29 May 2012

Ice Cream

ice_13


Finally a new post! It feels like it has been ages, about two weeks. Not that bad, I guess, but still a while. On one of my last days at my old job, my co-worker (that word does not do him justice, he is my friend) surprised me with a gift! An ice cream maker!! Ecstatic does not begin to describe my emotion. I can't tell you how long I have wanted an ice cream maker. I always try to save my money, as much as I can, so I was reluctant to buy one. Then he came into the shop holding a big box, eyes almost swelling with tears, telling me he wishes me the best of luck. And that he will miss me. Gratefully thanking him, giving a giant hug saying how awful it will be that I won't be able to see him every day. Whenever he would come to start his shift, my mind would always race with all the new things I had to tell him. Text messaging will have to suffice for now, until I find a day we both have off so I can go visit him.

The ice cream maker is bright red. The exact one that I had see in a page of Martha Stewart Living over a year ago in a American/Fourth of July kitchen accessories spread. I tore out the page, loving all the red, white and blue. The New England nautical charm every piece had, it all looked amazing. 

ice


I knew I had to make some ice cream right away. I shoved the bowl into my already packed freezer and began furiously clicking away at websites. I found one recipe for 'The Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream in the World' it must be made, I thought. This recipe would either be truly amazing or a complete lie. So after making it, eating, almost all of it, I can tell you its rich, thick, super chocolately & wonderful. I didn't let it set completely in time for the photos, so that's why it looks a bit melted. But when it does set after a few hours in the freezer, it's like eating fudge. It has a bit of cream cheese in it, which I found weird at first, but it makes it really creamy. Of course I added more chocolate on top of super dark chocolate.



ice_2



For the sauce, I made Kamran's Hot Fudge Sauce. With just a bit of espresso added to it to make it even more intense. A complete and utter chocolate overload, in the best way.



ice_3




ice_4





ice_6




ice_7


A few days after I got the ice cream maker, a book I ordered online came in. It was the Laduree Sucre Cookbook. The most beautifully packaged cookbook I have ever seen. A soft, pillowy cover, gold trimmed pages, encased in a layer of lavender tissue paper and it's own box. Too precious to ever throw on the kitchen counter, but I have no problem writing down the recipes to make them. It's worth the minimal extra effort. 

To my surprise, there are some ice cream recipes in the book. One of them that looked particularly amazing was the Glaces Petales de Roses, Rose Petal Ice Cream. It's a loving pale shade of pink with three different type of rose ingredients. I would have made this exact recipe but I am currently overloaded with lemons. Probably over two dozen. So I knew I had to adapt this recipe to be lemon. And I had a bottle of orange blossom water which I had never used, so a perfect combination. 

Unlike the chocolate ice cream, which is almost overwhelmingly strong, this ice cream is subtle, sweet, slightly floral and my new favorite EVER. It's seriously that good. I want to make it again right now. The lemon is bright in it, the orange blossom water ads a nice back note that is not overpowering. A true winner.



ice_8



ice_5


Amazing butter crisps as well.



ice_10

_________________________________________________________________
Lemon & Orange Blossom Ice Cream
an adaptation of a Laduree, Sucre Recipe
Ingredients
500 ml full cream milk
120 ml heavy cream
70 ml lemon syrup*
50 ml orange blossom water
8 egg yolks
135 g sugar
*lemon syrup:
30 ml water
30 ml lemon juice
zest of two lemons
112 g sugar

Combine in saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Until it has reduced and gotten thick. Strain and let cool for 20 minutes.


In a saucepan bring the milk and cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add the lemon syrup and orange blossom water.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until slightly pale. Pour a third of the milk and cream mixture over the egg yolks and sugar (this will temper the yolks). Stir together with a whisk and pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan.
Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens. It should coat the spoon when ready. If you run your finger down the back of the spoon, the custard should not run back into the line. It is important that the custard does not come to the boil.
As soon as the custard his this consistency, remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to stop the cooking. Continue to stir for 5 minutes so the custard stays smooth. Refrigerate until chilled (at least 3 hours but overnight is best).
Pour into the preperation bowl of your ice cream maker and freeze according to the instructions – transfer to an airtight container and freeze for three hours before serving.
_________________________________________________________________
Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream in the World
a slight adaptation from Saveur

Ingredients:
Base: 
475 ml milk
10 g cornstarch
240 ml heavy cream
112 g sugar
50 g light corn syrup
a pinch of kosher salt
90 g cream cheese, softened

Sauce: 
118 g unsweetened cocoa
120 ml brewed coffee 
112 g sugar
42 g bittersweet chocolate 




Make the ice cream: In a bowl, stir together a ladle full of milk and the cornstarch; set slurry aside. In a 4-qt. saucepan, whisk together remaining milk and the cream, sugar, syrup, and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 4 minutes; stir in slurry. Return to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Place cream cheese in a bowl and pour in a ladle full hot milk mixture; whisk until smooth. Then whisk in remaining milk mixture. 

Make the chocolate sauce: Bring cocoa, brewed coffee, and sugar to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over high heat; cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate. 

Stir sauce into ice cream base. Pour mixture into a plastic bag; seal, and submerge in a bowl of ice water until chilled. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker; process according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to a storage container and freeze until set.



_________________________________________________________________


Chocolate Fudge Sauce Recipe from Kamran's site! (I just added a bit of espresso powder, dissolved it in the cream)



ice_11




ice_12

QUESTION: Do you prefer the photos this size (BIG) or the smaller size I have been doing? I can't decide. I like the detail you get from doing them this big, but then they don't fit on the screen as to where you can see the whole thing at once. But the size below seem so small. THOUGHTS??????

40 comments:

Callie Grayson said...

Mmmmmm that chocolate looks amazingly gooey and devious
Xx
Callie

Athena said...

What an awesome friend! Oh an ice cream maker has been on my list for the longest time, I do hope this year is the year I get one so I can try all these amazing flavors.

Angela @ the fairy bread chronicles said...

Oh my goodness i love making ice cream too! and it's surprisingly easy!

i also have the laduree sucre book, it is just so cute and lavish and fancy! i am yet to try any of the recipes, but your rose petal ice cream looks amazing!

b.wak said...

Mon dieu!! comme j'en veux!!♥♥

Katerina said...

So sweet post--It looks delicious :)
xxxFiC.

éva-mona said...

Everything looks yummy around here! Even the "gaufrettes", as we would call those biscuits in French ; ) And what a wonderful co-worker/friend you had! You'll have to make him some ice cream then. I might be a bit intrusive, but what are you going to do as job now? You're blog is fantastic!

Jehanne said...

Which ice-cream maker did you get? I have tried 2 ice-cream maker and both didnt feeeze the custard despite churning for hours:-( alas, my quest for homemade ice cream is futile..would love to know how u managed to churn it perfectly:-)

ingeborg said...

It looks delicious!

AllThingsYummy said...

I finally got an ice cream maker too. I love it.

thelittleloaf said...

Yey to having an ice cream maker! I'm completely in love with mine and make my own ice cream all the time now. That Laduree recipe sounds gorgeous - will definitely have to try.

Unknown said...

Your ice cream looks incredible! I've had an ice cream maker for awhile, will have to give it a try! xo K

LeeLee said...

Looks so delish. Can't wait to give this recipe a try.

thecitygourmand said...

Delectable. I was contemplating purchasing an ice cream maker to mark the start of winter - i think it could work!

Jenny @ BAKE said...

I love making my own icecream I'm addicted!

MyFudo™ said...

You are making me drool...Amazing shots! Wonderful angles, and what is there to complain about ice cream and chocolate. And I love the butter crisps too...Yum!Yum! Yum!

Pencil Kitchen said...

How lucky are you! An ice cream maker!!!! Btw, great ice creams right right away!!!

Annamaria @ bakewelljunction said...

I'll have to find a place to put my Kitchen Aid ice cream maker in the freezer this year and try these recipes. Thanks for the post.

Katie said...

Oh. My gosh. I'm tempted to go out and buy an ice cream maker RIGHT NOW!

Anonymous said...

Lástima que utilicen esas cucharillas de alpaca con manchas verdes de corrosión..., es tóxico. Aunque parezca bucólico en las fotos.

Aelish said...

yum! i like the big photos

brighteyedbaker said...

This is my first visit to your site, but I noticed your question about the photos and decided to go back and look at some of your older posts. I prefer the smaller photos because of the fact that you can't get the whole image on the screen with the very large photos, but if there's an in between size you could try, that might be best. Also, the ice cream looks absolutely fabulous. Dark Chocolate is my favorite!

Shaheen [The Purple Foodie] said...

You have such a lovely blog. Going to pick up those biscuits the next time I'm at Carrefour!

Unknown said...

I'm desperate for an ice cream maker! And definitely big photos.

http://loveluckandsweettea.blogspot.com.au/

Katie Mar said...

yum. i've been looking for the perfect ice cream to make for the first ice cream of the summer. this is it! i love your progression of photos.

Mrs. W said...

A couple of things....I try to save your recipes by pinning them on pinterest but I am unable to, I am not sure if you have uploaded them or have settings set in a way that pinning is not allowed but it would be great to be able to pin them...plus you would get more views I am sure as your photos are beautiful your creations look amazing!
Also, what ice cream maker did you use? thank you!

sweet harvest moon said...

Yum!

I grow up with these cookies, they remind me of my childhood.

Anonymous said...

lovely post! lemon & orange blossom ice cream sound poetic and foremost very delicious!
image size; i would prefer a middle-way, a bit larger than normal and a bit smaller than in this post. :)

Jen Laceda | Milk Guides said...

I like the bigger ones!!! And you have one good co-worker / friend there! To give you an ice cream maker; wow! Now I know for sure that I'm the only food blogger without an ice cream machine...boo...I want one, too!!!!

Rikki said...

Mmmm this looks SO good, especially with those butter crisps, I'm really loving those! I have the same problem with my photos...picking a size and I STILL can't decide. But they look great either way [:

Twinks943@comcast.net said...

My gosh your ice cream looks so tempting!! Makes me want to try some right now. Guess I will have to settle for a dish of Swiss Milk Chocholate ice cream for now....I would definitely like to try your rose petal ice cream, it just sounds so exotic and lucious!! I love the larger photo ! The detail shows up so nice. Good luck on your new job....Twinks

sports live said...

very nice

Mike said...

Just by looking at that dark chocolate ice cream I wept...it must be the best ice-cream in the world!

Anonymous said...

delicious sounding ice cream! Have to give it a try if summer ever comes back (UK).
As to the photo size, I prefer the smaller size, you can always zoom in on them....
Esther

Ichiho said...

Now I'm hungry! It must be delicious. I follow you xoxo

Lindsay (LinzerTart) said...

This looks amazing! I love flower waters, definitely going to try this recipe :) (I'll have to steal my sister's ice cream maker...mwuahahahaha!)

industrial ice machine said...

Nice, looks classy : )

tanya2s said...

I made the chocolate ice cream yesterday and it is FABULOUS. One question, though-- did you mean to double the amount of cocoa in the syrup recipe? Because the Saveur.com recipe calls for 1/2 cup of cocoa, and 118 grams is 1 whole cup! It tastes fantastic with the whole cup, but I just wanted to check. (especially since with the whole cup, it's impossible to "boil" the mixture as the recipe instructs, since it's a thick paste instead of a liquid)

Anonymous said...

Hey i like your blog! What type of ice cream machine do you use? i imagine that you have used them a lot! I'm using those York Simcoe ice cream machines they work pretty well. If you could let me know what machines you like let me know please!

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness! This looks so delicious. I actually just bough my own ice cream machine and I can not wait to make something and now that I saw this, I will definitely be using your recipe. Thanks so much for this.

Julie Dosh said...

I like this, i will try something similiar next time i do a soft serve ice cream machine rental