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*
Homemade Ice Cream
and Sugar cone Recipes *
"French vanilla,"
made with an egg yolk based custard far surpasses
"Philadelphia-style" vanilla, made without eggs. It
has far more of the richness and creaminess that we
look for in ice cream. While as few as three yolks
in a quart recipe makes an excellent ice cream, six
yolks makes for an optimum silky texture without
tasting eggy.
Besides adding
sweetness, sugar makes ice cream a smoother,
softer, more "scoopable." This is because the sugar
both reduces the number and size of ice crystals
and lowers the freezing temperature of the mixture
so that you can beat the mixture longer,
incorporating more air into the ice cream, before
it freezes. For those watching their sugar intake,
a sugar subsitute is fine.
Yolks need to be
beaten very well with some of the sugar before
being combined with the other ingredients. If the
yolks are only lightly beaten, the color of the
finished ice cream is shockingly yellow.
* Master* RECIPE FOR VANILLA ICE CREAM
Makes 1 quart
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
4-inch piece of vanilla bean, slit lengthwise and
seeds re- moved, pod reserved
6 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
- Bring milk, 1/4 cup sugar, and vanilla seeds
and pod to 175 degrees in a heavy saucepan over
medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve
sugar and break up vanilla seeds.
- Meanwhile, beat remaining sugar with yolks
until mixture turns pale yellow and thickens so
that it falls in ribbons, about 2 minutes with
an electric mixer or 4 minutes with a whisk.
- Remove 1/2 cup hot milk from pan and slowly
whisk it into beaten yolks. Then gradually whisk
yolk mixture into saucepan and, stirring
constantly, heat this mixture over medium-low
heat to 180 degrees, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove saucepan
from heat; strain custard into a plastic or
nonreactive metal bowl and stir in cream. Retrieve
vanilla pods from strainer and add them to the
mixture. Place bowl in a larger bowl of ice water
to bring custard to room temp- erature. 4. Chill
for at least 1/2 hour to overnight. If necessary,
two teaspoons of vanilla extract may be substituted
for the vanilla bean. To maximize the extract's
potency, stir it into the chilled custard just
before churning. Freeze accord- ing to
manufacturer's instructions.
* IMPORTANT TIP!!! *
Be sure to seal
your ice cream tightly when storing in the freezer.
Plastic wrap is preferable to aluminum foil. The
flavor and texture of ice cream is so delicate that
any con- tact with air causes quick
deterioration.
COFFEE ICE CREAM
Makes 1 quart
Instant espresso
powder adds a strong jolt of coffee flavor without
adding liquid, which would cause iciness.
Follow the Master
Recipe, adding 3 tablespoons instant espresso
powder (in place of vanilla bean) to hot milk
mixture in step 1; stir until dissolved. Add 1
teaspoon vanilla extract as dir- ected in step
4.
CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
Makes 1 quart
Cocoa adds a rich
flavor without too much fat. For a truffle- like
ice cream, add two ounces of chopped bittersweet or
semisweet chocolate to the finished, but still hot,
cocoa custard and stir constantly until chocolate
melts.
Follow the Master
Recipe, omitting vanilla bean and adding 2
tablespoons sugar to the original 1/4 cup in step
1. When the egg mixture has reached the ribbon
stage in step 2, beat in 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
powder until mixture is smooth. Add 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract as directed in step 4.
STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM
Makes 1 quart
Other soft fruits
can also be turned into ice cream using this
technique. Good candidates include peaches,
nectarines, and plums (all peeled and sliced), and
raspberries and black- berries (seeds may be
strained from both after the fruit has
macerated).
Follow the Master
Recipe omitting vanilla bean in step 1. While
custard is chilling, sprinkle 1 pint stemmed and
halved strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1
teaspoon vanilla extract; crush lightly with a
potato masher and let macerate for 1 hour. Stir
berries into cold custard and refrigerate mixture
again (if necessary) until temperature falls to 40
degrees.
Homemade Sugar Cones
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1/2 c. all-purpose flour, sifted
Preheat oven to
300°F. In a mixing bowl, beat sugar and egg.
Add butter, vanilla and milk, then gradually mix in
flour. Grease a large non-stick cookie sheet, and
spread 1-1/2 tbsp. of batter into a 6" circle.
Repeat, spacing circles 1" apart on cookie sheet.
Bake the cookie circles until entire surface is
light brown (edges may brown faster than center).
Working quickly and carefully, gently lift each
cookie from the pan using a metal spatula. Use a
cone roller to shape each cookie, pinching the
bottom closed. Cones will harden as they cool;
remove mold only after cookie is firm.
Create a sundae
bowl: To create fluted bowl cones. Simply invert a
bowl and place a warm cookie circle over its
bottom, gently working the cookie to the shape of
the bowl Let harden
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