Honey and Toasted Nutmeg Ice Cream

Are you looking for something festive that can apply to both holidays? This recipe is great for those days when you just feel like baking something, though obviously it wouldn’t apply to ice cream. It will fill your home with wonderful scents and provide a tasty snack or dessert. Your friends and family will marvel at your ingenuity with the flavors!

I have made this ice cream once with egg yolks alone and again with whole eggs. The batch with whole eggs had a clearer, brighter flavour of honey and spice. As one would expect, the egg yolks afforded a silkier custard, which had its own merit.  

In the dead of winter, in need of a cold-weather-worthy ice cream and feeling particularly blithe, I might try it with 8 egg yolks for kicks. Go with what works for you.

Ingredients

• 1 whole nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (35%), divided
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup liquid honey
• 6 egg yolks or 4 whole eggs, see head note
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Grate 2 teaspoons of nutmeg into a small skillet. Toast the ground nutmeg over medium heat until aromatic, around 2 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Add the rest of the (whole) nutmeg to the pot with the milk mixture and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes.  

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks (or whole eggs, if using) with the sugar, honey and salt. Pouring in a thin, steady stream, whisk in the hot milk mixture into the eggs. Tansfer the mixture back to the pan and cook, stirring, until thickened, 8-10 minutes. Pour custard through a fine-meshed sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and toasted nutmeg; cover custard lightly and chill.  

Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's direction then transfer to an airtight container and freeze until set. 

Makes 1 quart.

Read the full entry here: http://bit.ly/riCKFd

Vintage Ice Cream Ads

Remember the popularity of ice cream parlors in the 50s and 60s? Whatever happened to those awesomely bad magazine ads for ice cream?

Take a stroll with us down memory lane, back to the golden years, with all the vintage ads below. You'll be surprised at what you see.

Does anyone else still have one of these Dairy Queens in your neighborhoods? They're great, aren't they? Its like driving into the past and parking there. It wasn't summer without at least one evening spent in its parking lot with the car windows rolled down, the radio on, and ice cream sundaes or cones wrapped with a few paper napkins in our hands. 

Guilt-free, Dairy-free Thanksgiving Ice Cream

We can’t all handle milk products. For those who can't, they usually miss out on the deliciousness that is ice cream. But no worries! This holiday, try an “ice cream” recipe that doesn’t include cream but still incorporates the best spices and flavors of Thanksgiving. This recipe is soy-free, gluten-free and dairy-free.

Allow yourself a bit of extra time before beginning the bulk of this recipe. Peel the bananas and cut them into fourths before you freeze them, just to make the job easier. Freeze them for at least a day (more days is better). Pumpkin pie spice can be used instead of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a little ground ginger might do wonders. You can adjust the measurements to your taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana (per person)
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2-1 tbsp almond butter (optional)
• Less than a splash of almond milk to help blend (optional)

Directions:
Put the frozen banana into a food processor or blender and blend until it reaches the consistency of ice cream. You may need to stop occasionally to scrape down the sides. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Add more spices to taste. Sprinkle spices on top of “ice cream” to finish it off. Serve and enjoy!

Follow the link for more information: http://bit.ly/UCOyEi

Pumpkin-Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches

How long has it been since you last had an ice cream sandwich? What about one that isn’t vanilla ice cream atop a chocolate cookie? If you’re looking for something a little more creative, or for a way to wow your friends and family during the holidays, give this recipe a try.

Gingerbread Sugar Cookies

• 250 grams butter
• 125 grams powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 370 grams flour
• 3 grams salt
• 2 grams baking powder
• 3 grams ground ginger
• 2 grams ground cloves
• 1 gram ground cinnamon
• Egg wash
• Sanding sugar

Cream the butter and the powdered sugar with the paddle attachment. Scrape the bowl and add the egg. Mix until combined. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and spices and add to the mixing bowl. Mix until combined. 

Turn the dough on to your work surface and shape it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and flatten it some more. Refrigerate overnight. 

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll to 1/8″ thickness. Cut with a square cookie cutter that is about 3″ and place them on a sheetpan lined with a silicon mat or a piece of parchment paper. Brush the tops of the cookies with egg wash and sprinkle sanding sugar on top. Bake at 350F for about 8 minutes. Let the cookies cool before assembling the ice cream sandwiches.

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

• 450 grams whole milk
• 100 grams heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 170 grams sugar
• 70 grams egg yolks
• 200 grams fresh pumpkin puree

Cut a medium size pumpkin in half. Place on a sheet pan cut side down and bake at 375F for about 30 minutes or until flesh soft and scoopable. Measure 200 grams of the pumpkin flesh, puree and set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, heavy cream, half of the sugar and the spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar. When the milk mixture comes to a boil, temper into the egg yolks and whisk. Return this base to the pan and cook to 82C or until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. 

Strain this custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Mix the pumpkin puree into it and place the bowl over an ice bath to cool it quickly. Let the ice cream base rest in the refrigerator overnight. 

Churn in ice cream machine and when done, pour into a frozen quarter sheet pan. Freeze until solid. 

Cut ice cream with the same size square cookie cutter used to cut the gingerbread sugar cookies. Place the ice cream squares between cookies and serve.

View the full recipe here. 

 

Pumpkin ice cream recipe

This is the month of pumpkin-flavored everything! Some dishes will actually use pureed or mashed pumpkin, and ice cream is no different. Here is a tasty recipe for all you pumpkin (and pumpkin pie) lovers out there!

Smooth, cold, creamy, spicy, just slightly boozy, and tasting like a cold piece of pumpkin pie. So basically, it’s totally delicious and a perfect addition to your fall-inspired ice cream recipes.

... being able to offer guests some pumpkin ice cream seems like a great option. The hardcore eaters can throw a scoop on top of their pumpkin pies, and if someone is already stuffed but still craving some of those classic Thanksgiving dessert flavors, they can have a cup of ice cream and still feel satisfied.

yield: 1 quart  prep time: 30 minutes  cook time: 20 minutes   total time: 9 hours 

INGREDIENTS:
1½ cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon freshly-grated ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
5 large egg yolks
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Grand Marnier, rum or brandy (optional)
¾ cup canned pumpkin

DIRECTIONS:
1. Make an ice bath by putting some ice and a little water in a large bowl and nest a smaller metal bowl (one that will hold at least 2 quarts) inside it. Set a mesh strainer over the top. 

2. In a medium saucepan mix the milk, cream, granulated sugar, ginger, ground cinnamon, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and salt. 

3. Warm the mixture until hot and the edges begin to bubble and foam. 

4. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and gradually whisk in about half of the warm spiced milk mixture, stirring constantly. 

5. Scrape the warmed yolks back in to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read between 160º-170ºF (71º-76ºC). 

6. Immediately pour the mixture through the strainer into the bowl nested in the ice bath. Mix in the brown sugar, add the cinnamon stick back in, then stir until cool, then chill thoroughly, preferably overnight. 

7. Whisk in the vanilla, liquor (if using), and pumpkin. Press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

You can read the full recipe with commentary here: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/11/11/pumpkin-ice-cream-recipe/ 

Brownie Batter Milkshakes

This is a simple recipe that will satisfy your cravings for brownies and ice cream without using your oven.

What you will need:
- Vanilla (or chocolate) ice cream
- Brownie batter mix
- Milk
- A blender

Optional for pizzazz:
- Whipped cream
- Corn syrup
- Chocolate syrup
- Chocolate sprinkles

Take your ice cream, milk and brownie batter and dump them into your blender. Blend until smooth. You get something resembling this:

Of course, this picture is rather fancy. To achieve it, dip the glass rim in a miniscule amount of corn syrup and then a small pile of chocolate sprinkles. Pour in your milkshake, top with whipped cream and drizzle on some chocolate sauce. If you have already-made brownies (or one of those small packets you can buy at a convenience/grocery store), tear them up and plop them on. Voila. 

Follow the link for more information: http://cookiesandcups.com/brownie-batter-milkshake/