"Cannoli-Style" Ricotta Ice Cream

Last month, I visited New York to run a half marathon.
I showed up at the Today Show (with this sign) and ended up
getting on the show's segment about the run
and meeting the anchors!

I workout everyday because it's good for me--and because I like to eat and get good recipe ideas during workouts.  :) I come up with dinner party menus during long runs and am not ashamed to admit that I run for cupcakes.  I was flipping tires during an intense strength workout (yeah, I know, CRAZY!) when the vision of cannoli ice cream came to mind.

This ice cream was a little lighter than regular ice cream, and you could tell that there was ricotta in it--so it did taste like cannoli filling.  I added in some honey, pistachios, and chocolate chips and then filled cannoli shells with the ice cream.  

Sometimes, ricotta cheese can be a little grainy, but if you blend it in a high powered blender, that will help make it less grainy.  Ricotta cheese is really easy to make, too.  It was a hit!

Cannolis are one of my all-time favorite desserts, and this is a fun summer twist on the traditional cannoli.

"Cannoli-Style" Ricotta Ice Cream
Yields 1/2 quart or enough to fill 6 cannoli shells (one package)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 egg yolks
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp. honey
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup pistachios
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Cannoli shells, for serving (optional)

Directions:
In a medium size bowl, whisk the egg yolks and set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and the sugar over medium heat.  Stir gently so that the cream does not scald, and cook until warm and the sugar is dissolved.  Then, gradually add the cream mixture to the egg yolks, and stir.

Transfer the combined cream-egg yolk mixture back to the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir constantly.  Stir until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes.  Remove the saucepan from heat and leave at room temperature for about 20 minutes so it can cool slightly.

After it cools, pour the mixture into a blender, and add a pinch of salt, honey, and the ricotta cheese.  Blend until smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a medium size bowl and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, add chocolate chips and pistachios to the mixture, and then pour it into the bowl of your ice cream maker and churn.  When done, transfer it to a container and freeze.  If desired, serve the ice cream in cannoli shells.

Source: A Simply Sweet Justice Original

Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato

While in Italy in May, I partook in Italy's favorite afternoon snack: gelato.  (Hey, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?)  It seemed so much more rich and more flavorful than ice cream and gelato back home, but it probably tasted better since I had views like the below.

What's the difference between ice cream and gelato?  In my opinion, gelato has less fat in the base and less air.  Traditional ice creams are heavier on cream, whereas gelato uses more milk, and therefore has less fat.  Because gelato has less fat, it does not freeze as hard as ice cream does, so it melts in your mouth faster!

Most American ice cream makers add water and air to ice cream, which increases the weight and volume, respectively.  Italian law restricts increasing an ice cream's volume with air and weight with water.  Other European countries have similar regulations.  Oh, how I love European foodie law.  That explains why ice cream and gelato is so darn good in Europe.  :)  

How do you keep air out of gelato?  For one, gelato is churned at a very slow speed, often in a "compressor" style maker, which incorporates less air into the mixture.  This also helps give gelato a more dense flavor.  My ice cream maker has an opening and does not allow for "speed control," so more air gets incorporated into the gelato.

Even so, this chocolate hazelnut gelato is pretty darn good.  Frozen Nutella...need I say more?

Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato
Yields about 2 pints

Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
1 tsp.  pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread

Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat.  Stir gently so that the milk doesn't scald.  Cook until the sugar dissolves, which should take about 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow.  Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture and stir.  Transfer this mixture into the saucepan, and cook over very low heat, stirring constantly.  Stir until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the vanilla extract and the chocolate hazelnut spread until it dissolves.  Chill overnight, and then pour into and ice cream maker and freeze.

Source: Giada Di Laurentiis

Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I originally planned to share a kale salad recipe today.  Then, I came to my senses and realized it is Friday.  Don't get me wrong; the kale salad is quite good and will be shared, but let's be realistic here.  "TGIF, here's a kale salad," or "TGIF, here's ice cream"?

No need to say more.  I rest my case.

This summer has just flown by while my ice cream maker sat in a cabinet collecting dust.  How did that happen??  Ah, the travesty!  Sorry, Mr. Ice Cream Maker.

I saw this toasted coconut chocolate chip ice cream on another blog, Tracey's Culinary Adventures.  Though I had never tried coconut ice cream at the time (coconut is a flavor that I've recently started to like), this toasted coconut chocolate chip ice cream just sounded too good not to make.

The multiple layers of flavor from the unsweetened coconut, sweetened coconut, and chocolate chips give it such a smooth flavor.  Unsweetened coconut is toasted, which brings out more flavor, and it is then infused in the cream-milk mixture.  This gives the ice cream base an intense coconut flavor.  Coconut extract is not involved.  I sometimes find that coconut extract almost makes things taste too coconutty (new word of the day!).   Because the ice cream base gets it flavor from the toasted coconut, it just tastes more naturally nutty.  When the ice cream is churned in the ice cream maker, you add in toasted sweetened coconut and then chocolate chips.

The ice cream was a hit with my friends, and it even managed to turn some coconut naysayers into fans.

Next time I make it, I may have to add in some macadamia nuts.  If you're an Almond Joy fan, add some almonds!

Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Yields 1 quart

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups milk (I used 1.5%)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  On a rimmed baking sheet, spread the unsweetened coconut in a single layer and place in the oven for about 5 minutes.  The coconut will toast quickly, so keep your eye on the oven.  After the unsweetened coconut finishes toasting, transfer it to a bowl, and repeat the process with the shredded coconut.

In a medium saucepan, bring the heavy cream, milk, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and salt to a gentle simmer over medium heat.  Stir in the unsweetened coconut, and bring it back to a gentle simmer.  Remove the pan from heat, cover, and allow it to steep for 20 minutes.

Strain the mixture through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl.  Press on the coconut to release as much liquid as possible.  Pour the liquid back into the saucepan, and throw away the coconut.  Put the pan over medium heat, and bring the cream mixture to a simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and the remaining sugar in a heatproof bowl until pale in color.  Gradually add the warm cream mixture to the egg yolks and whisk constantly.  Then, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and set it over medium-low heat.  Stir constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (overnight recommended).

Freeze in your ice cream maker based on the manufacturer's instructions.  When the ice cream begins to reach soft serve consistency, add the sweetened shredded coconut and chocolate chips, and continue to churn until incorporated.  Scoop some to sample, and store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Source: Tracey's Culinary Adventures, originally from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones

Buttered Pecan Butterscotch Ice Cream

When I did marathon training, it involved early Saturday morning long runs with a group of other runners training for marathons.  The runs were on gorgeous trails, and good scenery always makes a run better.  

Sometimes, people in my running group would just talk like magpies.  While on a run, conversations can begin unexpectedly.  I once read that the freedom and ease of conversations during runs is because of chemicals being released during runs and the large doses of oxygen going in your brain on the way to legs and lungs.  

During the first mile of a 22 mile run, one of the runners and I started talking about our post-run plans; clearly, the end of the run could not come soon enough for us.  The other runner said that ice cream would be involved.  Well, we spent the remaining miles discussing ice cream and gelato flavors, ice cream parlors, brands of ice cream, and making ice cream.  Funny enough, the run ended near a gelato spot, too. ;)

Conversations that make you passionate have a positive effect on your run.  First, who isn't passionate about ice cream?  Second, who wouldn't run faster if you knew that some ice cream was waiting at the end?  

I rest my case.  Embrace your passions!

Now, here's an indulgent ice cream for you to enjoy!  It's rich and creamy, and the butterscotch flavors and pecans just add that "comfort" taste.  

Buttered Pecan Butterscotch Ice Cream

Yields 1 quart

Ingredients:

Ice Cream:

6 tbsp. granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup plus 1 1/12 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup whole milk or half-and-half (note: I used 1.5% milk with success)

1/2 tsp. salt

6 large egg yolks

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp. scotch whiskey (optional)

Buttered Pecans:

1 1/2 cup pecans

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

For the buttered pecans, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Add the pecans and stir until coated.  Spread out onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool completely before chopping.

For the butterscotch mixture, spread the granulated sugar in an even layer in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat without stirring until the sugar starts to melt around the edges.  Using a heatproof utensil, slowly move the liquified sugar to the center and stir gently until the sugar is melted.  Continue to cook and periodically stir until the caramel turns dark amber and begins to foam.  Remove from heat and immediately stir in the brown sugar, butter, 1/2 cup of cream, the milk, the vanilla extract, scotch whiskey, and salt. The mixture will steam and bubble, but the bubbling will then subsided.

Pour the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream into a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, and gradually add some of the warmed butterscotch mixture, whisking constantly as your pour.  Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.  Cover over low heat and stir constantly; make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a heatproof spatula.  Once the custard is thick enough to coat the spatula, pour the custard into the cream.

Stir the custard until cool, and then cover and refrigerate until chilled.  (I leave it overnight.)  Freeze an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.  

Stir the pecans into the just-churned ice cream when you remove it from the ice cream machine.  Allow the ice cream to harden in the freezer for at least 3 hours.

Source:  Adapted from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Why, hello Summer.  In honor of National Ice Cream month, I thought it would be fitting to share some ice cream recipes.  After all, how great is a delicious scoop of ice cream on a summer night?

There is just something special about homemade ice cream, and it only takes a few ingredients.  Cookies and cream is often known as the "king kong" of ice cream because it became a smashing success as soon as it was introduced.

While nearly all ice cream recipes will call for whole milk, I used 1.5% with the heavy cream and still had creamy, delectable ice cream that was a bit healthier.  I had some Trader Joe's style Oreos--vanilla bean Joe-Joe's (yay to business trips in Trader Joe's cities)--and they tasted more chocolate-y than regular Oreos.  Yay!

This is a perfect treat to satisfy the cookies-and-milk kid in all of us.  Happy summer!

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Yields 1 quart

Ingredients:
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk (note: I used 1.5%)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups chopped Oreo cookies (about 15 cookies)

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside.  Warm the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, cream, milk, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  When the mixture begins to simmer, slowly drizzle into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens.  Pour the custard into the large bowl, and stir in the vanilla extract.  Alternatively, you could also pour the custard through a strainer.   Once the mixture reaches room temperature, place the mixture into the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Once the ice cream is ready, layer into into the storage container with alternating layers of the chopped cookies, beginning and ending with the ice cream.

Source: Adapted from the Brown-Eyed Baker, originally from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones