Okay, in 3 weeks the Sunday Slow Bakers become the Sunday Slow Scoopers. Too many people got tired of turning the ovens on when it was over 100 degrees outside. That sure hasn’t been the case this summer in Alaska. In fact, in Anchorage, it has only hit 70 degrees twice this summer. But that doesn’t stop Alaskans from eating ice cream. In fact, Alaskans eat more ice cream per capita than any other state.
For our Sunday Slow Scoopers, we are going to use the book The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. I ordered it from Amazon, but before it arrived I decided to make ice cream to go with the Citrus Polenta Cake which will be posted tomorrow. I had a book called Ice Creams & Sorbets by Lou Seibert Pappas that I had never tried anything from. Well, what a nice book it is. Small, but with delicious-sounding ice creams. For the cake, I decided to try the Honey-Orange-Pistachio Ice Cream. I can’t show you a photo, because I forgot to take one. This was a really good ice cream. The flavor of the honey really shines, so be sure to use a good one. You can also really taste the Gand Marnier in it. I served it with the cake, and then had to go out of town. A week later there was still some in the freezer, and I wondered if it would be icy. Not at all. In fact, it was even better than when I first made it. The flavors had mellowed out, and blended beautifully. Here’s the recipe:
Honey-Orange-Pistachio Ice Cream Makes about 1 quart
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2/3 cup (3 ounces) pistachios (I used the roasted, salted ones)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
2 cups half and half or milk (I used whole milk)
4 large eggs
2/3 cup honey
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
2 tablespoons Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or other orange liqueur (optional)
Prepare a large bowl or pan of ice water.
In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the nuts, and sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook, stirring continuously, until the nuts are toasted and caramelized, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, mash the zest with the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar to release the oils. In the top of a double boiler, heat the half-and-half over simmering water until steaming. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks until blended, then whisk in the honey and sugared zest. Whisk in about half of the hot half-and-half and pour the yolk mixture into the pan of half-and half. Stir and cook over simmering water until the custard coats the back of a silicone spatula or spoon, about 10 minutes. Immediately place the custard pan in the ice bath and stir the custard occasionally until it cools to room temperature. Transfer to a container and stir in the cream. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream is almost frozen, spoon in the liqueur, if desired, and churn until blended in, about 1 minute more. Add the nuts and churn until blended in, about 15 seconds more. Transfer to a container, cover, and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.