Ice cream is one of my favorite desserts, whether served on it's own or as an compliment its rich and creamy nature provides the perfect finish to most meals. However I have been extremely disappointed with the quality found even in the most premium brands which in my opinion still contains too much overrun. Now to be fair the air is needed to produce its fluffy texture, however too much results in a scoop that melts quicker than you can enjoy it. Another issue with the store brought stuff is it's failure to truly branch out of the box with flavors, at least that is the case in the Philly market. Most are just a play on the typical chocolate and vanilla by adding nuts, and various assortments of candy. Put those up against the unique flavors found in ice cream parlors around the world and they just fail in comparison. Hence this experiment looks to replicate some of the more interesting ice creams flavors by putting four up to the taste test... 1.) Balsamic Strawberry, 2.) Black Sesame, 3.) Coconut Jasmine & 4.) Dark Caramel
Luckily the technique for all ice cream are similar, requiring the same basic ingredients: milk, egg yoke, heavy cream & sugar. The egg yokes are first mixed together with the sugar until pale yellow. The liquid proportion of each can be varied based on texture, taste preference and whether the desired final result is more ice cream or gelato like. It is then simmer until 170 degrees before slowly incorporating into the yoke mixture, so it doesn't curdle. This entire custard mixture is then simmer again to achieve a consistency thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The final step is simply the incorporation of the flavor.
In the case of the Balsamic Strawberry, the strawberries were washed, hulled and covered in sugar and balsamic vinegar before roasting in the oven for 30 minutes at 350. This produced a soft jelly like texture that was then blended into a semi liquid consistency before blended with the custard.
The coconut jasmine was made in a similar fashion with the exception of adding coconut milk to the above liquid mixture at the beginning of the process. In order to achieve the aroma of the jasmine, jasmine tea was then seeped into the hot mixture for 20mins before straining and mixing into the custard.
The dark caramel first required a boiling of sugar and water to produce the flavorful caramel essential to the ice cream. Once the caramel has obtained a dark, almost burn color it is poured into the milk/cream mixture to simmer and dissolve before added to the egg.
The black sesame, otherwise known as Goma in Japan was perhaps the easiest of the four to assemble. The sesame paste was simply blended with sugar before incorporated into the liquid mixture.
Once the custard finished mixing in the ice cream maker, the result produced a creamy consistency resembling that of soft serve, as can be seen from the photos. I then placed them in bowls topped with cling wrap and freeze for a minimum of 3 hours. The result is a smooth, creamy ice cream loaded with flavors. As far as favorites well everyone in my household seems to have their own, but personally I liked the coconut jasmine the best!
FINAL TIPS:
- Strain the cooked custard through a fine strainer before chilling to eliminate any cooked eggs that might be present. This will further ensure a smooth consistency.
- Milk and Cream can be substituted one for one depending on if you are looking to make ice cream or gelato.
- Always chill the custard for at least 6 hours before pouring into the ice cream maker to reduce the churning time.
0 comments:
Post a Comment