June 21, 2012

Butter Pecan Maple Ice Cream- Without an Ice-Cream Machine!


Ice-cream without an ice-cream churner? Absolutely. This method uses a food processor. I guarantee you that your ice-cream will be 100% creamy,  with no ice crystals.  

The goal with ice-cream, is that you want to freeze the liquid ice cream base so that no ice crystals form. An ice-cream churner ensures this by constantly churning the liquid, giving it no time to form the crystals. I have come across two other methods for making ice-cream without an ice-cream churner. 


1. Pour the liquid ice-cream base into a metal tray, place it in the freezer and every 20 minutes break up the ice crystals with a fork.
2. Pour the liquid ice-cream base into a freezer bag.  Place this inside another freezer bag that is full of ice cubes and shake. Both methods will leave you exhausted, broken hearted with icy ice-cream! But .....I have a solution!


By using a food processor, all the hard work gets done and your ice-cream will be lusciously creamy. The only downside, is that this method takes a little longer. No biggie. 


You begin by making a basic ice-cream base by cooking egg yolks, sugar, milk and cream. This then gets poured into a freezer bag and gets frozen into a block. Once frozen, remove it from the freezer and break it into chunks. Place the chunks in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until smooth. You may need to do batches, depending on how big your food processor is. At this point,  you can add whatever flavouring you like: vanilla, mint, chopped strawberries, cooled espresso. Pour the flavoured liquid into a bread tin, refreeze for 25-35 minutes and scoop! 


I decided to make Butter Pecan Maple Ice-Cream. Boy, am I happy I did! The caramelised buttery pecans are like little nuggets of deliciousness speckled throughout the super creamy maple ice-cream. 

Once you start making this ice-cream early enough during the day, it should be ready for eating on the same day. Obviously I didn't! I started making mine at 4pm-not optimum ice-cream making hour, without an ice-cream machine. So, I left my ice-cream base freeze over night. I also made it on a day that was pouring rain and thundering outside. 

Forget about the weather, it's summer. Make ice-cream whenever you god damn want!

Enjoy,

Holly x


Pecans tossed with melted butter...


...add light brown sugar and return to heat.


Toast and cook the butter and sugar until it goes caramely. Cool on a sheet of baking parchment.

Once cooled, chop.


Beat egg yolks and caster sugar together until...


... voluminous and pale.


Clean down the edge of the bowl.


While whisking constantly, slowly add 100ml of hot milk and cream.

This is known as tempering.


Add the tempered egg yolks back into the pot with milk and cream.


Cook over a low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens.


Cook until the mixture coats the back of  the wooden spoon. Run your finger down the wooden spoon, it should leave a clean trail.


Pour the mixture into freezer bags and freeze.


Remove once frozen, break into chunks and place into the bowl of a food processor.


Turn on and blitz until you a have a creamy slush, with NO lumps or large chunks of ice crystals.


Pour into a bowl, add 125ml maple syrup (maybe more, to taste)...


...add chopped pecans and mix.


Pour into a bread tin and freeze. It should take about 25-35 minutes to harden up again.

Scoop and serve.

Recipe, Makes 1-2 Litres.

Butter Pecans

Tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
15g Butter
100g Pecans

Melt butter in a frying pan. 
Add pecans and sugar.
Cook over a medium heat until the pecans are toasted and the butter and sugar has made a caramel.
Pour onto parchment, cool, chop.

Maple Ice-Cream


500ml Full Fat Milk
500l Cream
250ml Maple Syrup
5 Egg Yolks
60g

In a pot heat together the milk, cream and 125ml of the maple syrup. Do not boil.
Using a hand held mixer, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and voluminous.
Whisk in 100ml of the heated cream mixture into the eggs.
Add back into the pot of cream and cook over a low-medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon  until it thickens.
You know it is ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Pour into a freezer bag sitting on a tray and freeze into a block.
Once frozen , break into chunks and blitz in a food processor until smooth with no lumps or ice crystals.
Pour into a bowl.
Add the rest of the maple syrup -or enough  to taste, and the chopped pecans. 
Mix, pour into a bread tin and refreeze for 30 minutes.
Scoop! 




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