Blueberries and Cream Ice Cream

I wanted to bring back a little bit of summer by making blueberry ice cream. I picked up a bag of frozen blueberries at the store decided to try coming up with a recipe on my own. I’m calling it blueberries and cream because you definitely taste the sweet cream flavor along with the blueberries. I left the whole berries in because I just love chunks of fruit in my ice cream.

2 cups blueberries (frozen is fine)
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
2 cups half and half

In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, and water, and simmer for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and wash out the pan.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and remaining 1/2 cup sugar.
In the clean pan, heat the half and half just to a simmer, then whisk gradually into the egg mixture. Transfer it all back into the pan and cook over medium, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon.
Stir into the blueberries, then set in an ice bath or refrigerate for a few hours.
When cool, transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.

Maple Bacon Ice Cream

When I first saw candied bacon ice cream, I knew I had to try it. However, reading over the recipe, it seemed like it was missing something. Like maple flavor! I always love it when I have pancakes and bacon on the same plat, and the bacon gets coated with maple syrup.
So, I candied some bacon the way David Lebovitz instructs, then I mixed up some maple ice cream. Mix them together and what do you get? A surprisingly tasty ice cream!
As a side note – I didn’t cut the bacon up into small enough pieces, so some of them were a little chewy in the ice cream. I also think I could have left the bacon in the oven just a little longer to make it more crisp, but I was paranoid about the sugar burning.

For the bacon, go here
For the ice cream:
2 eggs
3 tbsp sugar
2 cups half and half
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
pinch salt

Bring the half and half and maple syrup to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a medium bowl.
Whisking constantly, pour about half the heated half and half mixture into the eggs, then transfer everything back into the saucepan. Add a pinch of salt.
Continue whisking as you cook the mixture over medium-low. Remove from heat when it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Chill in the refrigerator, or set in an ice bath and cool, stirring occasionally. Once cool, transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.
Just before you are ready to stop the ice cream maker, mix in the bacon.
Transfer the ice cream to a container and put in the freezer to chill completely.

NOTE: After a night in the freezer, the bacon flavor kind of overwhelmed the maple…so I will try only 2 or 3 pieces of bacon, chopped fine, in my next batch.

Mexican Chocolate Sherbert

I wasn’t sure if it was sherbert or sherbet – google told me both were acceptable.  In any case, I have been thinking about making this dessert for awhile.  It only has TWO ingredients, so there is no excuse not to whip up a batch right now.  It’s creamy, chocolatey, and I’m sure would be divine with some cinnamon cookies.

3 cups whole milk

3 tablets Mexican chocolate, chopped (I used Nestle Abuelita, which you can see in the photo – it is readily available at Mexican grocery stores)

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the milk and chocolate until all the chocolate is melted and the liquid is a uniform color.

Pour into a bowl and set in an ice bath, whisking occasionally until cool.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake

I am a huge fan of homemade baked goods, and I try to stay away from packaged foods with artificial ingredients.  But there is just something about Oreos I can’t say no to.   Ever since I was young and my sister and I used to peel them apart and lick the filling (then be sorely disappointed by the dry cookie that remained), I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for these cookies.

They are the inspiration for this cake: Two layers of chocolate cake with a layer of cookies and cream ice cream sandwiched in between, covered with vanilla buttercream.

Begin by making the cookies and cream ice cream:

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

1 vanilla bean

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tbsp flour

pinch salt

10 Oreo cookies, finely crushed

Put the milk and cream in a large saucepan.

Cut open a vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the milk, then drop the pod in to maximize the flavor.

Bring just to a simmer.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, and flour in a medium bowl.

Whisk about half of the simmering milk-cream mixture into the eggs.  Mix well, then pour back into the saucepan with the remaining milk.

 

Cook over medium for several minutes, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. 

Pour through a strainer into a large bowl, and set in an ice bath to cool, stirring occasionally.

Line a 9″ cake pan with plastic wrap.

While the ice cream mixture cools in the ice bath, bake your favorite chocolate cake (I used Dorie Greenspan’s Devils Food recipe but you can use whatever you like best) in two 9″ pans.

Cool the layers on a wire rack.

Pour the cooled ice cream mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.  

Just before removing the ice cream from the ice cream maker, stir in the crushed Oreos until they are evenly distributed.

Pour into the plastic wrap-lined pan and put in the freezer until firm (an hour or two).
Once the ice cream layer is firm, place one cake layer on a plate, and invert the pan with the ice cream over it.
Peel off the plastic wrap and place the other cake layer on top.
Return the cake-ice cream sandwich to the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Make some frosting:

1 cup butter, softened
2 tbsp shortening

1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp meringue powder
2 tsp water

Beat the butter and shortening in a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment.
Beat in the vanilla.
Sift together the powdered sugar and meringue powder and add gradually to the butter.
Mix on medium speed while you add the water, 1/2 tsp at a time, until you have the desired consistency.

Crush about 15 Oreos. (I put them in a large Ziploc bag and pound it with my fists – great stress relief!)

Remove the cake from the freezer and frost, working quickly.

Press the Oreo crumbs onto the sides of the cake, then return it to the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Get the cake out once more, and decorate as desired, then return it to the freezer until ready to serve.

Baklava Ice Cream

My husband loves baklava, and I wanted to make ice cream this weekend, so he came up with the brilliant idea of baklava ice cream.  I started with a honey-cinnamon ice cream, and folded in walnuts, pistachios, and some baked filo sheets.  

Ice cream:

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

2/3 cup honey

1 cinnamon stick

2 eggs

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup chopped pistachios

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 sheets filo

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 300 F.

In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream, honey, milk, and cinnamon until boiling.  Turn heat down to low while you whisk the eggs and salt together in a large bowl.

Whisking constantly, pour the cream mixture slowly into the egg yolks. Remove the cinnamon stick.

Transfer the mixture back into the sauce pan, and heat over medium-high, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes.  The mixture should not boil, but should thicken.  When it coats the back of a spoon, remove from heat and pour through a sieve into a clean bowl.  Press plastic wrap on the surface and chill 2-3 hours until cool.

Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and honey together in a small sauce pan.  Place one filo sheet on a Silpat-lined baking sheet and brush half with the honey-butter mixture.  Fold it over and brush the top.  Then brush that, and place the second sheet on so it lines up.  Brush half the top filo sheet and fold it over.  Finally, brush the top.  You should end up with 4 layers of filo, with honey butter between each layer and on the top.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Remove from oven and cool, then break into bite-sized pieces.

After the ice cream has been frozen in the ice cream maker, transfer it to a plastic air-tight container.  Fold in the nuts and filo pieces and freeze in the freezer.