Leche is courtesy of The South American Table. All three are nice and creamy and full of flavor.

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lucky daddy-in-law!

yum.

u.e.

[Judd Icious Hand]

In Complete Techniques, Jacques Pépin mentions that sorbets are best made in a food processor. Apparently, using a regular ice cream maker beats in too much air into the mixture and changes the color and taste of the fruit. He even goes so far as to say that melon sorbet is ruined if done in an ice machine.

That's good news for me, because all I own is a food processor  ! I'm trying a melon sorbet right now but it took longer to freeze than I anticipated: I guess that means sorbet for breakfast.

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Stupid question, but do you just freeze it solid? No churning?

[ulterior epicure]

What is the optimal temperature at which to store gelato?

Thanks.

u.e.

[NYC Mike]

Thought this might be the best place for this.

I am trying to recreate Cherry Garcia. I started with this link here. The end result tasted roughly like frozen heavy cream. Then we made a vanilla ice cream base for the cherries and chocolate. It was better but not it.

Any ideas? Anyone try this already?

Thanks,

-Mike

[misstenacity]

This may or may not be worth noting, but I find that the best reason to make ice cream at home is to get the flavors that you CANNOT obtain in any other way. Fig-Port, Lowfat Fudge Truffle, Pumpkin Pepita... these are flavors I make at home. When I want HD's Dulce de Leche, I know where to find it.

Why not just go to the store and buy Cherry Garcia? Then you know it will taste "right".

Andrea

Albuquerque, NM

[NYC Mike]

To each his own I suppose.

Not to mention, I don't put high fructose corn syrup for flavor, red cabbage for color or seaweed for a binder in my ice cream that I serve my children.

-Mike

[Busboy]

Here in DC, we're in the second week of cheap and plentiful non-hothouse, farmer's market strawberries. At the same time, the Hatian mangoes -- provacative green things sculpted like a middleweight's biceps, with pulp the color of a volcano sunset -- have arrived.

Some weekends I make strawberry sorbet with mango sauce. Others, I make mango sorbet with strawberry sauce. It's an extraordinary moment, one I look forward to every year.

I put a little lime in the mango puree, along with the syrup, and sprinkle a bit of balsamic in the well-strained strawberries -- and a pinch of salt in both.

The missus asked for it for Mother's Day. And the adolescent boy, as he was eating it, gasped in delight. The pints of berries devoured. Worth every dime and every second of work, just for the smiles.

The point of this, by the way, is not (just) to brag, but to send you in search of those green Haitian mangoes (or the little yellow "champagne mangos") but to suggest another rite of Spring to follow your first embrace of asparagus and ramps.

[ulterior epicure]

Gelato has no cream or eggs right? Can anyone direct me to a reliable base recipe?

Thanks!

u.e.

[pounce]

Gelato does have egg yolks. Lots of them. I'm still experimenting with bases. Gelato uses milk instead of cream in my experience.

[Swisskaese]

Gelato has no cream or eggs right?  Can anyone direct me to a reliable base recipe?

Thanks!

u.e.

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There are a number of vanilla gelato recipes. I really like the recipes from the River Cafe.

You will find that some gelato recipes have cream and milk, others just milk, some with six eggs, some with as many as 10 eggs.

Make sure you buy a fresh vanilla bean. I have also used vanilla paste.

Vanilla Gelato

Edited May 18, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Torrilin]

Thought this might be the best place for this. 

I am trying to recreate Cherry Garcia.  I started with this link here.  The end result tasted roughly like frozen heavy cream.  Then we made a vanilla ice cream base for the cherries and chocolate.  It was better but not it.

Any ideas?  Anyone try this already?

Thanks,

-Mike

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First off, Ben and Jerry's does not source most of their chocolate from Hershey's. I'm not sure who they *do* source from, but Special Dark is not the right chocolate to use. They don't use particularly amazing chocolate, so they're probably buying bulk from one of the smaller American producers. Since they're based in the NE, I suspect they use Wilbur's semisweet or something similar as the base. Second thing that springs to mind is a lot of B&J flavors that have a vanilla base use their French Vanilla as a jumping off point. It's a very eggy, very rich, very intense french vanilla. Third, B&J's tends to be very heavy on the add-ins. I would probably start with cherry syrup and about 2x as many fresh cherries that have soaked in the syrup for about 8-24 hours.

(I hate B&J's default vanilla, so take this with a grain of salt and use your best judgement about the base.)

Emily

[barcelona]

Luchetti's Passion for Ice Cream is finally out (and amazon searchable).

[cookman]

Anyone have a great recipe for chocolate frozen yogurt, that actually has a good mouthfeel?

[ulterior epicure]

Anyone have a great recipe for chocolate frozen yogurt, that actually has a good mouthfeel?

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I know there's one in Weinstein's Ultimate Ice Creams book - but I haven't tried it so I can't attest to its mouthfeel or taste.

u.e.