preliminary ice cream trials

as a birthday present, i got daisy the ice cream maker for the kitchen aid mixer. (it's the gift that keeps on giving.) the contraption consists of a bowl and a dasher that attach to the mixer. before use, the bowl has to be chilled in the freezer for at least 15 hours, but then it can just live in the freezer, ready to mix up tasty frozen treats at the slightest provocation. aww yeah.

turns out it is dangerously easy to make ice cream. in general, one just scalds the milk and cream, adding whatever flavor one desires, and mixes the egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl. next, temper the egg mixture with a bit of the scalded milk; heat and mix the batter gently until it coats the back of a spoon, and then pour the whole mess into the bowl on the mixer. set that baby to stir for 20 to 30 minutes, and if you're adding chips or nuts or anything crunchy or solid, do it at the last minute. this step is called conversion, after which you will have a creamy mixture similar to soft-serve ice cream. transfer this deliciousness into container(s) and stick it in the freezer overnight. this second step is known as ripening, and produces the hard, scoop-able kind of ice cream that comes in a pricey pint.

details of the first couple experiments follow.

we started simply with plain vanilla. we went all out on quality, though, with organic heavy cream and 2% milk from meadowbrook dairy, eggs from the CSA and a vanilla pod all the way from tahiti (well, i bought it on 29th and lex). we used 5 yolks, twice as much cream as milk (3 cups total), and ¾ cup of sugar. we also added a teaspoon of vanilla extract (which we later concluded was gratuitous).

the texture was awesome: super creamy and rich. it was just a tad too sweet for our tastes but on the whole, a raging success, particularly when paired with tiny sweet strawberries from the greenmarket and yellow plums from the CSA.

next: mint chocolate chip. we used valhrona 60% cacao — the little oval pellets, chopped — and peppermint oil. this time we used equal parts 2% milk and heavy cream, and eased up on the sugar (½ cup). we did not use green food coloring. the texture was lighter, and the sweetness mellower. i think the recipe would be improved with the addition of mint leaves, finely chopped or ground, for color and extra minty freshness.

who knows what the future will bring? a few of our ideas for the coming weeks: curry, rum raisin (with gosling's perhaps? maybe even a dark and stormy flavor, with fresh ginger and lime zest?) and something with tea... earl grey? chai? our next batch is going to be gelato (no cream, just milk and eggs), and naturally we'll dabble in some dairy-free and vegan options as well, including sorbet (basil? tomato? perhaps we'll try to recreate morimoto's wasabi yuzu concoction...?)

now then, the recipes....

vanilla (bean):

1 cup 2% milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
5 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
(tahitian) vanilla bean
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla (optional)


mint chocolate chip:

1 ½ cups 2% milk
1 ½ cups heavy cream
5 egg yolks (all from CSA eggs)
½ cup 60% dark chocolate pellet things (or any chocolate), chopped
1 ½(ish) tsp peppermint oil
pinch salt

community supported...?

so last week i'm at [neighborhood watering hole on east 14th street] to visit a friend who recently started working there. the crowd is predictably awful (beer pong is actually involved) and it's too loud for conversation and the teevee is blocked by various unattractive heads so i can't even rilly see the game (since when do i care?) and i go to the bathroom, which has only one stall. some drunk chick comes in right after me making a phone call to someone who seems to have no idea who she is ("it's cat... cat... cat! hi, it's cat... catherine?") and presently there is a loud crash, distinctly ceramic in timbre. drunk chick: "oh, nothing. i'll call you back." she scoots; i leave the stall to find the sink completely cracked in two, the bowl part resting on the wet, paper-strewn floor at an artful angle against the pedestal base, which now supports nothing but a jagged top edge.

i just wish i had seen exactly what happened there.

. . .

yesterday was the first delivery from the csa that my mom signed up for this year. in case you are unfamiliar with the awesomeness known as "community supported agriculture," it's a program wherein people in urban areas can support local farms and eat more naturally and sustainably. the season is from june through november, and each week mom and a co-worker are splitting a seasonal selection of fruits and vegetables (from windflower farm) and eggs (from elihu farm) in upstate new york (you can get flowers, too)... hopefully we'll be spending many a tuesday cooking up some deliciousness. and then eating it.

the first installment included radishes and romaine lettuce, bok choy, russian red kale, garlic scapes, strawberries, and chicken eggs. garlic scapes are my new favorite thing; they look like long green beans or flower stems, but they grow in a spiral shape and they have a lovely garlic flavor. you can just cut them into small pieces and saute them; if you are a big onion-slash-garlic fan they even good raw, if you mince them up. the kale was so fresh even the stems were edible before cooking -- firm but not too stringy, with a nice bitterness. daisy tossed the bok choy and the kale in a wok with some scallions and scapes. the radishes and lettuce only needed some oil, vinegar and lime juice. we tossed the radish tops right in with the rest of the salad. mom made savory crepes with smoked salmon, scallions and creme fraiche for some protein and we had the greens with tricolor couscous. yummers.