Fig Ice Cream

I love fresh figs and it seems there appearance is always so fleeting. I found some Texas figs at our local market and decided this ice cream would be a fun recipe to try with them. My figs were not the beautiful purple of the mission figs so my ice cream was a tan color rather than purple as shown in the picture of the Perfect Scoop. I also thought my ice cream yield on this recipe was much less than other recipes I have made. I thought the fig flavor in this recipe was really nice. I probably wouldn't want to sit for a bowl of this alone, it needs a compliment. It paired really well with the gooey chocolate cakes.

Fresh Fig Ice Cream

2 lbs fresh figs (about 20)
1/2 cup of water 1 lemon, preferably unsprayed
3/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon of freshly squeezed, lemon juice, or more to taste

Remove the hard stem ends from the figs, then cut each fig into 8 pieces. Put the figs in a medium, non reactive sauce pan with the water, and zest the lemon directly into the saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10

minutes until the figs are tender.

Remove the lid, add the sugar and continue to cook until it reaches a jam-like consistency. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Blend together with cream and lemon juice, chill in the fridge and then put in your ice cream maker per the manufacturer's instructions.

Source: Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas and Sweet Accompaniments, Ten Speed Press, May 1, 2007.

Honey Peach Ice Cream

Finally, some homemade food at our house! Since I have an official ice cream taste tester, my 2 1/2 year old, I'm getting lots of opportunities to try new ice cream recipes this summer. By the time this recipe is posted, my tester will likely have finished this batch! Based on the quantities of ice cream being consumed at our house summer will not likely be the end of our ice cream making extravaganza. I already have some fall ice cream recipes flagged to try. Since Dorie's blueberry sour cream ice cream was such a big hit, I decided to try the honey peach ice cream also from Baking from My Home to Yours. This recipe did not disappoint. This one was a little more involved than the last, since it involved making a custard first. The peach flavor was very pronounced in this recipe and enhanced nicely by the sweetness from the honey. I opted not to dice the remaining peaches and add them at the end, instead keeping this one smooth and creamy! I also substituted vanilla bean paste for the vanilla extract. So, if you have any great ice cream recipes, feel free to pass them on to our house! Our ice cream maker is churning quite a bit!

Honey Peach Ice Cream

4 large ripe peaches (about 2 pounds), peeled and pitted
1/4 cup honey
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)

Coarsely chop half the peaches into 1/2 inch chunks and toss them into a small saucepan. Add the honey and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until the peaches are soft but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a blender or food processor and whir to puree. (Alternatively; use a hand blender.) Set the peach puree aside while you make the custard.

Bring the milk and cream to a boil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar together until very well blended and just slightly thickened. Still whisking, drizzle in about one third of the hot liquid-this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they don't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining liquid. Pour the custard back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring without stopping, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon; if you run your finger down the bowl of the spoon, the custard should not run into the track. The custard should reach at least 170 degrees F, but no more than 180 degrees F, on an instant read thermometer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the custard into a 2 quart glass measuring cup or clean heatproof bowl. Stir in the vanilla and the peach puree.

Refrigerate the custard until chilled before churning it into ice cream. Scrape the chilled custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. While the ice cream is churning, finely dice the remaining 2 peaches, then, just before the ice cream is thickened and ready, add the peaches and churn to blend. Pack the ice cream into a container and freezer for at least 2 hours, until it is firm enough to scoop.

Source: Baking From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.

Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

I have an ice cream loving toddler in my house. I really think ice cream has become one of his daily food groups! So, what better idea on a hot summer day than for the toddler and I to make our own homemade ice cream. We were originally going to make a honey peach ice cream but some how I grabbed nectarines instead of peaches. So, onto plan B, this blueberry ice cream. This was simple to make as far as ice cream goes. No custard to cook. Although this is an ice cream recipe, the addition of the sour cream adds a tang that could allow this dish to pass for a frozen yogurt. My husband likened the flavors to a berries and cream. We are looking forward to more ice cream creations. This one will no doubt be gone before the weekend is over! Someone remind me though, why I made a toddler purple ice cream!!

Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

1 cup blueberries - fresh or frozen (if frozen, thaw and drain)
1/3 cup sugar (or more to taste)
pinch of salt
grated zest and juice of 1/4 lemon (or lime as you prefer) or more juice to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream

Put the blueberries, sugar, salt and lemon zest and juice into a medium nonreactive saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture boils and the berries pop and soften, about 3 minutes.

Turn the berries into a blender and whir until you have a fairly homogeneous puree, about one minute. (It will never be completely smooth, and that's just fine.) Add the heavy cream and sour cream and pulse just to blend. Taste and, if you'd like, add a squirt more lemon juice or a tiny bit more sugar.

Pour the custard into a bowl and refrigerate until it is chilled before churning it into ice cream.

Scrape the chilled custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pack the ice cream into a container and freeze for at least 2 hours, until it is firm enough to scoop.

Source: Baking From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

We had some friends over for a casual cookout this past weekend. For our menu, we served: chips and salsa cruda, guacamole, cowboy burgers (purchased from our local natural grocer), steamed corn on the cob, cantaloupe and these ice cream sandwiches. The menu was fairly simple which meant I had more time to spend visiting with friends. The easy menu also left me time to make these ice cream sandwiches. These were really great. The only thing I would recommend is to allow them a little thaw time before serving. The cookies were really hard right out of the freezer. This recipe is great because there are so many possibilities and variations. This is the perfect recipe to enjoy for the summer.

Frozen Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

• 1 pound chocolate chip cookie dough (recommended: Nestle Toll House)
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 1 1/2 ounces) chocolate-toffee candy bars, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (recommended: Skor) (I used a Heath bar)
  
• 2 medium bananas, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 pint vanilla or banana ice cream, softened (I used organic mint chocolate chip)
  

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Form the cookie dough into 12 equal-sized balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Cool for 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, toss together the chocolate chips and oil. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Spread the melted chocolate on top of 6 of the cooled cookies. Place on a parchment or waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the chocolate-toffee candy pieces on top of the melted chocolate. Place the remaining cookies, flat-side-up, on the same baking sheet. Arrange the banana slices in a single layer on the flat side of the remaining cookies. Freeze all the cookies for 45 to 60 minutes until the chocolate has set and the banana slices are frozen.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop about 1/3 cup softened ice cream on top of the frozen bananas. Place a chocolate covered cookie on top and gently press to form a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining ice cream and cookies. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours until firm.

Source: Giada de Laurentis, Foodnetwork.com.

Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread with Pear Caramel Ice Cream

As is our regular tradition, I had my in-laws over for dinner to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. When developing the menu, I knew I wanted dessert to be the star of the show. I also didn't want to do a regular frosted cake. When visiting my mother-in-law one day she was discussing a dessert we were having and noted how much she liked ginger and particularly gingerbread. I immediately remembered seeing this gingerbread cake on the Smitten Kitchen's blog. I wanted to make the cake a bit more special since it was for a birthday, so I decided to make a homemade ice cream to pair with it. I found a recipe for pear caramel ice cream in The Perfect Scoop, and I knew it would be a perfect match. This dessert was definitely a show stopper and I loved that it was casual yet elegant at the same time. It also didn't take that much work to prepare, another bonus! The gingerbread cake has an amazing depth of flavor and was incredibly moist inside. This cake is so versatile, you could serve it with a ginger whipped cream, sauteed pears or apples, a homemade caramel sauce. The possibilities are endless. The ice cream definitely put this dessert over the top. The sweetness and flavors of the pears definitely played prominently in this dessert and the caramel lent slight undertones to the ice cream but was not overwhelming. I think this is my favorite flavor so far out of this book, although they have all been very good. I also think this dessert is the perfect pairing for my favorite chili recipe! Now, if I could only get a good snow day to match these two together!

Previous Recipes from the Smitten Kitchen:
Blueberry Pancakes

Previous Recipes from the Perfect Scoop:
Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream

Gramercy Tavern's Gingerbread

1 cup oatmeal stout or Guinness Stout
1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cardamom
3 large eggs
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Confectioners sugar for dusting

Accompaniment: Unsweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess. (I sprayed my pan very generously with cooking spray and had no problems with it sticking).

Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.

Pour batter into bundt pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.

Serve cake, dusted with confectioners sugar, with whipped cream.

Do ahead: This gingerbread is better if made a day ahead. It will keep 3 days, covered, at room temperature. I am sure it will keep well-wrapped in the freezer even longer.

Source: The Smitten Kitchen

Pear Caramel Ice Cream

• 3 medium-sized ripe pears, peeled and cored
• 3/4 c. + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/8 teaspooon coarse salt
• a few drops of fresh lemon juice

1. Dice the pears into 1/4-inch pieces.
2. Spread the sugar in a large, heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, carefully watching and stirring occasionally with a heatproof spatula until melted.
   
3. When the sugar is a deep amber, stir in the pears. The caramel will seize, that's ok. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally for ten minutes. The sugar will have dissolved.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the cream, then mix in the rest of the cream, salt, and lemon juice.
5. Cool to room temp, puree until smooth, press through a strainer.
6. Chill according to your ice-cream maker manufacturer's instructions.

Source: The Perfect Scoop by Dave Lebovitz, Ten Speed Press, May 2007.

Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream

I've had The Perfect Scoop cookbook for a while now and was excited to try my first recipe. I saw many rave reviews for the recipes in this book on other blogs and they were right! This recipe starts with a delicious vanilla custard base that would easily be adaptable with other mix-ins or great all on its own. The ice cream was perfect the day we made it, however, I found after sitting in the freezer longer, the berries became crunchy. I omitted the vodka mixed in with the raspberries because I was feeding the ice cream to children. I realize now, the vodka was intended to keep the raspberries from freezing. So if you are making this recipe, keep that in mind. I will definitely be trying more of the wonderful recipes from this book. My biggest problem, is picking which one to choose next!

Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream
Source: The Perfect Scoop by Dave Liebovitz

Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract ( I would like to try vanilla bean paste next time)

Raspberry Swirl

1 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen (I used fresh)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vodka (I omitted-see note above)

To make the ice cream, warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula scarping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Add the vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

An hour or so before churning the ice cream, make the raspberry swirl by mashing the raspberries together with the sugar and vodka with a fork (if using frozen raspberries, let them thaw a bit first) until they're juicy but with nice-sized chunks or raspberries remaining. Chill until ready to use.

Freeze the ice cream custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. After you remove it from the machine, layer the container with spoonfuls of the chilled raspberry mixture.

Banana Coconut Ice Cream

I decided yesterday it was time to break out the ice cream maker this year. I recently got a copy of Dave Lieberman's Perfect Scoop and there are so many delicious looking recipes I can't wait to try. We finally got new furniture for our patio, and are shopping for a grill. I foresee a barbecue with homemade ice cream very soon! In the meantime, I wanted to make a quick treat to go with dinner last night. I made this Cooking Light recipe last year and loved it. There is no cooking involved and very few ingredients. Also, it omits the heavy cream used in most ice cream recipes but does not sacrifice on flavor or creaminess at all. I omit the 1/3 cup sugar completely. The mixture is plenty sweet. If you think you want to add the sugar, I would recommend tasting the mixture first. If you own an ice cream maker, I highly recommend keeping the freezer can in your freezer. I keep mine there, because you never know when the urge to make ice cream will hit an you don't want to wait 8 hours for the can to freeze. To prevent freezer burn, you can line it with plastic wrap.


Banana Coconut Ice Cream
Source: Cooking Light May 2007

1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup cream of coconut
1/3 cup sugar (I omit)
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in banana; cover and chill.

Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm.

8 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup)