Chocolate 'Shell' Ice Cream Topping

If you have a small crowd, the amounts below will work. Since I was just testing this out, I reduced things to about 3 oz of chocolate, 2 T coconut oil and a pinch of salt. I used dark chocolate (well, a semi sweet), but milk or white would probably work too. White chocolate may not get that hard, and may not need quite as much coconut oil. I've also seen versions with add-ins (peanut butter, extracts, freeze dried berries, etc.). I just went basic here, but it could be fun to experiment. The secret to it hardening is because of the coconut oil -- kind of a misnomer since coconut 'oil' is a solid at room temperature (soft, but not a liquid).

Ingredients

12 oz chocolate, chopped

½ C coconut oil

¼ tsp salt 

Directions

Melt all the ingredients in a double boiler (or in the microwave) being careful not to cook the chocolate, stirring until smooth. Let rest at room temperature at least 15 minutes before spooning over ice cream.

You could also dip your ice cream into the chocolate shell mixture...

Mint Chip (or Cookies) Ice Cream

I was working from a recipe for Mint Chip Ice Cream, but I had leftover Oreo cookies. Instead of chocolate (chips, or chopped chocolate) I chopped up the Oreos, so that's what you'll see in the photo even though the recipe calls for chocolate.

Ingredients
2 C heavy cream
1 C milk
¼ tsp salt
30 large, fresh mint leaves
5 egg yolks
C sugar
6 oz chocolate (milk or dark, your choice), finely chopped*

* You can use chocolate chips, but they're pretty hard when frozen. For melt in your mouth chocolate bits in your ice cream, you should use a higher quality chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate, though higher fat contents melt more quickly from their frozen condition in ice cream. Chop or shave it into ultra small pieces for best results.

Directions
Combine cream, milk, and salt in saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add mint leaves; remove from heat. Steep 30-60 minutes - cream should clearly have a mint flavor. (I think it helps to muddle the mint leaves - crush them a bit before you add them, or muddle them in the saucepan, for a full/strong flavor of mint.)

Whisk egg yolks and sugar together; immediately stir in the cream mixture a little at a time, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan; cook over medium heat - stirring constantly, until thickened and just beginning to simmer. Do not overcook!

Strain custard through a fine mesh sieve; discard mint leaves. Cover, and chill to about 40˚. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instruction. During final minute of churning, add chocolate. Serve immediately, or freeze for firmer set, or serving later.

"Cheater" Ice Cream -- no ice cream maker needed!

Aside from making single servings of vanilla ice cream in double-bagged zip lock plastic bags (which my students do in Food Science class), I've never found a recipe for making ice cream -- more than a single serving at a time! -- without an ice cream maker that really had the right texture. Good flavor is not hard to achieve, but it always had the texture of ice cream that had melted and then been refrozen; it was just kind of...flat. This version is SUPER SIMPLE (and high fat content), but it definitely has the creamy lightness of churned ice cream. That may or may not be visually evident in the photo at right. The ice cream was melting/softening very quickly as it was a very warm day (which I will NOT complain about at all! Bring on summer!!), and my photo goal wasn't actually the ice cream, but the sandwich cookies...

There are lots of options for flavorings, though you might have to adjust the ratios a bit if the flavoring is very thin liquid.  My first version of this was a lavender ice cream, since I have it growing prolifically in my yard right now and was anxious to use up the last of my dried supply from last summer. I steeped the lavender in the cream in advance (could have done it with the sweetened condensed milk instead). Re-chilled the cream to whip it, then folded in the sweetened condensed milk...

Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
1-2 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
flavoring(s) or other stir-ins:

     ...fruit chunks, cooking crumbles, chopped candy bars, etc. Chocolate could be melted and mixed with the condensed milk ahead, or cocoa powdered added to the whipped cream; caramel sauce could be swirled throughout just before freezing; lavender, mint or any other herbs and spices could be steeped in either the cream or the condensed milk ahead of mixing. Other extracts could be used in place of vanilla.


Directions
If desired, steep any herbs or spices into the cream or condensed milk in advance. Cool completely (chill the cream; it'll whip better).

Whip the heavy cream, vanilla and salt to barely stiff peaks.

Fold about a third of the whipped cream into the condensed milk. Gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Finally, fold in any other stir-in flavorings; (or, layer them in as you...) transfer the mixture into containers for freezing. Freeze until firm.

Chocolate Cookie for Ice Cream Sandwiches

Original recipe from Food & Wine. It's not a magazine I subscribe to -- maybe a 'free sample issue' along with one I do? This was definitely worth a try. And the cookie was a good texture for ice cream bars. I worked a smaller batch (halving the recipe) to test it out, and cut rounds rather than preparing a sheet to cut into bars...

Ingredients
1¼ C flour
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t salt
¾ t baking powder
½ C butter
¾ C sugar
1 T instant espresso*
1 egg
2 t vanilla

1 quart ice cream

* I used less; I like the way the bitter coffee brings out the chocolatey-ness over the sweetness -- using it this way is THE reason (the ONLY reason) I keep instant coffee/espresso in the house; but I do NOT like coffee and don't want to taste it. AT ALL. If you LIKE coffee--and depending on the flavor if ice cream you plan to sandwich--use the full tablespoon...or more.

Directions
Sift together flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder; set aside.

Beat butter, sugar and espresso until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until well combined. On low speed, gradually add dry ingredients until just combined.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill (2 hours or up to 3 days).

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Roll dough on parchment paper, flouring the top as needed to prevent sticking, into a 1/8" thick 10x13" rectangle (mine was a bit thicker than that, but less than ¼", and I used a flour and cocoa powder mix to dust the top). Slide onto large baking sheet; chill until firm (about 30 minutes).

Dock the surface using the blunt end of a wooden skewer. You could simply do this with a fork, but using a skewer gives it the look of traditional ice cream sandwiches. Bake 9-11 minutes, until set in the middle but still soft. Cool completely before removing from baking sheet.

Cut in half. Invert 1 half; top with ice cream. Place remaining cookie half on top. Cover with aluminum foil; freeze until FIRM (at least 2 hours). Cut into bars; serve immediately.

Granita

A Fresh & Frosty Happy New Year to you! (new DECADE)

Simple is sweet. You can dress up a granita, or just go 'naked'. Sometimes simple and classic is just as good. In it's simplest form a granita is nothing more than frozen fruit juice (That's it; your complete ingredient list is fruit juice. I used cran-raspberry). As it freezes, the juice is raked with a fork about every 30 minutes so it sets up in large chunky crystals...a classic frozen dessert easy to make withOUT an ice cream maker!

Dress it up if you want...go for mixed fruit juice flavors; add a splash of lemon or lime to brighten sweeter juices with a touch of zestiness; add a little extra sweetness from sugar, honey, maple or another syrup; or add herbs or spices -- even a kick of chile or pepper. Splash in some liquor if you want, but don't go too heavy handed since too much alcohol will keep it from freezing.

Have fun experimenting!

Blackberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ingredients
4 C fresh blackberries
1¼ C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1½ C half-and-half
1½ C heavy cream
½ tsp salt
1 egg and 3 egg yolks
6 oz mini semis-sweet chips or chopped chocolate

Directions
Cook blackberries with ¼ cup sugar in saucepan over low heat 20 minutes until blackberries are very soft, broken and syrupy. Strain through sieve, using a spoon or rubber scraper to press as much through as possible. Stir in vanilla; set aside. Discard seeds and remaining pulp.

In a small bowl, beat together egg and egg yolks; set aside.

In saucepan, combine half-and-half, cream and salt and bring just to simmer. Temper eggs: very slowly, pour at least a cup of hot liquid into the eggs, whisking constantly. Pour all of egg mixture back into saucepan with half-and-half and cream. Return to simmer, stirring constantly until thickened (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat; refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Churn in ice cream maker according to directions. Stir chocolate chips/chunks into ice cream; Spoon into air tight container and freeze several hours or overnight.

Honey Ice Cream

Ingredients
1¾ C heavy cream
¾ C milk (1%)
¼ C honey
¼ tsp salt
5 egg yolks

Directions

Place yolks in a medium bowl; set aside. (Reserve egg whites for another use.)
In a medium saucepan, heat cream, milk, honey and salt until just simmering, stirring continually.
Temper yolks: SLOWLY add the hot cream mixture into the bowl of yolks, whisking constantly. Once all ceam mixture is incorporated, return all to sauce pan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and barely begins to simmer.
Strain through a sieve into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap set directly on the surface of the cream mixture; chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. If a firmer texture is desired, freeze for an additional 3-5 hours.

Watermelon Gelato

This makes a very mild flavored, refreshing gelato. Not as creamy as I'd like, but the icy-ness is not surprising with the high water content of watermelon...I'm afraid adding more cream would weaken the watermelon flavor too much. (maybe a little more limoncello?) I may play with the recipe a little next time around.

Ingredients
2 C pureed watermelon
1 C heavy cream
¾ C sugar
1 T lemon juice
1 T limoncello
Optional: ½ tsp mint extract

Directions
Remove rind from watermelon flesh; remove seeds as desired. Purée; strain to remove any remaining seeds and excess pulp.

Add sugar, cream, lemon, and limoncello...and mint if desired. (Because of the high water content in watermelon, the alcohol -- which doesn't freeze -- keeps the gelato from getting too icy, keeping it a creamier consistency. Any alcohol will work; many recipes call for vodka.) Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. If necessary, heat mixture just enough to dissolve all the sugar.

Chill in refrigerator to about 40˚. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Pineapple Rosemary Ice Cream

This recipe makes me crave a buttery cookie crunch of some kind to compliment the ice cream...

Ingredients: 

1 C milk
2 C heavy cream 

¾ C sugar
3 egg yolks
1 - 1½ Tbls fresh rosemary, roughly chopped (adjust to taste, if desired)
1  15.5-ounce can crushed pineapple with juice, puréed 

½ C dried pineapple, chopped (optional)

Directions: Put 1 C heavy cream in large bowl with fine mesh sieve over top; set aside. In saucepan over medium high heat, warm milk, 1 C cream, and sugar. Stir frequently until the sugar dissolves; bring mixture almost to boiling point.

In medium bowl, whisk egg yolks. Temper eggs by slowly whisking part of hot cream mixture with yolks, then pouring yolk mixture back into saucepan, again whisking constantly. Add chopped rosemary. Over medium high heat, bring mixture to a simmer; cook until thickened enough to coat spatula. Pour the egg mixture through sieve into remaining cream. (It's okay if small pieces of the chopped rosemary passes through.) Stir in pineapple purée. Cool to room temperature; cover and chill for 2-3 hours (or overnight).

Pour chilled mixture into ice cream maker; process according to manufacturer's instructions. Optional: Stir in the dried pineapple during final minutes in ice cream maker; this distributes it evenly by preventing the chopped pineapple from sinking to the bottom.

Green Apple Sauvignon Blanc Sorbet

Ice cream, sorbet, gelato...what's the difference?

Ingredients:
1 C water 
¾ C sugar
1½ lbs Granny Smith apples
¾ C chilled Sauvignon Blanc 
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:
Peel and core apples; cut into 1" chunks. Heat water, sugar and apples in saucepan over medium-high heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan; simmer until apples are very tender (about 10-12 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in wine, salt and lemon juice. Using an immersion blender (or transfer mixture to standard blender), purée mixture. Place mixture in frig until chilled. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions (usually about 20 minutes). For a firmer consistency, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for an additional 2-8 hours before serving.

For a non-alcoholic version, simply substitute apple juice for the wine.

Lime Gelato

Ingredients:
1 C lime juice
zest of 1 lime
1 C sugar
1 C heavy cream
optional: ¼ C loosely packed fresh mint leaves

Directions:
Heat the lime juice, zest and sugar (and mint) in a sauce pan, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves. (I like lime fairly tart, but at this point you can taste -- carefully, it's hot! -- and add additional sugar if desired.) Cool in refrigerator until well chilled. Strain to remove zest (and mint). Add heavy cream and immediately churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and freeze for a firmer consistency.

This was great on its own, but I also really liked it swirled with my raspberry gelato!

Orange Ice Cream

Ingredients:
2½ C orange juice (about 6 or 7 oranges)
2-3  Tbls  orange zest 
²/₃ C lemon juice
1½ C heavy cream
2 C half and half
9 egg yolks
1 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Zest and juice the oranges; you need 2½ C juice and at least 2 tablespoons of zest (more gives a stronger flavor).

Combine orange juice, lemon juice and vanilla; set aside. In medium saucepan, combine cream, half and half, and orange zest. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. If desired, strain mixture to remove zest and smooth any lumps.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until thickened and pale yellow. Continue whisking constantly, adding hot cream mixture. Stir in citrus juice mixture. Chill. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 2-3 hours for a firmer consistency.

Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients

1½  ounces unsweetened cocoa powder (approx ½ C)

3 C half-and-half

1 C heavy cream

8 egg yolks

9 ounces sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Place cocoa powder and 1 cup half-and-half in saucepan over medium heat; whisk to combine. Add remaining half-and-half and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally; remove from heat.

Whisk egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add sugar; whisk to combine. Temper cream mixture into eggs and sugar by gradually adding about 1/3 of the cream mixture. Return entire mixture to saucepan; place over low heat.

Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens slightly and reaches 175° F. Allow mixture to sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator; when cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40° F or below.

Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions (approx 25-35 minutes). Serve immediately, or freeze in airtight container for firmer consistency.

I stirred in some chunks of homemade toffee during the last minute or two in the ice cream maker. Other add-ins -- nuts, fruit, marshmallows, candy chunks, cookie crumbs -- could also be delicious!

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

My nephew's request for his birthday dessert: "Moo-wiches" -- that's what the dairy women call them at their delicious ice cream booth at our local fair every summer. He had a list of different cookie and ice cream combinations to suggest... I managed to pull off three kinds of cookies (chocolate chip, peanut butter, and M&M cookies) all filled with either vanilla or vanilla chocolate-sauce-swirled ice cream. PB cookies rolled with chocolate sprinkles, the M&M cookies rolled in rainbow nonpareils, the chocolate chip cookies remain just 'classic' cookies and ice cream. No real 'recipe' for this one; it's fairly obvious:

Bake your favorite cookies and let them cool completely. Place a scoop of slightly softened ice cream on the underside of one cookie, top with another and press gently. Roll, if desired, in decorative sprinkles, colored sugars, mini-chips, mini-M&Ms, etc. Serve immediately, or--usually a better option--return to freezer so they can really 'set', and take them out just before serving.

These flavors were, of course, specifically to please my nephew (your birthday = your choice). :)  Chocolate cookies and vanilla ice cream is probably the most traditional of ice cream sandwiches, but I'd love to try other combinations: I have a recipe for a green apple sorbet that I think would be delicious sandwiched between molasses cookies. Sugar cookies and any berry flavored ice cream (or frozen yogurt, gelato, etc.) sounds good to me. Lavender shortbread cookies with vanilla bean ice cream or a light lemon gelato... endless possibilities!

Photo #2: I tried some new flavors for my niece's birthday ("moo-wiches" were her choice too): more of the 'classic'  peanut-butter chocolate chip with vanilla bean ice cream, some green apple sorbet sandwiched between molasses cookies, and a mixed berry gelato between chocolate cookies.

White Chocolate Ice Cream

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of white chocolate. Whether you consider it "real chocolate" or not...I don't like the flavor as much as dark chocolate (my favorite!); it's too sweet without any real 'flavor'. However, served with a tart fruit compote (sour cherries, raspberries...) I might find it rather delicious! I did soak some dried cranberries in a simple sugar solution and fold them into the ice cream (photo at bottom)...not bad, especially with a drizzle of dark chocolate fudge sauce. :) 

If you DO like white chocolate though, this seems to be a good recipe -- nice texture, very creamy. And you should buy quality white chocolate that's made with real cocoa butter for the best results, not just any "white baking morsels".

10 oz white chocolate
1 C milk
2 C heavy cream
2/3 C sugar
2 eggs, 2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

Rough chop the white chocolate into ½" or smaller pieces and set aside.

In another bowl, beat together eggs and egg yolks, set aside.

Combine milk, cream, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring just to the boiling point. Slowly pour cream mixture into eggs, beating constantly to temper the eggs. Return to saucepan and reheat, again bring almost to boiling.

Strain through a fine mess sieve over white chocolate pieces. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and incorporated. Stir in vanilla. Chill 2-4 hours.

Process in ice cream maker according to directions (for about 20 minutes). For a firmer consistency, transfer to an airtight container and freeze.

Blackberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream swirled with blackberry syrup. Purchase a quality syrup or make your own...mine here is basically the same recipe as blackberry jam, just not cooked/reduced as long. :)

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

As a general rule, I'm not a big fan of plain vanilla. Too bland; it's okay as an "a la mode" to the main attraction, but even then I often find it unnecessary. But I do enjoy a good vanilla custard...especially if it's made with real vanilla bean, not just vanilla flavoring. So, for ice cream...here's a rich vanilla bean ice cream recipe. (Though I still prefer it as an "a la mode" to pie or cobbler, or swirled with another flavor...)

Ingredients
2 C whole milk
2 C heavy cream
1 C sugar
1-2 vanilla beans
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

Directions
Beat eggs in medium mixing bowl, set aside.

Combine milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan. Split vanilla bean(s) lengthwise. Scrape out seeds with a sharp knife; add seeds and pod(s) to saucepan. Bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; remove pod(s).

Slowly pour half of hot milk mixture into bowl of beaten eggs, stirring constantly (to temper eggs). Add all of this back into saucepan and bring the mixture just to boiling point; don't let it boil. Remove from heat. Strain custard through a fine sieve. Stir in salt and vanilla extract (not necessary if you use two beans) until well combined.

Cover with plastic wrap (directly on top of custard to prevent skin from forming); chill 3-4 hours.

Process the chilled mixture in ice cream maker for 20-30 minutes. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer to an airtight container and freeze 2 or more hours.

Pink Grapefruit Gelato

Ice cream, sorbet, gelato...what's the difference? Check it out here.

1 C pink grapefruit juice
1½ C sugar*
2 C grapefruit sections (pith & membranes removed)
1 C milk
pinch salt

Combine sugar, salt, and juice in saucepan; heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is completely dissolved. Puree grapefruit sections in a food processor or blender; add to sweetened juice. Cool to room temperature.

Pour cooled grapefruit mixture into ice cream maker. Add milk and immediately process in ice cream maker for 20-25 minutes. If desired, transfer to an air-tight container to freeze for a firmer consistency.

* Regardless of how sweet the grapefruit is, you need sugar to keep the gelato from freezing up as hard as a rock. However, more sugar may be desirable if the grapefruit are especially tart.

This gelato is also delicious with just a splash of mint. Add 1 tsp mint extract at the same time as the milk.

Basil-Lemon Sorbet

Ice cream, gelato, sorbet...what's the difference?

I generally prefer a gelato to a sorbet (and I do have a recipe for a lemon-basil gelato), but this lemon, basil and mint sounded very refreshing...and I happened to have fresh basil and fresh mint on hand so I had to give it try! Very light and cool, not too sweet...nice combination of flavors.

1 C water
1 C sugar
1 Tbls lemon zest
juice of one lemon
10-12 basil leaves
6 mint leaves

Heat water and sugar in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar completely. Add lemon zest and juice and bring to a simmer. Add basil and mint leaves and let steep for about 5 minutes. Strain to remove leaves (and zest, if desired). Refrigerate until well chilled. Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an air-tight container to freeze if a firmer consistency is desired.

Strawberry-Balsamic Gelato

Personally, I'm not wild about strawberry ice creams or frozen yogurt. But I do like fresh strawberries and they're in season right now in the Pacific NW and they look so beautiful! So when I found this recipe for Strawberry-Balsamic gelato I thought I'd give it a go!

Ingredients

¾ C sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup milk

3½ C fresh strawberries; hulled and quartered

4 Tbls balsamic vinegar*

Preparation

Stir sugar and cornstarch in heavy saucepan. Whisk in milk and cream. Whisk over medium heat until gelato base thickens and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; cool over ice, stirring occasionally.

Puree strawberries in processor. Strain into gelato base. Mix in balsamic vinegar. Chill 2+ hours. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an air-tight container to freeze if a firmer consistency is desired.

* A white balsamic would preserve the bright, fresh strawberry coloring better; but the dark has a richer flavor...your choice! :)

For a creamier version (strawberry-balsamic ice cream) use 1½ C of heavy cream in place of the milk. I added extra fresh diced strawberries at the end of the freezing process, just before serving. I love both the taste and texture. However...once the 'leftovers' were frozen to save for later, the strawberry chunks froze harder than the rest of the gelato and, in my opinion, were much less appealing.