Bon Appetit Desserts (127 page)
Read Bon Appetit Desserts Online
Authors: Barbara Fairchild
Brown butter is simply butter that has been cooked until it has an amber color and nutty flavor. But what it does to this ice cream is nothing less than spectacular, adding rich complexity. It’s perfect with the stirred-in bits of sweet, crunchy peanut brittle.
Makes about 1 quart
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
6 large egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle
Melt butter in small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until butter is dark amber, stirring occasionally and watching closely to avoid burning, about 6 minutes. Pour through fine strainer into small bowl.
Bring cream and milk to simmer in large saucepan. Whisk egg yolks, both sugars, and salt in large bowl until thick and well blended. Add brown butter; whisk to blend. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture; return to same saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into large bowl [1]. Set bowl over larger bowl of ice water. Stir until custard is cold. Stir in vanilla.
Process custard in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to airtight container [2] and stir in peanut brittle [3]. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.
Technique Tip:
Browning Butter
How does butter brown? It’s simple: Butter is made up of three basic components—water, milk solids, and milk fat. As the melted butter cooks in the skillet, the water boils off and the milk solids begin to turn brown. You’ll know your brown butter is ready when it’s a deep amber color and smells nutty.
Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Cayenne-Spiced WalnutsIce cream goes southwestern. Spicy cayenne and black pepper walnuts are stirred in at the last minute, and brown sugar gives the ice cream a subtle caramel flavor.
Makes about 1½ quarts
1½ cups whole milk
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
6 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
1 cup walnut pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375°F. Bring milk and cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk sugar, egg yolks, and salt in medium bowl to blend; gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into bowl; chill until cold.
Meanwhile, toss walnuts, oil, cayenne, and black pepper in medium bowl. Spread nuts on rimmed baking sheet. Toast nuts in oven until golden brown, stirring often, about 6 minutes.
Process custard in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions, adding walnuts during last 5 minutes of churning. Transfer ice cream to airtight container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.
Frozen Desserts, Defined
ICE CREAM
: A frozen dessert made from milk and/or cream. By law, commercial ice cream must contain at least 10% milk fat (or 8% for chocolate ice cream). In the context of home cooking, traditional ice cream is made from a sweetened custard (a mixture of milk and/or cream and egg yolks), which gives it a rich taste and a creamy texture.
GELATO
: Italian ice cream that is often more intense in flavor than American-style ice cream. There are many styles of gelato, but it is usually lower in fat than ice cream.
SORBET
: A frozen dessert made without milk. Most sorbets are made from water, sugar, and fruit puree (egg whites are sometimes added). Sorbets are intensely flavored and have a somewhat icy texture.
GRANITA
: Granitas are like shaved ice—only better. They’re not topped with a sweet syrup; instead, the ice is made from the syrup (usually a sweetened fruit puree or juice) and flaked into crystals using a fork.
PARFAIT
: A layered frozen dessert, usually served in a tall parfait glass that shows off each of the layers.
SEMIFREDDO
: Meaning “half cold,”
semifreddo
is a classic Italian dessert that is partially frozen in a baking pan (no icecream maker required). Mixing whipped cream and a little alcohol into ice cream prevents the mixture from freezing solid.
Orange Ice CreamSometimes plain old vanilla just won’t do. A scoop of orange-flavored ice cream—so simple to prepare—adds intrigue to warm cherry pie, spiced apple crumble, or dark chocolate cake.
Makes about 2⅓ cups
4 large egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar
2 cups half and half
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium bowl until blended. Bring half and half and orange peel to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk into yolk mixture; return to same saucepan and stir constantly over medium-low heat until custard thickens slightly and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Pour custard into medium bowl. Refrigerate custard until cold.
Process custard in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to airtight container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 4 days ahead. Keep frozen.
Technique Tip:
Softening Ice Cream
To mix ingredients into ice cream, or to make a frozen terrine, torte, or pie, the ice cream needs to be soft enough to stir or spread. The quickest and easiest way to get rid of that hard chill is to place the carton in the microwave. Heat it in 10-second intervals on the lowest power setting; stir between intervals to get even softening. You can also put the ice cream in the refrigerator or leave it out at room temperature, checking the consistency every 10 minutes or so.
Lemon Verbena Ice CreamLemon verbena is a South American herb with a strong lemon flavor and haunting floral fragrance. You can find it at plant nurseries and some farmers’ markets.
Makes about 2½ cups
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sugar, divided
¼ cup fresh lemon verbena leaves
7 large egg yolks
Bring cream, milk, ¼ cup sugar, and lemon verbena just to boil in medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cover and let steep 2 hours.
Whisk egg yolks and remaining ¼ cup sugar in medium bowl. Return cream mixture to boil. Strain hot cream mixture; gradually whisk into yolk mixture. Return custard to same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into medium bowl. Chill until cold.
Process custard in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to airtight container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 4 days ahead. Keep frozen.
Persimmon Ice Cream