Ice Cream!

 My daughter gifted me with the Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker and I LOVE it! I have experimented with various recipes and found some that are consistently excellent.

Ice Cream Base 

I use this base for every recipe. It is perfect every time.

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• ⅔ cup sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 6 large egg yolks

 

Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream

I know it sounds strange, but it is wonderful! Make sure you squeeze the bags after you have steeped them to get all of the flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• ⅔ cup sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 6 large egg yolks
•  6 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea (I use 6 tea bags)

 

Directions

1. Step 1

   1. Pour the cream and milk into a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk in 1/2 cup (100 grams) of the sugar, the tea, and the salt and stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Warm the mixture until you see steam rising from the top. Remove from the heat and strain the mixture into a bowl, pressing on the tea leaves to extract as much infused liquid as possible. Discard the tea leaves and return the infused dairy mixture to the double boiler.

   Step 2

   2. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set another bowl over it. Set aside.

   Step 3

   3. In a medium bowl, with a kitchen towel underneath it to prevent slipping, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until uniform. While whisking, add a splash of the hot dairy mixture to the yolks. Continue to add the dairy mixture, whisking it in bit by bit, until you've added about half. Add the yolk mixture to the remaining dairy mixture in the double boiler. Set the heat under the double boiler to medium and cook the custard, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon and reducing the heat to medium-low as necessary, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Hold the spoon horizontally and run your finger through the custard. If the trail left by your finger stays separated, the custard is ready to be cooled.

   Step 4

   4. Strain the custard into the bowl sitting over the prepared ice bath and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard has cooled. Transfer the custard to a quart-size container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.

   Step 5

   5. Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Place the container in which you refrigerated the custard in the freezer so you can use it to store the finished ice cream. Churn the ice cream until the texture resembles "soft serve." Transfer the ice cream to the chilled storage container and freeze until hardened to your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately—it will be the consistency of gelato. The ice cream will keep, frozen, for up to 7 days.

 

Strawberry Mascarpone 

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• ⅔ cup sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 6 large egg yolks
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese

 Filling

• 1 cup strawberries
• ¼ cup sugar

 
 Crumble Topping

2 ounces of crumbled Biscoff cookies (graham crackers or crunchy oatmeal cookies can be substituted in a pinch)

 

Directions

To prepare the ice cream base:

1. Combine the milk and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, combine the egg yolks and the remaining sugar in a bowl and whip with a hand mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Once the milk mixture has come to a simmer, carefully add 1 cup of the warm milk into the egg mixture in a slow and steady stream, whisking all the while, over the course of 30 seconds. Don’t add it all at once or you’ll risk scrambling the eggs. Once the milk has been added, pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and cook over medium-low heat while stirring constantly until the mixture barely thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 4-5 minutes). Don’t let the mixture boil. Pull the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the mascarpone and salt until incorporated.
2. Strain the custard into a container and refrigerate. Once the mixture has chilled, process the ice cream in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions, usually about 20 minutes. Once prepared, spread the custard into a loaf pan alternating with drizzles of the strawberries. Swirl gently with a knife and then allow to freeze completely in the freezer.
3. When serving, crumble Biscoff cookies on top.
   

To prepare the filling:

1. Combine the strawberries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat to cool completely prior to use.