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Mascarpone ice cream


icecreamparty

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ice cream makers:

i finally tried the flavor ive been daydreaming about for quite some time...and unfortunately, although the flavor is on point, the texture is not.

ive been making ice cream all summer (some would say, obsessively) and have had for the most part, a pretty good success rate with both flavor and texture. having neither the time nor budget to do a true scientific analysis of differing proportions of milk/half&half/heavy cream/sugar/eggs, i have been sticking to a relatively simple formula of approximately equal parts h&h/heavy cream, or h&h/whole milk and then varying the sugar content in accordance to the other flavoring agents (less if the agent has some of its own sweetness that i want to be prominent, more if it requires, in my mind, a bigger boost). i usually use between 4 -6 egg yolks, and my final yield has been about 1.5 qts each time (i use the cuisinart machine).

so, this i ask you seasoned veterans of ice cream:

how do you usually decide which substrate to work with (milk vs h&h vs hc)? i am aware of the varying fat content. i am looking to make a rich ice cream...all top ingredients, where flavor is key. i have heard some correlation between fat content and ability to hold flavor during the scalding of the cream/milk. also, if i am using a high-fat flavoring, such as mascarpone, should i opt for a milk base? milk + h&h? some recipes call for scalding of the milk or h&h and then adding the hc right before chilling the mixture...why is this?

sugar content: is there a general rule for this? also, what about vanilla? i usually use straight from the bean, however i have noticed that even a very little can go a long way, and next time ill opt to not use it because it ended up masking my intended flavoring agent a bit more than i desired. if i dont add the bean while scalding, and instead add a bit of extract after the custard has been made, does that downplay the vanilla?

eggs: more or less. i hear that more gives it a richer custard-y texture. but when does the egginess interfere with the actual flavoring of the ice cream? is there a good rule of thumb to follow here? i have been in the practice of always using just yolks, but i hear there are benefits to using both eggs + soem whites... what can anyone suggest here?

finally, has someone had success w/ a mascarpone ice cream? I have seen recipes for the sorbet (keller by way of ducasse), but what about an ice cream?

thanks-- i really want to understand the role of each ingredient so that i can make good choices according to each flavor...i would love any insight!

oh yea..and im probably not very interested in getting the 'chemical' stuff, i.e. powdered milk, glucose, etc...just want to use ingredients readily avail at the grocery store unless it lends a considerable improvement in texture and/or taste.

thanks!

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I had an excellent yuzu mascarpone ice cream in the kitchen of an out-of-the-way French restaurant in the rural Nose valley outside of Osaka, Japan. I believe I've had a few mascarpone gelatos elsewhere, as well.

I have made a pretty good cream cheese/lemon zest ice cream served with a dusting of graham crackers. It was nice, though perhaps even more fat than I really need, and I do tend to make fairly rich ice creams. I haven't actually tried a mascarpone one yet.

Based on these somewhat limited experiences, though, I suggest using more milk than cream... maybe 3 milk to 1 cream to one mascarpone. Even that seems fairly rich, and you could probably reduce the cream content further. Using a 1:1 cream to milk seems overkill, especially if you are putting egg yolks in there.

My ice creams rarely incorporate eggs because I'm usually not trying to create a frozen custard, but I do think it contributes to a richness that would benefit from more moderation on the milkfat. I've found that when my ice creams were "too creamy", whatever the fat source, I basically get a hard sliceable mass that is better molded than scooped.

Unless you're trying to strongly emphasize the mascarpone, I think you might benefit from some sort of citrus note... lemon zest or orange zest or something, and maybe even a hint of juice. It will partially serve to cut the palate impact of the fat and make the ice cream slightly more refreshing.

Jason Truesdell

Blog: Pursuing My Passions

Take me to your ryokan, please

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mm..that yuzu mascarpone does sound good! ahh, now that you mention it, i knew i had forgotten something! the lemon juice! i know that it woudl cut the richness a bit, but i inadvertently left it out. next time.

fyi, i put freshly grated nutmeg in my mascarpone and a sprinkling of buttered graham.

i have not yet tried any eggless ice cream. what can you generalize about the difference in flavor/texture between those with eggs? lower fat content of course... :)

I had an excellent yuzu mascarpone ice cream in the kitchen of an out-of-the-way French restaurant in the rural Nose valley outside of Osaka, Japan. I believe I've had a few mascarpone gelatos elsewhere, as well.

I have made a pretty good cream cheese/lemon zest ice cream served with a dusting of graham crackers. It was nice, though perhaps even more fat than I really need, and I do tend to make fairly rich ice creams. I haven't actually tried a mascarpone one yet.

Based on these somewhat limited experiences, though, I suggest using more milk than cream... maybe 3 milk to 1 cream to one mascarpone. Even that seems fairly rich, and you could probably reduce the cream content further. Using a 1:1 cream to milk seems overkill, especially if you are putting egg yolks in there.

My ice creams rarely incorporate eggs because I'm usually not trying to create a frozen custard, but I do think it contributes to a richness that would benefit from more moderation on the milkfat. I've found that when my ice creams were "too creamy", whatever the fat source, I basically get a hard sliceable mass that is better molded than scooped.

Unless you're trying to strongly emphasize the mascarpone, I think you might benefit from some sort of citrus note... lemon zest or orange zest or something, and maybe even a hint of juice. It will partially serve to cut the palate impact of the fat and make the ice cream slightly more refreshing.

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Actually I think that the primary contribution of eggs in homemade ice cream is a stabilizing/emulsifying effect. I believe it will generally make the crystallization more consistent. I'm not particularly knowledgeable in food science, but I've always noticed that my Cuisinart ice creams tend to be more consistent in texture with either more sugar or more eggs.

Since I'm not usually craving the sugar as much as the cream and maybe the fruit, if it's a fruit based ice cream, I tend to be less concerned about spectacularly evenly frozen ice cream. I would hazard to guess that most mascarpone sold in the supermarket or even average specialty markets contains some kind of emulsifier or stabilizer.

Of course, egg yolks contribute a custardy texture, which I do enjoy, but I don't personally crave it as much as the fruit or base note. If I put eggs in ice cream it's generally vanilla.

Lower fat content isn't always the case, because I might slightly reduce the cream proportion if using eggs.

When I made edamame ice creams I found I needed to dial down the cream content because the soybeans contributed a lot of fat by themselves.

Edited by JasonTrue (log)

Jason Truesdell

Blog: Pursuing My Passions

Take me to your ryokan, please

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Try this recipe... I guess it's more of a sorbet than an ice cream but it has a great flavor and just a hint of lemon on the backend. I've used it time and again at the restaurant...

500g mascarpone

650g simple syrup

30g lemon juice

That's it. Mix well, pass it through a china cap and spin away.

Devin

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Try this recipe... I guess it's more of a sorbet than an ice cream but it has a great flavor and just a hint of lemon on the backend. I've used it time and again at the restaurant...

500g mascarpone

650g simple syrup

30g lemon juice

That's it. Mix well, pass it through a china cap and spin away.

Devin

thanks, devin. i will try this one the next time around...it seems the simpler, the better, for this one. what restaurant do you work at that serves this?

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  • 4 years later...

I've made Marscapone ice cream in the past and had tasty lumps of frozen fat in it that I gather to be the butter from the cheese that separated. How do I make this ice cream without those lumps? Was my ice cream not cool enough when I mixed in the cheese?

thanks

My Photography: Bob Worthington Photography

 

My music: Coronado Big Band
 

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I've made Marscapone ice cream in the past and had tasty lumps of frozen fat in it that I gather to be the butter from the cheese that separated. How do I make this ice cream without those lumps? Was my ice cream not cool enough when I mixed in the cheese?

thanks

I've never made ice cream with mascarpone but if were going to do so, I would put the whisk the mascarpone into the a custard base until smooth. An immersion blender should help with smoothing the mixture. After the custard cools, I would suggest straining it to get out any last bits that didn't melt/blend in.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

Steve Lebowitz

Doer of All Things

Steven Howard Confections

Slicing a warm slab of bacon is a lot like giving a ferret a shave. No matter how careful you are, somebody's going to get hurt - Alton Brown, "Good Eats"

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Everything I've read says to wisk it in to melt. The lumps of fat come after it finishes in the ice cream machine. I read somewhere that you want to be careful to keep the yellow layer from forming on the top as the ice cream cools before going into the machine but I have yet to keep that from happening. Maybe I need to skim that layer off before putting in the machine.

Baroness, this ice cream has a custard base made like a traditional french vanilla so it's already heated. Problem is that the yellow layer that forms (which I assume is butter) freezes into small lumps in the ice cream making/freezing/churning process. Maybe I need to cool down the mixture more than I have in the past so the cheese doesn't seperate.

Thanks for the replies so far though.

My Photography: Bob Worthington Photography

 

My music: Coronado Big Band
 

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It's an emulsification issue.

Some starch might help, but you might end up masking the delicate flavor of the cheese.

More eggs would help, but you'd end up with an eggier taste.

Non fat dry milk is a decent emulsifier, but, what you get in emulsification, you'll pay for in flavor.

Using a less sweet form of sugar (glucose) in greater quantities helps emulsification to an extent, but if you use too much, the ice cream will have a chewy quality.

What's your budget like? Lecithin would probably help quite a bit. I tend to avoid lecithin because, no matter where I store it, it tends to go bad/gummy on me and buying it for a single recipe is just way to cost inefficient. It's also not quite as neutrally flavored as I'd like.

Xanthan gum would probably be invaluable, both from a perspective of emulsification and scoopability.

If I were making it... I'd probably go with glucose, xanthan, and, if I was feeling flush, some lecithin.

P.S. I'm not sure what recipe you're using, but you'd definitely want to add the mascarpone to the chilled base. Even doing this, though, I'd still incorporate one or more emulsification aid that I listed above.

Edited by scott123 (log)
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Thanks Scott. That helps a lot and what I suspected but didn't know how to correct it. Below is the recipe I have. I will try to get xanthan today. How much would I use? I usually add the cheese when the base is at room temp. Should it be cooler?

1 1/2 cups half and half

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean

3/4 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

2 1/2 Tbs honey

8 0z mascarpone cheese

On a side note, I will be finishing the ice cream with a strawberry balsamic topping. Hard to find exactly what I've been looking for but do you or anyone else think the ingredient list below would make for a tasty topping? the recipe says to combine ingredients until thickened. Yes, I have a very good balsamic to use. :biggrin:

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

My Photography: Bob Worthington Photography

 

My music: Coronado Big Band
 

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At the moment, I'm leaning toward recommending 1/4 t. xanthan. The recipe might accommodate 1/2 t. but, on your first run, you'll probably want to err on the side of caution.

Btw, I really can't guarantee you that xanthan, on it's own, is going to resolve your emulsification issue. If, say, you're making this for company and the texture has to be spot on, I'd bite the bullet and add another yolk along with the xanthan. It may very well not need the extra yolk, but I think it's a good insurance policy.

Room temp should be fine on adding the mascarpone, but make sure it's room temp throughout and not warm in the middle.

Btw, from what I've read, mascarpone is frequently smooth, but you can get a grainy batch. If your mascarpone was grainy, then this may not be an emulsification issue. Taste it before you use it. If it isn't perfectly smooth, you might be able to remove the grittiness by passing it through a sieve with a silicone spatula.

Lastly, I have no idea how that sauce will turn out, but, should you decide to make it, I'd use half the nutmeg first and see how you like it. 1/8 t. feels a bit heavy handed.

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Nice. Making it for family so if they get some chunks it'll be okay. I made a batch of french vanilla a few weeks ago and used BIG eggs. The larger yokes I think made the ice cream perfect so I think I'll go that route in addition to the Xanthan but I'm having a hard time finding it locally.

Thanks for your time Scott.

Cheers.

My Photography: Bob Worthington Photography

 

My music: Coronado Big Band
 

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You're welcome.

Quite a few supermarkets have xanthan. If there's a Bob's Red Mill section, that's where it tends to be.

Whole foods will carry it as will any mom and pop health food stores. When I was looking for it last, there didn't seem to be any good deals on it- it's pretty much super expensive no matter where you go.

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If you have a stick blender, you may want to simply try that before adding yet another ingredient. Emulsions which are blended at high speed tend to stay that way for quite a while. Using the stick should get you there until you turn the custard. Not to mention it will save you from running all over the place looking for your emulsifier of choice.

Steve Lebowitz

Doer of All Things

Steven Howard Confections

Slicing a warm slab of bacon is a lot like giving a ferret a shave. No matter how careful you are, somebody's going to get hurt - Alton Brown, "Good Eats"

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