Bringing Home the Ice Cream
Simply put, I am obsessed with ice cream right now. Happens every year about this time. The heat turns up, lacking a pool to throw myself in, the next best thing is to bring down the temperature from the inside out with a delicious frozen treat.
And I don’t stop at ice cream. Frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato, even a gourmet popsicle will do. It must be sweet and as cold as the Arctic. Beyond those criteria I am open to whatever the imagination can dream up.
There was a time when, to ease this craving, I had to rely on others. You might know a few of my good friends: Ben, Jerry, Haagen Dazs. I’ve even been known to patronize Ronald McDonald on occasion for soft serve on a cone.
Anticipating another onset of ice cream hysteria I got out ahead of the crisis this year and requested an ice cream maker for Christmas. With my shiny new toy no longer would I be dependent on pints. No more would I be making late night runs to the frozen food section of the grocery store. I could dream up flavors of my heart’s desire and my freezer would never be lacking for ice cream again.
I’ve managed to cycle through a few varieties at this point. Classic vanilla using pods brought back in my suitcase from holiday in Bali. Oreos crushed up and mixed in with a base of Illy Espresso ice cream. Mint chip with just the faintest hint of green from two full bunches of the real fresh herb infused into the custard.
Whatever the ice cream or sorbet of choice, one thing I always make sure of is to use the finest quality, freshest ingredients I can find. That, I figure, is what makes the difference between homemade and a freezer burned, store bought carton.
The base for every ice cream is essentially the same: a custard is formed using some combination of heavy cream and milk whisked together with sugar and whole eggs or egg yolks. How you go about doing this is dependent on two criteria: time and patience.
A more patient person with more time would start with bringing the milk to a simmer while whisking together the eggs and sugar. She would temper the eggs (or yolks) with some of the hot cream then add that mixture back to the remaining cream on the stove. She would then slowly stir that mixture over a medium low heat until the eggs thickened but didn’t curdle. She would then cool the mixture down in an ice bath and chill the cooled mixture in the refrigerator for a couple of hours until frigid. This takes time, patience, and practice.
A person with less time and patience can just mix the ingredients together, not heat it, and providing the milk and cream were already cold, go right to the ice cream machine.
Both methods are perfectly acceptable. Both are open to endless additions, mutations, and abstractions. Both yield the satisfaction of homemade ice cream deliciousness.
The girl with more time and patience will likely be rewarded with an ice cream somewhat richer and silkier. But even the impatient, time strapped girl is a winner. Her ice cream, made with the best ingredients she can find, will have all the cooling comfort of any cone or cup out there but be that much better since it came from her own kitchen. I should know. I have been both girls.
Made with heavy cream, milk, vanilla bean, vanilla extract, egg yolks, sugar, salt, black mission figs, orange zest
Serves/Makes: 1.5 pints
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean
- OR
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 medium black mission figs
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
Whisk together heavy cream and milk in a medium saucepan. If using a vanilla bean, split the pod in half and scrape the seeds into the milk-cream mixture. Add the pod to the pot as well. Bring the pot almost to a simmer then turn off the heat. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes. Remove the pod and discard or save it to make vanilla sugar.
While mixture is resting, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt (if using vanilla extract instead of the pod stir it in here). After discarding pod, reheat the milk mixture until warm but not quite bubbling. Transfer one third of the milk mixture into the egg yolk-sugar bowl, whisking in a slow steady stream. Transfer the tempered egg yolks back to the pot on the stove. Whisk together.
Over a medium low flame, stir the custard in a figure eight pattern with a wooden spoon. When the mixture is thick enough to nicely coat the back of the spoon, immediately remove from heat. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl place in an ice bath. Stir the custard until the ice bath cools the custard down to room temperature. Cover bowl and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill for at least two hours.
While custard is chilling, make fig compote. Remove stems from the figs. Cut figs in quarters and add to a small pot along with orange zest, orange juice, water, and ginger powder. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes until figs collapse and the liquid thickens significantly. Remove from heat and stir in Grand Marnier. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill for two hours.
When custard is chilled, process according to ice cream machine directions. If eating immediately, serve ice cream as soft serve with the compote as a topping. If eating later, layer ice cream and fig compote in a plastic container. Freeze for 3-4 hours until solid.
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