So I decided to make ginger ice cream. Why? Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear. But I do like ginger, and occassionally ice cream. Sadly, not all the cards were in my favor. I thought it would be really keen to add a hint of lemongrass, but alas, the lemongrass I had was no longer any good. I decided to go with lime instead, but just a hint of it. I looked at several ginger ice cream recipes online, and then decided to base mine off of the frozen desserts chapter of Professional Baking instead.
Ginger Ice Cream
1 pint milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely grated
3/4 cup sugar
4 oz cream cheese, softened
6 egg yolks
juice of half a lime
pinch salt
1 1/2 tablespoons crystalized ginger, finely chopped
The ginger should be grated on a microplane grater, if possible. Add it, along with the milk and heavy cream, to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. While the milk mixture is heating, cream together the sugar and cream cheese in a metal bowl. When light and fluffy, mix in the egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the sides and the beaters every so often. Mix in the lime juice and the salt. When the milk reaches a simmer, temper it into the other mixture and move it to a double boiler. Whisk over the double boiler until it thickens slightly, and then move the bowl to an ice water bath. Whisk until it cools, and then strain into a plastic container. Refrigerate overnight, and then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When it reaches soft serve consistency, fold in the crystalized ginger and move to the freezer.
Okay, so I know it's kind of a complicated process. But hey, this is good ice cream. I just barely put mine in the freezer, making sure to taste test it first. I know that cold is supposed to mask flavor, but I daresay this stuff is actually more intense frozen than it is before giving it the chill. And wow, it's good. I didn't really catch any of the lime flavor, so I may add the rest of the lime next time. Then again, the lime may just be that thing that I don't taste right away, but would miss if it wasn't there.
Uncle Peter & I love all things ginger. Thanks for posting this, we will have to try it and get back to you.
ReplyDeleteIf it were me I would have put little pieces of gingerbread in it. One of the best ice creams I ever had was a gingerbread ice cream. Mmm...
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice thought, but gingerbread is an entirely different concept than what I was going for. I wanted the fresh, clean taste of ginger and lemongrass (and I do plan to try again with fresh lemongrass) for more of a Thai-inspired flavor than that of New England baked goodies.
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