Bourbon Ice Cream

Hmmm, bourbon ice cream?
Yep, I like the sound of that.
What about you?

Adding alcohol to ice cream can be tricky, if you over do it, it won't set up.
Maybe 3 Tbsp is the magic number, this worked out just right, and even after freezing over night it was easier to scoop than the vanilla bean ice cream I also made (which froze rock solid).
As much as you want to add more bourbon to the recipe, please restrain  yourself.
You can always add to the end result as a little "sauce", right?
It's been so hot, so a little cold, rich and yummy dessert doesn't suck, now does it?

You will need an ice cream maker.  I used a Cuisninart twin freezer for doing two small batches side by side.  This is just enough to fill and make one container.
 

(Shown is dark chocolate, but I didn't add this at the end as I had planned.)

Makes more than you should probably eat... LOL, but should be enough for 4 people
Ingredients

1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

6 egg yolks
1/4 tsp sea salt

3 Tbsp bourbon (I used Maker’s Mark)

Before you start, make sure the canister of your ice cream maker is frozen. 
That's always the challenge for me, to freeze completely, the canister should be in the freezer for at least 6 hours before you attempt to churn your ice cream.

Make the ice cream base. In a heavy bottom saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a low boil, stirring. 

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the salt until they become pale yellow and slightly thickened.

Temper the egg yolks by whisking about a 1/2 cup of the warm cream/brown sugar mixture into the egg yolks. Then whisk the tempered egg yolks back into the saucepan with the remaining cream/brown sugar mixture. 

You can see that I am ready to go in the photo below.  I used the 1/2 cup scoop to add 1/2 cup of hot cream to the egg mixture while whisking.  Takes some skill (or some help from an another set of hands....) to do it, but keep mixing or you will have chunks of scrambled egg in your ice cream.  When you've added a cup or so to the eggs, you can then add it back to the saucepan of cream to mix the whole mess together.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the ice cream base thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 2-3 minutes. 

Remove from the heat. Stir in the bourbon. Cover with plastic wrap, pushing it all the way down so it touches the surface of the ice cream base to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Once completely chilled, pour the ice cream base into the canister of your ice cream maker. Churn until the mixture is nearly frozen and the consistency of soft serve, about 20 minutes. Add any additions (like chocolate nibs, or nuts) and churn for another 2-3 minutes to evenly distribute.

Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and place in your freezer. The ice cream should become firm in about 4 hours. Enjoy!

 

Peach Almond Semifreddo

Old, creamy, sweet and delicious.
Not usually things that are paired with low calorie, but this one is!

Made this other morning and enjoyed it on a hot humid evening on the deck, just perfect.
I'd like to give credit for the recipe, but I put this one in "draft" mode so long ago, when it came time to make it, I now have no idea.  Lots of semifreddo's on the internet if you look for them.

Easy, just yogurt (or whipped cream) mixed with beat egg whites and an egg yolk.
So, if you are weirded out by uncooked eggs, this recipe is probably not for you.

As you can see, the recipe title says "almonds" but clearly, I have used pecans in my photo. Why??
I was fresh out of almonds... that's why.
Use what you "got"... got berries and walnuts, do a semifreddo with that instead. 
Mix it up, make it yours.

Makes one 4x8 loaf pan, serves about 6
Ingredients

1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 egg, separated
1/3 cup honey, or agave syrup
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
3 egg whites (use the white from above, plus 2 more)
2 medium peaches, pitted and diced
1/3 cup chopped almonds, pecans or hazelnuts, toasted

Line a 8x4x5 loaf pan with plastic wrap, over hanging all four sides*
Mix yogurt, egg yolk, honey and extracts
In another bowl, beat egg whites into stiff peaks.
With rubber spatula, fold egg whites into the yogurt mixture.  
Gently stir in peaches and nuts. 
Add to loaf pan, and carefully cover the top with the plastic wrap.
Freeze for 2-3 hours, or longer.
Slice (carefully with a serrated knife) and serve.

Frango Mint Milkshake

 (I tried to be arty with a messy, drippy shot of the milkshake- - this might be a fail.)

I've been meaning to do a recipe for a Frango milkshake for a very long time. It's weird there are very few recipes out there for them, in fact, I didn't find anything except articles of people talking about the famous milkshakes served at Fredrick & Nelson's department store "back in the day".  I'd like to point out that I might be too young to remember, but I have a vague nagging sense that I have had one way back then.  I am sure this is the part where my Mom will call me up and tell me "of course you've had one.  I used to take you there all dressed up in your blue coat for lunch".  Awww Moms... where we would be without them?

I don't really care if you remember Frango's from your childhood in Seattle, or Chicago.
I refuse to get into the age old argument of who really 'owns' the recipe.
I worked for a certain department store, so I do know.
Fuggitaboutit.
I have also eaten Midwest Frango's and Northwest Frango's side by side and I know which is best, because they ARE slightly different.
Insert smug smile here...

You can make this with any type of Frango's that you like... I happened to have Rum, which is my favorite and one of the originals, now only available in the Fall season.  Of course, Mint Frangos are by far the most popular, so that's why I used it the title of my recipe.  

Serves 2

Ingredients

6 Frango's, any flavor, unwrapped

1/4 cup milk, heated (Plus more cold milk, if needed to thin the milkshake)

2 cups good quality vanilla ice cream, about 4 x-large scoops

Here's the important part, heat the milk and pour on top of the Frango.  Let sit for a couple minutes, stirring to incorporate the chocolate into the milk.  It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth, just mostly melted.  Now let it cool... this is the hard part.
Walk away... for about 15-20 minutes.
You want the milk to cool down, because if you try to do it while it's too warm it will make your milkshake runny.
A really, really good runny milkshake, so really, suit yourself.

Add the melty milk and chocolate mixture to a blender, blend up a bit, then add the scoops of ice cream and blend some more.  It will be thick, so keep blending until it's fully incorporated.

Serve at once in a tall glass with a long spoon and maybe some whip cream and sprinkles too.

Note:  I have also used hot coffee instead of milk with good results.  It really depends on what you like

Margarita Ice Cream

You don't see ice cream recipes with tequila in it that much...
Darn shame that.
You really need to try Margarita ice cream... tangy, creamy, cold and refreshing with some nice, real margarita flavoring. It IS rich, so small servings are probably needed!
And need I mention it?
Probably not the flavor that you would want to serve to kids...

I hate to have a recipe lurking about in 'draft' mode waiting, waiting waiting to be made, finally after almost a year and a half, I have a reason, the weather and all the ingredients on hand! This one came from Nigella Lawson, but for some reason she doesn't use an ice cream maker, just freezes the mixture.

Thank you to our friend Chrissy for hosting last night, what a blast we had laughing with the boys and enjoying your beautiful house on a Summer's evening!

(I should have shown two cans of sweetened condensed milk!)

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

6 large egg yolks

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

7 Tbsp tequila

2 Tbsp Grand Marnier (Triple Sec or Cointreau- orange liqueurs)

Juice of 5- 6 limes and zest of 1, about 1/2 cup

Zest your lime, and squeeze the rest; set aside.  Separate the eggs, retaining the egg whites for another use.  Pre-measure the tequila and Grand Marnier and add it to the lime juice mixture.

Over medium heat, slowly heat the cream by whisking until it is quite warm and bubbles start to appear around the edges. Remove from heat.

In a small container, beat the egg yolks, and while stirring them, slowly add a bit of the hot cream to the eggs.  Add a bit more, mixing the whole time.  Add this now "tempered" egg mixture back to the saucepan of hot cream and continue whisking over medium heat until it starts to thicken, about 3-4 minutes.

Remove from heat and leave to cool for a little bit, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the condensed milk, tequila and orange-flavored liqueur, lime juice and zest,mixing thoroughly and then cool completely. Refrigerating the mixture for 2-3 hours.

If you are short on time, you could put your pan, or bowl, in a sink filled with ice and some water.  Stirring to bring down the temperature more quickly.

Using an ice cream maker, add the mixture to the pre- iced container and mix according to your instructions.  I have a double Cuinsinart maker and it takes about 20-30 minutes to freeze it to a soft serve. This recipe filled both containers.

It will be firmer if you make it and freeze it ahead of time.  Put it in a plastic covered container and throw it in the freezer for another 2-3 hours before you want to serve it, or even overnight.

Serve in margarita glasses rimmed with sugar.