Semester Almost Over Almond Ice Cream

1 qt ice cream base
2 tsp almond extract
2/3 c roasted almonds, chopped or slivered

Add almond extract to ice cream base and freeze normally. Add almonds a couple minutes before the ice cream is finished. Make sure to chill the nuts after roasting.

I used the Eggless Base and Frontier almond extract, and the ice cream has a very strong almond flavor. It's one of my new favorites.

Eggless Ice Cream Base

3/4 c sugar
1/8 tsp guar gum
2 c heavy cream
1 c milk

Mix the guar gum and sugar and whisk gradually into the cream and milk. Transfer to ice cream maker and freeze according to maker instructions. Makes generous quart.

The great thing about this recipe is that it requires no cooking and you don't have to worry about raw eggs. Also I really like the smooth texture. Do not use more than 1/8 tsp guar gum - it's very potent, and the ice cream becomes gummy if you use too much.

Update: I've also been testing eggless versions of the older recipes and posting results in the comments. So far I've done Honey Pecan and Mexican Chocolate.

Maple + Walnut - Egg

1/2 c sugar
1/8 tsp guar gum
2 c heavy cream
1 c milk
1/2 c maple syrup (the darker the better)
1/2 chopped walnuts

Combine sugar and guar gum. Whisk into cream, milk, and syrup a little a time, continue until completely blended. Freeze normally in ice cream maker, add walnuts about 2 minutes before finished, move to freezer to solidify. Grade C maple syrup is best, as it has a stronger maple flavor. If you can't find that, try for grade b or dark amber.

You can use 2 eggs instead of guar gum and prepare like the Basic Sweet Cream recipe posted earlier.

As a vegetarian I try to avoid eggs. Plus there is a risk to eating raw eggs, and cooking takes extra time. Guar gum serves as a good replacement - it is commonly used in store bought ice cream. It is even more effective than eggs at preventing ice crystal growth and slowing melting, and it adds texture.

A word of caution: guar gum is very potent. I first used 1/4 tsp, and the ice cream was almost chewy. Still edible, but not recommended. I am very happy with the texture at 1/8 tsp, but I recommend you try it out with vanilla before using it in a more expensive recipe.

The Spiceman Cometh: Mexican Chocolate

So here is the Mexican Chocolate recipe I created using a variation of Jerry's Chocolate Ice Cream. It's great because it has a rich creamy chocolate flavor with the spices on top.

2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 c milk
2/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder

Melt chocolate and milk together in a medium pan. When the chocolate is fully incorporated into the milk, add the cocoa powder slowly while whisking in order to avoid any clumps.

In separate bowl, whisk together:
2 eggs
1 c sugar

Add:
1 c heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Slowly incorporate milk and chocolate mixture to egg mixture while whisking. Chill. Freeze in your ice cream maker.


Warning: no matter how un-spicy the liquid mix is when you test it, it will be very spicy in ice cream form. I made the mistake of adding double the cayenne that I started out with and the ice cream is edible, but barely. Stick with the 1/8 tsp unless you want your sinuses burned out a la wasabi/chili pepper.

Honey Pecan

This turned out really well. It has a strong honey taste, cut by the roasted pecans. And the pecans aren't hard and frozen, but soft and firm. I might change the milk/cream ratio if I did it again, 2 cups cream and 1 cup milk, but that would make it really rich with all the eggs.

2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup honey
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted pecans

Put milk and honey into a medium saucepan. Stir until honey dissolves. Bring just to a boil. Meanwhile whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Slowly add 1 cup of the scalded milk and honey to the eggs. Then add milk egg mixture to the rest of the milk in the saucepan. Add the cream and stir over low heat until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Chill completely and churn.

Mean Mr. (Cinnamon) Custard

This is the best cinnamon ice cream I've ever had. It's creamy, has a strong but not overwhelming cinnamon flavor, and doesn't taste too much like eggs. I halved the recipe because it was too big to fit in my maker.

3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise (I used 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine cream and milk in a large sauce pan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla beans; add beans. Bring just to simmer. Whisk sugar and yolks in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 6 min. (do not boil). Strain into large bowl. Whisk in ground cinnamon. (at this point I also added the vanilla extract). Chill until cold, about 3 hours.

Transfer custard to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to a covered container and freeze until firm.

The Salty Adventures of Milkfat and Mr. Pecan

Warning - this recipe has a salty roasted butter taste, different from any commercial butter pecan I've tried.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream Recipe

Basic Sweet Cream Recipe (or your favorite ice cream base)
1/2 c (1 stick) butter
1 c pecan halves
1/2 tsp salt

Melt the butter, add pecans and salt, saute until brown. Separate the butter and pecans and let cool.

Perpare the ice cream base. When the butter is room temp, or as cool as you can get it while still melted, add to the ice cream base. Freeze etc as normal, adding the pecans when the ice cream is almost finished.

When I tried this ice cream straight out of the maker, I was disgusted with how salty it was. After a day in the freezer it mellowed out a bit, and it goes well with angel food cake.

Next time I make butter pecan I plan to add some vanilla, and maybe leave out the salt completely. If I do add salt, it will be 1/8 tsp, not 1/2 as this recipe calls for.

I like this ice cream better along with a cake or bread, to cut the saltiness. I am going to try Welsh Cakes (buttery skillet cakes). Pancakes might be good too, perhaps with a banana thrown into the mix...