Pumpkin Ice Cream

First off... Hello to any visitors that came over from Jen's blog!!

Below is the recipe I used for the pumpkin ice cream we had last night for dinner.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
(Source: based on the recipe I used for the PB+cookie ice cream I made in July) - makes 1 quart
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 ounces light cream cheese, at room temperature
2 c. fat free half and half
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 1/2 T. dark corn syrup
1/4 t. salt
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. nutmeg [I used 1 t. for the version I made last night and it was a little overpowering. I think 1/2 to 1/4t. should be plenty]
1/4 t. ground cloves
*Optional: Gingersnap cookies for garnish

In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch. Whisk thoroughly so the cornstarch doesn't clump up. In another large bowl, whip the cream cheese, pumpkin, salt and spices until smooth.

In a large saucepan, combine the remaining 1 1/4 cups of milk with the heavy cream, sugar and corn syrup. Bring the milk mixture to a boil and simmer over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. You may need to pull the mixture half off the burner so it doesn't boil over.

Take the milk mixture off the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes - no more.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese+pumpkin until smooth. Chill completely - overnight, ideally.

After mixture is completely chilled, pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When it's frozen, scrape the ice cream out of its freezing chamber and into a large bowl. Serve immediately with a gingersnap cookie or pack the ice cream into a plastic container. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
Because this recipe included a lot of fat-free ingredients, minimal sugar and no eggs I was really interested to calculate the nutritional content. I use a website and based the calculation off the assumption that 1 quart = 8 servings. I think it actually will contain more, but just in case I want to eat a *big* bowl, I thought I'd go with fewer servings. Needless to say, I liked the numbers even if they do equate to a C+.

Banana Soft Serve, in the raw

Have you ever tried or considered eating a "Raw Food" diet?

A raw food diet is based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed. Heating food above 116*F is believed to destroy the enzymes that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and "life force" of food. Typically, at least 75% of the diet must be living or raw. {Source}

To be honest, I have not. However I might consider it if everything "raw" is this good!!

Banana Soft Serve
(Source: I've seen this multiple places, but most cite Gena)

Ingredient
1 frozen banana

Blend banana in food processor or blender until smooth.
Top as desired (I, of course, topped mine with Trader Joe's natural peanut butter)

{frozen banana, quartered}

{Banana + Food Processor + 2 minutes = banana chunks}

{Banana + Food Processor + 5 minutes = smooth banana soft serve}

{Soft serve in a dish}

{Soft serve in a dish, topped with a heaping spoonful of peanut butter}

Seriously this is delicious. It's not quite ice cream, but if you like bananas it's real tasty. Plus it is a cool and refreshing summer treat. {This is what I referenced making in my no-craft-for-July post; I've made it twice now. Yum!}

Peanut Butter obsession turns to ice cream

One word: Yum. Second word: Amazing. Three more words: Must Make Again.

Oh my gosh! This was so good! I made the base yesterday and the ice cream today. This was a different base than I've made before. No eggs - instead the thickener is corn starch. It didn't get quite as thick as I expected {maybe because my cornstarch is old?}, but it was thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and made for a yummy ice cream.
PB ice cream w/ Chocolate Covered PB Cracker Sandwiches
(Source: The Kitchn)
makes 1 quart

1 1/2 c. whole milk [I used skim]
1 T. cornstarch
2 oz. cream cheese at room temperature [I used 4 oz. light cream cheese]
2 c. heavy cream [I used fat free half and half]
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 1/2 T. light corn syrup [I used dark]
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. creamy natural peanut butter [in addition to the creamy PB, I also added the rest of my almond butter]
1 container Trader Joe's Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers, frozen solid and chopped in half

In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch. Whisk thoroughly so the cornstarch doesn't clump up. In another large bowl, whip the cream cheese until smooth. {After mixing, my version had very small chunks of cream cheese, probably because I hadn't let the cheese fully warm to room temperature.}

In a large saucepan, combine the remaining 1 1/4 cups of milk with the half and half, sugar and corn syrup. Bring the milk mixture to a boil and simmer over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves — about 4 minutes. You may need to pull the mixture half off the burner so it doesn't boil over.

Take the milk mixture off the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute - no more [I did more]. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Whisk in the salt. Chill completely - overnight, ideally.

After mixture is completely chilled, pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker. Add the peanut butter in big spoonfuls and then freeze the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When it's frozen, scrape the ice cream out of its freezing chamber and into a large bowl. Fold in the frozen, halved peanut butter crackers.

{take note of the gigantic spoon}

Pack the ice cream into a plastic container. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

{Huge spoon = perfect sample size}{Delectable summer treat}

Craft # 5g: Chipotle Chocolate Ice Cream

This is the last of the May Ice Cream series. I wanted to make one more kind and I wanted it to be chocolate. Here is a little known fact about me: I am not a big chocolate ice cream, cake or brownie fan. Granted, I will eat them when they are in front of me, but I prefer vanilla. That being said, I really wanted to make chocolate variety.

I told Rich this and he again came up with a suggestion: Spicy Chocolate Ice Cream. {I kind of want to call it Hot Chocolate Ice Cream, but am not sold that should be the name}

Chocolate ice cream meant I needed to purchase my very first container of unsweetened cocoa powder, as this would be a key ingredient. Also, you should know I took zero photos during the cooking process and frankly I haven't had a scoop, just an ice cream sandwich.

Chipotle Ice Cream, 'Hot Chocolate Ice Cream'
(Source: Many. I didn't keep track and took bits and pieces to assemble my own version)

Ingredients:
1 ¾ c milk
1 ¾ c half and half
1 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. cocoa
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
4 egg yolks
1 t. cinnamon
1 pinch cloves
1/8 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. ground ancho chili powder
1/4 t. ground chipotle powder
1 t. vanilla extract

Combine milk, half and half, sugar, salt, cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate in sauce pan over heat.

In separate mixing bowl, beat eggs and spices (excluding vanilla).

Temper eggs with cocoa mixture. Pour mixture into reserved saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture coats back of spoon and registers 175°F on thermometer (do not let boil). Immediately remove from heat and pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and refrigerate, several hours or overnight.

Prepare ice cream according to ice cream maker instructions.

{ugly picture; delicious hot chocolate ice cream sandwich on gingersnap cookies}

{scrumptious}

*Have you noticed a theme with the last three ice creams? I wanted ice cream sandwiches, baby!! So I made two batches of cookies this weekend to pair with the ice creams. They are tasty!!!

Craft # 5f: Basil Ice Cream

Rich requested this one. He was inspired by a Basil/Sugar grinder we bought a while back; we have yet to use it, but are ready if you need Basil & Sugar added to something.

Basil Ice Cream

(Source: Gourmet Magazine)

Yield: Makes about 3 cups Active Time: 25 min Total Time: 3 1/2 hr

Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk [I used skim]

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil [to me this was two packages of herbs from the store]

1/2 cup sugar

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup well-chilled heavy cream [I used fat free half and half - and probably closer to 3/4 c]

Bring milk, basil, 1/4 cup sugar, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring, then remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender (reserve saucepan) and blend until basil is finely ground, about 1 minute. [I again had to do this in batches using the Magic Bullet; the second batch I blended less, because I wanted visible basil pieces in the ice cream]

Beat together yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 1 minute. [I did this by hand] Reheat milk mixture and then add milk to egg mixture in a stream, beating until combined well. Pour mixture into reserved saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture coats back of spoon and registers 175°F on thermometer (do not let boil). Immediately remove from heat and pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight, until well chilled.

Stir in cream and freeze in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours.

I haven't taken any finished product photos yet... but I will likely sandwich this one between two cookies...

Craft # 5e: Mango Ginger Yogurt

For a while I've wanted to try Greek yogurt. I've heard a lot about it, but up until now had not used or tasted it. When this recipe called for it as an ingredient, I was pretty excited to have an excuse to buy some. I liked this recipe because it is pure ingredients and does not include a custard base. So in my mind that means no post-mixing refrigeration required.

Mango Ginger Frozen Yogurt
(Source: Sugar Laws)

Ingredients
1 large mango, peeled and pitted
1 tsp fresh grated ginger [I used 1/2 t. ground ginger]
3/4 cup sugar [I think I only used 1/2 c. sugar]
6 ounce carton vanilla yogurt
5 ounce container plain Greek yogurt [I used closer to 8 oz]
1 tbsp vodka
2 T. crystallized ginger

In a food processor {I only have the magic bullet, so I used that} puree the mango, ginger, vodka and sugar until combined. Add the vanilla yogurt and Greek yogurt and process until blended. {At this point the volume outgrew the Magic Bullet, so I had to mix smaller batches.}

Churn in an ice cream machine for about 40 minutes, when almost done add crystallized ginger to yogurt mixture. Freeze for 2 hours or to the consistency you prefer.

{Juicy Mango}
{Mango Ginger Yogurt Sandwich on White Chocolate, Coconut, Almond Cookies: Side View}

{Mango Ginger Yogurt Sandwich on White Chocolate, Coconut, Almond Cookies: Arial View}

Craft # 5d: Coffee Toffee Crunch

The third ice cream I brought for Mother's Day was coffee toffee crunch. In all honesty, this was Salted Caramel gone wrong.

There are a few things that I did incorrectly:
1. I ran out of white sugar while making this batch (I bought more to make the official salted caramel rendition posted yesterday) and used brown sugar instead.
2. I didn't want to use butter in the recipe, so I used Karo syrup. The syrup I had on hand is dark, not light.
3. I don't want to blame the blog, but... I was fumbling for my camera and in turn the caramel burned. (It was either that or I just didn't know what caramel looked like before it was burnt.)

From a recipe standpoint, I pretty much followed the salted caramel recipe. I started using only one cup of sugar (a combination of white and brown sugar) and Karo syrup (2T). Unfortunately I let it cook for too long and the caramel mixture burned. Hoping to salvage the ice cream, I continued the process of making the custard and added more brown sugar (at least another 1/2 c.), hoping to disguise the burnt flavor.

I didn't want to throw it out and Rich, ever the idea man, saved the day. He tasted the custard and said it reminded him of coffee, because of the bitter aftertaste. He suggested "Coffee Toffee Crunch" and I went with it.
So I mixed up the ice cream according to manufacturers directions and added a bunch of crumbled Heath bars to the mixture right at the end.

The end result was pretty good. In fact, if didn't know this was a total mistake, you probably wouldn't think anything of it. I'm not sure it can ever be replicated, but to be honest, the whole caramel-making process was more challenging than I had thought... so it might not be too difficult to burn another batch after all...

{The Mother's Day Trifecta}

Craft # 5c: Salted Caramel Ice Cream

For Christmas I bought my mom, my aunt Colleen and Rich each a box of chocolate covered caramels topped with sea salt from Trader Joe's. They looked delicious! And while I didn't trust myself with a box, I knew I would still get to try a piece if I gave it to them. (Yeah... I had an alterior motive...)

So when I saw this ice cream recipe I knew my mom and aunt needed to have it for Mother's Day. Hence, Mother's Day ice cream #2.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream ‘caramel fleur de sel glace’
(Sources: David Lebovitz, Estarcion, EveningEdge, CD Kitchen)

Ingredients
1 c sugar (+1/2 c. sugar, if desired)
1 T butter
1 cups heavy cream [I used fat free half and half]
2 cups whole milk [I used skim milk]
5 egg yolks, whisked together minimally
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel -- plus more for serving
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Spread the 1c sugar (plus additional ½c. if desired) in the saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until caramelized. When melted, add butter. When the caramel is to your color-liking, mix in salt and whisk in the heavy cream (stand back - it will spatter)! Reduce heat. {The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and continue to stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted.} Stir in 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk.

Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 160-170 F (71-77 C).

Pour the custard through the strainer, add the vanilla and stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. {Taste the caramel custard - you don't want it to be at full salt yet.} Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.

Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Just before you turn the ice cream maker off, add in a generous pinch of big-grained sea salt. {I didn't do this... probably because I quit reading the directions. However I did add a pinch of big-grained sea salt to each scoop prior to serving}

I want to explain the soft-serve ice cream texture in this photo. This is what happens when you make 3 ice creams in the course of 48 hours. The frozen mixing bowl for the ice cream maker wasn't able fully re-freeze between batches and was less effective in the freezing process. It didn't help that I took the ice cream directly from the machine and brought it to my parent's house. It didn't have enough time to set and thus was very melty. Good thing that is my mom's favorite part. {I left the ice cream at my parent's house and they told me it did freeze up nicely overnight. However from what I understand this one disappeared quickly and didn't make it past that first night.}

Craft # 5b: Cake Batter Ice Cream

For Mother's Day I made not one, not two, but three different ice creams. The first one I made was cake batter ice cream. I know that Cold Stone Creamery carries this variety, but our "Neighborhood Ice Cream Shoppe" also has it and Rich ordered it once. One word: YUM! It really does taste like cake plus it has sprinkles.

My mom love ice cream cake, the DQ kind, but I thought I would take a different spin on it and make cake flavored ice cream.

Cake Batter Ice Cream
(Sources include: Recipezaar, Spice Dish and Scoopalicious)
Ingredients:

2/3 cup of sugar

4 large eggs yolks

1 cup skim milk

2 cups half and half [I used fat free half and half]

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup Yellow Cake mix [I used closer to +1 cup. I really liked the flavor and kept adding cake mix to the custard]

Dash of salt (optional) [I added it]
Sprinkles

Directions:
Beat the sugar into the eggs until thickened and pale yellow. Add the cake mix.

In a large saucepot, over medium heat bring the milk and half and half to a simmer add dash of salt. Once simmering, remove from stove and slowly add the hot milk mixture into the egg, sugar and cake mix and whisk until well mixed. Pour the entire mixture back into the sauce pan, and cook over low heat while mixing constantly until the mixture thickens. {The mixture may start to "bake" -- if this happens, take it off the stove immediately - it can still be salvaged by pouring through a strainer into a clean bowl.}

Remove from heat, and strain into a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cool (for several hours or overnight). Freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Tip: taste mixture half way through to see if I have enough flavor, if you like more then you can add another tablespoon or two dry mix. For every quart of ice cream you should have 1/2 cup dry mix for flavor incorporated. [This is how I ended up using more than 3/4 c. mix]

Variations:
For cake batter lumps: Add additional dry cake mix half way or ten minutes before the freezing is complete and/or add another 2 tablespoons dry mix at the end of the freezing process and swirl with a spatula for lumps of dry mix. {did it}
Confetti Cake: Add rainbow sprinkles to the ice cream semi-frozen ice cream (about five minutes before ready to remove it from the ice cream maker.) Eat immediately or transfer to another container and freeze. {also did it. Not sure how much I added, but probably close to 2-3T.}

Add chunks of prepared cake: Five minutes before completion add cupcake pieces and sprinkles {didn't try}
Lemon & Strawberry Cheesecake: Use Lemon Supreme Cake Mix, fold in the strawberries and some toasted coconut at the very end. {didn't try it}

It was good. My dad's feedback was "it coats the back of his throat." Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I thought it tasted like cake and that was the point. In a later post you'll see what the full scoop looked like.

Craft # 5a - Cinnamon Honey Ice Cream

During my Dad's winter stay in Las Vegas, he read an article about the health benefits of a variety of foods and has been making a concerted effort to ingest them on a daily basis. Two of the foods, in particular, are Cinnamon and Honey. Cinnamon and Honey are thought to aid digestion, reduce cholesterol and arthritis symptoms, treat toothaches and eliminate bad breath (among other things).

Rich, my idea man, suggested my Dad's ice cream flavor be Cinnamon Honey. Brilliant!

{ingredients}

Cinnamon Honey Ice Cream

Source: Ice Cream Recipes.com

Ingredients:

2 cups milk [I used fat free half and half]

1 egg (whole) + 3 egg yolks [I think I just used 4 egg yolks]

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

150ml cream (just over 1/4 pint) [I think I used 1c.]

2 sticks (about 6 cm) of cinnamon

1 t. ground cinnamon

Put the milk into a saucepan on medium heat, add the cinnamon and continue stirring until at simmering point. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for about 1 hour. [I did not do this, but if you do - reheat the milk to the simmering point before tempering the eggs.]

In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks, sugar and honey. [I've read several recipes that have you beat the egg yolks and sugar mixture until the yolks are light yellow (~1 minute). So I usually do that at this step.]

Next step: temper the egg mixture. The goal of tempering is to slowly bring the egg mixture up to the milk temperature. [If you do this too suddenly (i.e. - dump the eggs into the hot milk), you will end up with scrambled eggs.] To temper, I take a ladel to take some of the hot milk mixture and slowly add it to the egg mixture, while whisking the eggs. I repeat this process a few times until I'm certain the egg mixture is about the same temperature as the milk mixture in the pot.

Pour your egg mixture back into the pot and heat gently, stirring contastantly. This is your custard. You want it to thicken until it coats the back of a spoon (you should be able to swipe your finger along the back of the spoon and the line stay in tact) and registers 170 to 175°F on thermometer, about 5 minutes. Do not let the mixture come to a boil. That will also lead the eggs to cook and your custard to curdle.

Once you have a thickened custard, remove your pan the heat and strain the mixture into a bowl. Cover and chill for several hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator. Put the cinnamon sticks back in the custard in order to further infuse the flavor [this is why I skipped the original hour of steeping].

The following day (or once chilled) stir in the cream and ground cinnamon. Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
After churning, I recommend freezing the ice cream mixture for another 1-2 hours so it sets. If you prefer a softer ice cream (similar to soft-serve), by all means, serve immediately!

{finished product}
Happy Birthday Dad!!

The end result was a very sweet ice cream. It kind of reminded me of the leftover milk after eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I would definitely make this again, but maybe cut back on the sugar content.

Avocado Ice Cream

A while back we saw Avocado Ice Cream made on Good Eats with Alton Brown. Rich has mentioned on occassion that we should try it. Seeing as we finally finished the Bacon Ice Cream from Valentine's Day (which I still swear I will create a post about in the future), I decided it was time we give it a whirl.

The ingredients are very simple and the process even easier. Without eggs, there was no need to create the custard base typical in ice cream. Which meant I was able to make the base and the ice cream on the same night.

Avocado Ice Cream
(Source: Alton Brown - Food Network)

Ingredients
3 small to medium avocados
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice [After tasting the mix, I increated this to the juice of 1/2 a lemon]
1 1/2 cups whole milk [I substituted fat free half and half here]
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream [I substituted skim milk here]

Peel and pit the avocados. Add the avocados, lemon juice, milk, and sugar to a blender and puree.

Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. [I added the half and half to the blender too so as not to dirty an extra dish.]

Place the mixture into the refrigerator and chill until it reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 4 to 6 hours.

Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. However, this mixture sets up very fast, so count on it taking only 5 to 10 minutes to process. For soft ice cream, serve immediately. If desired, place in freezer for 3 to 4 hours for firmer texture.

I packaged some ice cream for us and another container for my parents and brother.

Note: This ice cream sets up HARD!! I think that has something to do with the fact there is not the egg/custard base. Either way, it's kind of an avocado ice cube. But when subjected to the microwave for ~30 seconds it seems to be just fine.