ice cream – My Blog

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

Oregon’s berry bounty is impressive, especially in the summer. Wave after wave of variety comes into its own and it can seem overwhelming when the time comes to choose which one to work with, but after much deliberation, Nate and I think that we’ve finally decided on what our favorite is.

Is it the plentiful, tart, and quintessential Pacific Northwestern blackberry?

No.

Is it the delicate, elegant, and high-brow dessert-loving raspberry?

No.

Is it the versatile, delicious, and nutritious blueberry?

No. No it is not.

For us, the most sublime berry is the one that welcomes us into the warmer months in Oregon. Hitting their peak in early summer, their season comes and goes quickly. It’s important to get them while you can because, as summer develops, they just aren’t the same anymore, then they disappear altogether, waiting for late spring once again. We are, of course, talking about what might be the most popular berry in America: the strawberry.

One might think to oversimplify this common ingredient; after all a strawberry is a strawberry is a strawberry, right?

Noooooope.

There are so so many species of these little beauties, and they all taste a little different from one another. However, there are two that rise above the rest for us: Hoods and Seascapes. I’d be impressed if anyone went wrong with either one of them if you get them at the right time, and the time is now, but as this recipe suggests, like so so many things in this world, we believe that they should be drowned in cream and churned.

P.S. This fresh fruit ice cream proportion works magic with these strawberries, but don’t let that stop you from getting creative. If you apply the same amount of any fresh fruit into this recipe, it will work. Let this be a way for you to experience all the best fruit this summer. I mean, that’s what we will be doing…

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream:

About 1½ cups (335 grams) fresh, ripe strawberries, tops removed (Hoods or Seascapes if you can get them)
A pint (472 grams) heavy whipping cream
1¼ cups (263 grams) whole milk
¾ cup plus 1 tsp (161 grams) sugar
Scant ¼ cup (67 grams) light corn syrup
A dash xanthan gum

Blend strawberries in a food processor or using an immersion blender, then transfer into a large bowl big enough to hold all ingredients. Whisk in the cream, milk, sugar, corn syrup, and xanthan gum.

Ready your ice cream maker (if you have a freezer bowl type make sure the bowl is completely frozen! This usually takes at least 24 hours.), and begin churning immediately. Churn for 25–30 minutes, or until the mixture resembles thick soft serve ice cream. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container, but before putting on the lid, cover it with a layer of plastic wrap, allowing it to stick to the entire surface of the ice cream. Seal the container and place in the back of the freezer for at least 4 hours prior to serving. For best consistency, freeze overnight.

Temper about five minutes before devouring.

June 22, 2016

Strawbanero Sorbet

Sorbet gets a bad rap.

“Why would you want to eat that when you could have ice cream?”

“That‘s gross, no thanks. I’ll take the good stuff.”

“Aww, I’m sorry that’s all they have for you…”

Rude.

I’m going to make something clear here. If you think that sorbet is gross, it’s because all the sorbet you’ve had is garbage. It’s simple as that.

I can understand the aversion; lots of commercial sorbet can be incredibly icy, resembling more of of a sad popscicle that got crammed into a pint container, but know this: it doesn’t need to be this way. Real sorbet is light and bright, harnessing the pure and unadulterated essence of the fruit it was made with. In a way, it’s like a little time capsule, keeping the fruit at the peak of its ripeness so you can revisit it every time you open your freezer. Good sorbet outshines any alternative no-fat, low-carb, low-sugar, high-protein, “guilt-free” bullshit on the market today. We tried some just to see for ourselves what the fuss was all about (for science!) and let’s say that we won’t be returning to that arena any time soon. Or ever.

While Nate and I love almost everything about ice cream (eating it, making it, designing it) we understand that it’s a sometimes food. So, in an effort to find a dessert lower in fat that would be a little easier on our bodies and also rid ourselves of the ungodly amount of strawberries we purchased at the farmer’s market this week (they were just so pretty) we came up with this little recipe. Using amazing strawberries make it bright and floral while the habanero lends its own sweetness to the mix along with something a little extra.

Strawbanero Sorbet:

2 pounds ripe strawberries, tops removed
1 small(!) habanero
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup water
¼ cup light corn syrup or tapioca syrup
2–3 tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)

Put the sugar and water in a sauce pan over high heat and allow the mixture to boil, dissolving all the sugar in the solution. Once it resembles a syrup, remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

Spear the habanero on a fork and flame the skin over a gas burner (or with a blow torch) until the entire body of the chile is black. Remove the habanero from the fork and place in a plastic bag for 10 minutes or so, allowing the chile to sweat and its outer skin be very tender. Rub the char off the habanero, then remove the stem and the seeds, discarding them.

Put all of the strawberries and the processed habanero into a food processor and blend until completely smooth. Strain it, if you like. Transfer the very fine strawberry habanero pulp to a large bowl and whisk in all the simple syrup and corn syrup. Chill in an airtight container until cold, at least an hour (we recommend overnight as it will allow the subtle flavor of the habanero to develop further).

Prepare your ice cream/sorbet churner (if you using a freezer bowl make sure that it is completely frozen—this typically takes up to 24 hours). Remove the sorbet mix from the fridge and add the lemon juice, then pour into the churning machine. Churn for 15–20 minutes, or until it becomes thick and almost smoothie-like. Transfer into an airtight container like a large tupperware; cover in plastic wrap, allowing it to stick to the entire surface of the sorbet, lid it, then chill in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Serve in cups, cones, or maybe even in a spritzer for a zippy float.

June 18, 2016

Cookies & Cream Grows Up

This monstrosity was borne out of wondering what to make for National Ice Cream Day. There were two schools of thought at first. I was thoroughly excited about making our very first chocolate ice cream, while Nate had his eye on experimenting with a cookies ’n’ cream. The time came to when we were wandering the aisles of a grocery store near our house and we knew we had to make up our minds soon. At the last moment, Nate had the utterly genius idea of…simply not choosing.

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“ ‘¿Por qué no los dos?’ he said to me.”

“¿Por qué no los dos?” he said to me.

He’s a madman, I thought.

We bought good chocolate, Oreos, and heavy cream and went home.

What transpired was a combination of a rich chocolate ice cream that resembled chocolate mousse—spiked with a little bourbon because we found it raiding the pantry and also why wouldn’t you do that? Then, in it’s last moments of churning, we crammed it full of crumbled Oreos.

There’s no possible way we can prepare you for how delicious this is. I almost got angry the first time I tasted it because it was so delicious. Angry. Lesson learned from making this ice cream: when you’re deliberating between two things, sometimes the best possible outcome for the choice is, in fact, choosing both. And I have to say, this is the best tasting compromise I’ve ever come across in my life.

¿Por qué no los dos?

Boozy Dark Chocolate Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

1 pint heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp. good sea salt
8 oz. good dark chocolate, 60% cacao or higher (we recommend Valrhona or Woodblock)
Scant ⅛ tsp. xanthan gum
1½ tbsp. bourbon or rye whiskey
10 Oreo cookies, crumbled (plus more to snack on, because porqué no?)

In a heavy bottomed 2-quart pan, heat cream, milk, sugar, and salt until simmers and the sugar and salt completely dissolve. Place chocolate into the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse until broken into small chunks, the smaller the better. Add 1 cup of the hot cream-milk mixture while the food processor is running. Blend until chocolate is melted, making a rich ganache.

In a medium bowl, pour the rest of the cream-milk mixture. Add the ganache to the cream and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the whiskey. Add the xanthan gum, and stir until dissolved. Chill mixture for at least 2 hours before churning.

In your ice cream machine, churn the mixture for 25–30 minutes or until it thickens enough to stick to the churn or a spoon. Right before you stop churning, slowly add the cookies and churn for about a minute. Quickly transfer to a freezer-safe container. Cover with plastic wrap and the lid, and freeze until desired hardness is achieved. We recommend overnight, but this depends on how cold your freezer is.

Yields about 1.5 quarts.

July 25, 2015

Salty Peanut Butter Sundae

WARNING: Do not make this recipe. If you make ice cream and realize how ridiculously easy it is to make, you won’t stop. We certainly haven’t.
That said, we love us some peanut butter. There was this time where we were eating only low-fat protein and veggies, and on a whim we ate a spoonful of natural peanut butter (salted, of course). The experience, when we hadn’t had a lot of fat for a while, was religious. The complexity of this everyday staple has led us to experiment with different formulations of the legume paste in ice cream.

Eventually, we settled on a less-sweet version of the ice cream, preferring the sweetness to come from the add-ins. The added twist of extra salt gives it that extra savory oomph to sate our salty-tooth tastes. This version has Heath toffee chunks swirled in (we found these next to the chocolate chips), though we have experimented with chocolate bits and peanut butter cup pieces, both of which are delicious. And to make it all the more us, we covered it in a crispy dark chocolate shell that adds a distinct bitterness to this rich and creamy dessert.

2 cups whipping cream (not heavy)
1¼ cups milk
½ cup granulated sugar
1 heaping cup peanut butter
2 tsp. good quality vanilla extract
1 heaping teaspoon good sea salt
½ cup Heath bits o’ brickle toffee pieces

Dark chocolate shell

2.5 oz. dark chocolate chips
¼ cup coconut oil

In a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved, about 1–2 minutes. Add cream and vanilla extract and stir until mixed. Add milk and salt, and continue stirring until it is completely incorporated.

Prepare your ice cream maker, turn it on, and pour the ice cream into the machine. Churn according to your machine’s directions (usually 20–25 minutes). About 15 minutes in, pour the toffee pieces in and continue churning until you achieve a thick, soft serve consistency. Scrape into a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Ice cream is better fresh, so consume within two weeks of making it, or it will become dense.

Yields 1.5 quarts

When you are ready to serve, heat the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave until thin and liquid. Let cool slightly. Pour slowly over the scooped ice cream, garnish with some big flake sea salt, and serve immediately. If the shell does not harden immediately, place the sundae in the freezer for about 30 seconds. Store any unused chocolate shell in the fridge.

June 1, 2015

Tag: ice cream