Adventures in Ice Cream Making

It looks delicious, but it's already starting to melt,
right out of the freezer!

    For those of you who don't know me well, ice cream is my favorite dessert... so as you might imagine, I was delighted to receive an ice cream maker as a wedding present. Because it generally requires specialized equipment, I've never made ice cream before, but I have to say, nothing you find in the store compares to homemade. And although it's actually pretty simple to make, it's a great thing to serve if you want to make something in advance that's sure to impress :-). Up to this point, I've just been experimenting, but so far, everything I've tried has been pretty hard to resist (especially for me)!
     Both of this recipes are adapted from Ina Garten's creations (Barefoot Contessa Family Style
and Barefoot Contessa Parties!cookbooks). I've started using more of her recipes lately, because she uses very simple ingredients and most of the recipes are easy to put together and are not particularly labor intensive. It's great to make something really decadent and elaborate from time to time, but it's even better to have some reliable recipes that don't require hours in the kitchen. In general, recipes that call for half and half or milk are icier and less creamy than those that have heavy cream (but are also less fattening!). Depending on the type of ice cream, one or the other may be appropriate. I've tried two recipes so far, one with half and half and one with cream. If you make a recipe with heavy cream, you don't even need an ice cream maker, you can just throw it in the freezer in a sealed container and stir once or twice per hour until it's frozen (I did this with 1/2 the batter because it didn't all fit in the ice cream maker and it was virtually indistinguishable). Unfortunately, our freezer isn't very cold, so all of the ice cream so far has been very soft and melty. It still tastes good, but you have to eat (or photograph) it quickly! 
    I think next I'll try something with fruit... maybe buttermilk and berries or a sorbet.... Any suggestions?!


Espresso Ice Cream

• -3 cups half-and-half
• -6 large egg yolks
• -2/3 cup sugar
• -1/4 tsp finely ground sea salt
• -2 1/2 tablespoons finely ground espresso beans
• -1 Tb coffee liquor (I used Kahlua)
• -1 tsp vanilla
• 
  
• -4-6 ounces (2/3 cup) dark chocolate with almonds (Ina uses chocolate covered espresso beans)
• -Beat the egg yolks, sugar and salt with a stand mixer paddle attachment (if you have one). Meanwhile, heat the half and half until bubbles begin to form around the edges (you should not let it boil).
• -Slowly and carefully pour the half and half into the egg mixture, while the mixer continues to run. Mix until the ingredients are combined. 
• -Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
• -Pour the mixture through a fine sieve, and then add espresso, vanilla and coffee liquor to the strained mixture. Cover the mixture with a sheet of plastic wrap (placed right on the surface of the mixture) to prevent a film from forming and chill well in the fridge.
• -After the mixture has been chilled for a couple hours, I strained it again to remove some of the espresso bean  bits. Ina didn't do this, but I thought the ice cream would be too gritty if I hadn't. It's ok to leave some of the beans in- straining once is all that is necessary.
• -Freeze the mixture in an ice cream machine, add the chopped chocolate bits and store in a sealed container in the fridge. Make sure that it freezes in the freezer for a couple hours before serving. For better or worse, this was gone before I could take a picture of it! 

Caramel Pecan Nut Ice Cream (pictured)


-1/2 c water
-2 1/2 c sugar
-6 c heavy cream
-2 Tbs vanilla
-3 c pecan halves, toasted and crumbled or chopped
-7-8 oz milk chocolate diced (I used Hershey's bars)


-To make the caramel ice cream base, place the water and sugar into a heavy saucepan. Cook sugar mixture over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
-Increase to high heat and boil until the mixture is a dark caramel color, about 3-5 minutes. DO NOT STIR! You may swirl the saucepan occasionally to make sure the sugar doesn't burn.
-Remove the saucepan from heat, and add the cream. At this stage, it will look like you screwed up- the old cream will cause the caramel to turn into an unmanageable, solid mess. I promise that when you put it back on the burner on low heat, the caramel will dissolve into the cream and all will be right in the world again. This should take about 5-7 minutes. Add the vanilla.
-Chop the toasted pecans and chocolate and place them in the freezer till you're ready for them.
-Chill the caramel/ cream mixture in the fridge till well cooled. I placed a piece of plastic wrap directly to the surface of the mixture to make sure that a film didn't form in the fridge. Chill for at least an hour- I kept it in the fridge overnight.
-Freeze the ice cream in an ice cream maker, add the nuts and chocolate and put it in the freezer in a sealed container until you're ready to use it. It's best to make it well enough in advance that it can freeze for a couple hours before serving. OR, if you don't have an ice cream maker, mix in the nuts and throw it in the freezer. Stir it 1-2 times per hour until it's well frozen.
-Below are some pictures of the ice cream base at varying stages of done-ness. Note that in the fourth picture, it looks like I've screwed up. Picture three was taken right before I removed the syrup from heat, to give you an idea about what color it should be.