I picked peaches about a week ago and needed to do something. I also wanted to bring ice cream to help celebrate a friend's birthday (The Leavening Agent's author). Peach ice cream it was.
Well, I made this ice cream last year as it turns. I liked it then and I liked it this year, too. It packs a lot of peach flavor. I'd like to compare it against the recipe from William-Sonoma since that doesn't call for cooking the peaches.
Showing posts with label emily luchetti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emily luchetti. Show all posts
Monday, August 18, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Strawberry, Second Thoughts
I've eaten the strawberry ice cream again. I'm having second thoughts about it.
It leaves my mouth coated in a vaguely unpleasant way. I think this might be due to a combination of the high fat content and the absence of eggs, although I'm not sure about the eggs (I mean, I know the ice cream is eggless).
I still like the flavor of the ice cream but this mouthfeel issue is troubling.
It leaves my mouth coated in a vaguely unpleasant way. I think this might be due to a combination of the high fat content and the absence of eggs, although I'm not sure about the eggs (I mean, I know the ice cream is eggless).
I still like the flavor of the ice cream but this mouthfeel issue is troubling.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Strawberry
It's the end of strawberry season. I had some leftover berries. I'd been meaning to make strawberry ice cream for a long time but haven't gotten to it.
I used fresh berries that we picked. They were actually a couple weeks old but they were still in good shape.
I picked up fresh milk and cream from Fish Family Farm that I bought at the farmer's market around the corner from my office.
Randomly, I chose Emily Luchetti's recipe. She has you cook the berries down with some sugar until you've essentially created jam. You combine that with the warmed dairy. That's a decent way to deal with iciness usually associated with strawberry ice cream. Not a great way, since you lose the freshness of the berries (although, with the berries spending a couple weeks in the fridge, they weren't just out-of-the-field fresh) and you sort of end up with Strawberry Jam Ice Cream instead.
The result was interesting. I'm not sure if it's the recipe, a step didn't follow correctly, something with the cream before I even used it, or something else entirely, but the ice cream has a distinct tang. It's not a bad tang but neither I nor my wife expected it when we started eating it. I do like it but it's not what I was expecting. Again, I'm not at all sure what happened. That said, next time, I'll be tempted to try a different recipe.
I used fresh berries that we picked. They were actually a couple weeks old but they were still in good shape.
I picked up fresh milk and cream from Fish Family Farm that I bought at the farmer's market around the corner from my office.
Randomly, I chose Emily Luchetti's recipe. She has you cook the berries down with some sugar until you've essentially created jam. You combine that with the warmed dairy. That's a decent way to deal with iciness usually associated with strawberry ice cream. Not a great way, since you lose the freshness of the berries (although, with the berries spending a couple weeks in the fridge, they weren't just out-of-the-field fresh) and you sort of end up with Strawberry Jam Ice Cream instead.
The result was interesting. I'm not sure if it's the recipe, a step didn't follow correctly, something with the cream before I even used it, or something else entirely, but the ice cream has a distinct tang. It's not a bad tang but neither I nor my wife expected it when we started eating it. I do like it but it's not what I was expecting. Again, I'm not at all sure what happened. That said, next time, I'll be tempted to try a different recipe.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Peach! Philly style
It's peach season in Connecticut. I do love peach season and picking peaches. In comparison to the forever long berry-picking sessions, peach picking is a dream. It's quick. There's no bending over. It's in the shade.
I let some peaches ripen and decided to make the peach ice cream from Emily Luchetti's Passion for Ice Cream. It's a Philly style ice cream. It's a nice technique. The peaches get peeled and roughly chopped and then placed into a put with some sugar. You let them cook down for about 20 minutes -- essentially making peach jam. That gets mixed with the warmed-up dairy and then into the fridge.
I was slightly worried as I put the mix into the machine since it was a little thick. But, the thickness was due to the peach chunks. The ice cream froze pretty quickly. The flavor was excellent. If peach ice cream was always like that, it'd be my favorite. The texture was very smooth, too. I'm making this again. Or possibly making peach blueberry.
I let some peaches ripen and decided to make the peach ice cream from Emily Luchetti's Passion for Ice Cream. It's a Philly style ice cream. It's a nice technique. The peaches get peeled and roughly chopped and then placed into a put with some sugar. You let them cook down for about 20 minutes -- essentially making peach jam. That gets mixed with the warmed-up dairy and then into the fridge.
I was slightly worried as I put the mix into the machine since it was a little thick. But, the thickness was due to the peach chunks. The ice cream froze pretty quickly. The flavor was excellent. If peach ice cream was always like that, it'd be my favorite. The texture was very smooth, too. I'm making this again. Or possibly making peach blueberry.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Rocky Road
I made rocky road last night (okay, actually, since I didn't use any marshmallows, I guess I made heavenly hash, but I got a request for rocky road so that's what I made -- even if it doesn't have marshmallows). I started with chocolate ice cream, of course. I used the chocolate chocolate chip recipe from Emily Luchetti's A Passion for Ice Cream. Because I'm still making ice cream for a party, I made a double batch. But, this recipe yielded 6 cups of mix instead of 10 cups, as was the case with the coffee ice cream recipe from that book. The ice cream is smooth and chocolaty.
I had chopped up chocolate and had put the chocolate and some sliced almonds in the freezer so they'd be ready to add. I did better with the timing for the old Krups machine than I did with the coffee chocolate chip but I was still on the late side. Plus, the chocolate chunks were a bit bigger than chips. These combined to make the machine let me know that it was done. I was even later with the new Krups machine and so I had to mix in the chocolate and almonds by hand. This didn't go too badly. I think I might actually prefer it since it doesn't stress the machine at all.
The chocolate ice cream with the chocolate chunks and almonds was good all together. I guess it's a classic for a reason.
I had chopped up chocolate and had put the chocolate and some sliced almonds in the freezer so they'd be ready to add. I did better with the timing for the old Krups machine than I did with the coffee chocolate chip but I was still on the late side. Plus, the chocolate chunks were a bit bigger than chips. These combined to make the machine let me know that it was done. I was even later with the new Krups machine and so I had to mix in the chocolate and almonds by hand. This didn't go too badly. I think I might actually prefer it since it doesn't stress the machine at all.
The chocolate ice cream with the chocolate chunks and almonds was good all together. I guess it's a classic for a reason.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Coffee Chocolate Chip
I asked my mother-in-law what flavors of ice cream she wanted for her birthday party this weekend. She said she'd like coffee with chocolate chips and rocky road. Coffee with chocolate chips was my first priority since I'd never made coffee before.
In the past, I haven't cared all that much for the flavor (I'm not a coffee drinker, either). But, hey, it's ice cream, and a classic flavor at that, so I should be able to find a good recipe that I like. I think I did.
Emily Luchetti's A Passion for Ice Cream is full of great recipes (and not just for ice cream, but that's beside the point right now). I love the book. It hasn't failed me. However, I sort of balked at the coffee recipe. It called for eight egg yolks, which seemed like a lot (and like a pain in the egg-separating butt). But, I trust her recipes. It also called for steeping the ice cream mixture with crushed coffee beans overnight. Hmmm. I wasn't sure I was going to like that much coffee flavor. But, this wasn't about me.
I picked up Starbucks coffee beans at the store, so this quickly became an expensive recipe. But, I didn't seem to have a lot of options for whole beans. Well, someone I know is going to be receiving the gift of coffee in the near future.
Because I was making this for a party, I made a double batch. Hello 16 egg yolks! I also had to break out the big pot since the recipe called for 2 1/2 C cream and 2 C milk for a single batch. After taking the rubber mallet to the coffee beans (which were inside a plastic bag), I added them and some sugar to the dairy, and heated it. Sixteen egg yolks and some sugar were mixed in a bowl. Temper the eggs, add them to the pot, and gently warm the whole thing.
After a night in the refrigerator, I was set to make ice cream. I measured out one quart of mix, straining the beans out (a step I didn't notice the first two times I read the recipe!), and added it to one machine. I measured out another quart and I still had 2 C left over. I knew the recipe was going to make a lot but that much more than two quarts was a bit of a surprise.
I have a new-to-me ice cream machine (which is actually a fairly old Krupps machine that works well). I don't have the hang of when to add chips to it yet and I because I didn't want to fool around, I put the chips in the bottom of the container that would hold the finished ice cream. After the ice cream was done, I scooped into the container and mixed the chips in with it. This worked out okay but it was 80 in my kitchen and I don't think that helped anything. I do have to work on adding the chips to the machine. I'll try it with the Rocky Road, I guess.
The double batch yielded about 3 1/2 quarts of ice cream.
The flavor was really nice. It was a consistent and even coffee taste with no harsh notes. Adding in the chocolate chips (actually, I used chopped bittersweet chocolate instead) and it was an ice cream that I was enjoying. A pleasant surprise, not that the recipe worked and worked well but that I liked it.
In the past, I haven't cared all that much for the flavor (I'm not a coffee drinker, either). But, hey, it's ice cream, and a classic flavor at that, so I should be able to find a good recipe that I like. I think I did.
Emily Luchetti's A Passion for Ice Cream is full of great recipes (and not just for ice cream, but that's beside the point right now). I love the book. It hasn't failed me. However, I sort of balked at the coffee recipe. It called for eight egg yolks, which seemed like a lot (and like a pain in the egg-separating butt). But, I trust her recipes. It also called for steeping the ice cream mixture with crushed coffee beans overnight. Hmmm. I wasn't sure I was going to like that much coffee flavor. But, this wasn't about me.
I picked up Starbucks coffee beans at the store, so this quickly became an expensive recipe. But, I didn't seem to have a lot of options for whole beans. Well, someone I know is going to be receiving the gift of coffee in the near future.
Because I was making this for a party, I made a double batch. Hello 16 egg yolks! I also had to break out the big pot since the recipe called for 2 1/2 C cream and 2 C milk for a single batch. After taking the rubber mallet to the coffee beans (which were inside a plastic bag), I added them and some sugar to the dairy, and heated it. Sixteen egg yolks and some sugar were mixed in a bowl. Temper the eggs, add them to the pot, and gently warm the whole thing.
After a night in the refrigerator, I was set to make ice cream. I measured out one quart of mix, straining the beans out (a step I didn't notice the first two times I read the recipe!), and added it to one machine. I measured out another quart and I still had 2 C left over. I knew the recipe was going to make a lot but that much more than two quarts was a bit of a surprise.
I have a new-to-me ice cream machine (which is actually a fairly old Krupps machine that works well). I don't have the hang of when to add chips to it yet and I because I didn't want to fool around, I put the chips in the bottom of the container that would hold the finished ice cream. After the ice cream was done, I scooped into the container and mixed the chips in with it. This worked out okay but it was 80 in my kitchen and I don't think that helped anything. I do have to work on adding the chips to the machine. I'll try it with the Rocky Road, I guess.
The double batch yielded about 3 1/2 quarts of ice cream.
The flavor was really nice. It was a consistent and even coffee taste with no harsh notes. Adding in the chocolate chips (actually, I used chopped bittersweet chocolate instead) and it was an ice cream that I was enjoying. A pleasant surprise, not that the recipe worked and worked well but that I liked it.
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