In my very first post, I alluded to the homemade ice cream that transformed me from a wanna-be blogger to an actual one. And though my culinary adventures began much longer ago than I like to admit, this recent experiment produced the best ice cream I have created to date. I knew sharing my success must happen. Thus my blog was born. The path to making this ice cream truly sprouted a couple years ago when a good friend of mine invited me over for dinner. Having developed a number of food allergies over the years, she was forced to create an arsenal of homemade goodies free of the offensive allergens. Armed with a CuisinArt ice cream maker, she once again could enjoy the tasty treat. On that fateful evening a couple summers ago, I tasted my first homemade Mocha Chocolate Chip ice cream. I instantly established a new obsession for homemade ice cream. Imagine the possibilities! I waited – patiently, I might add – until Christmas 2010 for my very own CuisinArt ice cream maker. Thank you, Santa! From that point onward my experiments with ice cream began. At first I strictly stuck to the easy recipes provided in the ice cream maker’s instruction manual. You cannot get much simpler than equal parts whole milk and cream, a little sugar, and a scant teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir the ingredients together and freeze in the CuisinArt. Voila – you have homemade ice cream! I ended up making simple versions of vanilla, banana, chocolate, and coffee flavors during the first few months of ice cream making. I even made a great salted caramel ice cream (a mouth-watering recipe I intend to share in the future). While those recipes produced adequate results, I wanted a better quality product – one that more closely resembled the high quality treats you find in premium ice cream parlors. You know the kind – thick and creamy, frozen hard without the ice crystals that form in the quick recipes. Then, at the suggestion of my partner, I decided to give the premium recipe in the instruction booklet for vanilla bean ice cream a try. I previously avoided these recipes because they called for a larger time commitment and required more intensive steps. They included egg yolks and added the daunting task of tempering, heating, and allowing time for the ice cream base to cool. Now to be completely honest, the tempering of the yolks scared me at first. I did not want to make scrambled egg ice cream, but following the recipe closely proved to be less difficult than I had imagined. And I found what I was looking for – the resulting vanilla bean ice cream matched the desired consistency and quality I desired. Since the discovery that the addition of egg yolks produced the premium quality ice cream I enjoyed so much, I concocted a couple great recipes and also a less-than-stellar salted caramel that failed to match the greatness of the version without egg yolks. A successful experiment in creating an amazing cinnamon ice cream convinced me future ice creams (except salted caramel) will follow the premium recipe, tempering and all. But what to make next? One of my all-time favorite flavors happens to be the Heath ice cream you can occasionally find at Grand Ole Creamery in St. Paul, Minnesota. More than just vanilla speckled with crushed Heath bars, Grand Ole Creamery’s Heath masterpiece tastes like toffee ice cream with Heath bars. I decided to attempt the replication of this favorite flavor. The results were beyond even my recently heightened expectations. The toffee ice cream I created transported me back to Grand Ole Creamery, becoming my favorite homemade ice cream yet and the ice cream this blog is made of. Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes Non-active time: 8 hours+ Freeze time: ~25 minutes Servings: 4-6 Ingredients
In a medium-sized sauce pan, mix together the cream, milk, and toffee bits. Heat over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for approximately 10 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally. Remove pan from heat. Side note: The toffee bits will dissolve in the heated milk mixture leaving behind small chunks of almond…not to worry, though – we’ll deal with that pesky almond shrapnel later. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar with a hand mixer for 2 minutes on medium speed. The yolks will turn pale yellow. Transfer half of the heated liquid to a container which will allow you to easily (and slowly) pour the heated liquid into the egg yolks and sugar. This tempering must be done in a slow, steady stream WHILE the hand mixer is running to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Scrambled egg yolks do not a good ice cream make. Now, I know this step seems scary for egg-tempering newbies. Heck, I was nervous the first time I tried it, but believe me when I say tempering is easier than you think and adding egg yolks is essential for thick, creamy ice cream. Also, confidence is key – you can do it! Once you’ve finished tempering the egg yolks and sugar with some of the heated ice cream base, add them back to the sauce pan with the remaining milk/cream/toffee mixture. Return pan to medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. This can take 3-5 minutes. You will see and feel the liquid thickening while stirring, and when you can drag your finger across the back of the spoon and leave a clean path with no bleeding liquid, your ice cream mix is ready. Pour into a bowl through a mesh strainer (good-bye almond shrapnel), stir in the teaspoon of vanilla, and cover with plastic wrap. (Make sure the plastic wrap is pressed down into the bowl and touching the custard to prevent a film from forming.) Place in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight to get nice and cold. Once adequately chilled, pour the ice cream mix into your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, adding the crushed candy bars when about five minutes remains during the churning process. For soft-serve consistency, enjoy immediately. If you’re like me and like your ice cream a little more, for lack of a better word, hard, store in the freezer for a few hours. < Back to Blog Posts
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