Guiness Ice Cream

This should have been a Saint Patrick's Day ice cream, but whatever. This is unusual but really tasty.

Guiness Ice Cream

1 bottle of Guiness Stout
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups 2% milk
2 1/2 cups light cream
1 tsp salt
1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Open the bottle of Guiness and let stand for about an hour. The beer should be flat; you don't want a lot of foam. Then, in a small saucepan, simmer the Guiness for 30-45 minutes. Don't let the beer boil: Foam galore! Your kitchen will smell like a brewery. When the Guiness has been reduced by a third, remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a big bowl, stir the Guiness and sugar together until the sugar melts. Then add the milk, cream and salt. Pour into your ice cream machine and let the magic happen. When the mixture is semi-solid, pour in the chocolate chips.

The final result is a really good, really mellow concoction that's probably different from any ice cream you've ever tasted. It's not very sweet, as ice cream goes, and there's a bready undertone. As a friend said, "Yup, that's Guiness ice cream." The chocolate works well with the beer flavor and is a good palate cleanser between bites. If I make this again, I might add a dash of Bailey's for an Irish Carbomb Ice Cream. Mmmm.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

I've been slacking (and dieting), but I'm getting back into the ice cream frame of mind.

I have a bunch of people coming to my house on Friday to barbecue and celebrate Independence Day and I have promised them homemade ice cream.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups half and half
2 cups 2% milk
1 tsp salt
1 cup Reese's Peanut Butter Cup pieces

Zap the peanut butter in the microwave for thirty seconds, then mix with the sugar, cream, milk, and salt. Small warning here: the peanut butter is not going to mix well with the liquid mixture. Get all the big chunks broken up the best you can.

Toss in your ice cream maker and follow the directions. Amazingly, the peanut butter lumpy-ness sorts itself out in the machine. When the ice cream has firmed up a bit, stir in the Reese's chunks.

This is an intense peanut butter taste. Not for those who are all "meh" when it comes to peanut butter.

Coconut Lime Ice Cream

Thanks, Harry Nilsson, for inspiring this flavor...

"Put the lime in the coconut, drink them both together,
Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better,
Put the lime in the coconut, drink them both up,
Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the morning
Woh woh woh woh woh"

Coconut Lime Ice Cream

1 cup sugar
2 cups whipping cream
2 1/2 cups milk (I use 2%)
1 tspn salt
1 1/2 cups coconut flakes
Juice of one lime

Mix everything together in a great big bowl, pour into your ice cream maker and follow the directions. Put on Nilsson Schmilsson and you're all set.

Almond Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream

A really refreshing ice cream, in honor of the suddenly-nice weather in New York City. I'm looking forward to having a bowl of this on my roof tomorrow, looking out over the sunset and the Manhattan skyline.

Almond Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream

1 cup sugar
2 1/2 whipping cream
2 cups milk
1 Tbl vanilla extract
1 Tbl lemon juice
1/3 cup honey
4 Tbl cinnamon
1/2 cup almond slivers

Mix all ingredients together and then follow the directions on your ice cream maker. No pre-cooking. Score!

A Classic - Chocolate Ice Cream

Not every ice cream can be earth-shatteringly exciting. Sometimes you want comfort.

Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Basic ice cream base
12 oz. package dark chocolate chunks
1 Tbl vanilla

Melt half the package of ice cream chunks in a double boiler with one cup of cream. When the mixture is totally smooth, stir in rest of the milk. Proceed normally.

When the machine is done working its magic, stir in the rest of the bag of chocolate chunks before freezing. This chocolate ice cream isn't nearly as sweet as a commercial version, but frankly, I think that's what makes it better.

Chai Latte Ice Cream

Chai lattes are a guilty pleasure of mine. They’re not really tea, they’re not really coffee. They’re barely a step above Starbucks’ fruppucino fru-fru drinks. They’re filled with sugar and fat. And they’re deeeeee-licioius!

Chai Latte Ice Cream

Basic ice cream base

5 Tbl powdered chai latte mix (I used Trader Joe’s)

Pinch nutmeg

Several shakes of cinnamon

Pinch white pepper

Pinch toasted black sesame seeds (I had some left over)

Tbl vanilla

Tbl honey

Mix the chai mix and spices into the milk and cream mixture, before you add the egg yolks and sugar. When everything is mixed together, it should be the color of very light coffee.

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Roughly three months ago, a friend was eating a bowl of half-melted black ice cream.

“My word, what is that?” I asked her.
“Black sesame,” she answered. “Want some?”

The ice cream was heavenly and tasted like Saturday dim sum in Chinatown. It was the perfect combination of dairy-sweet and exotic spice.

Of course, I couldn’t find the flavor again. Every time I passed a gelato or ice cream place, I’d duck inside and hopefully scan the menu. Finally, I decided to try and recreate the concoction myself.

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Basic ice cream base
Sesame oil
Black sesame seeds

Toast three or four tablespoons of black sesame seeds over medium heat. Grind the seeds into a fine powder. A logical person would use a coffee grinder or food processor. Having recently destroyed the blades on my grinder in the Great Kitchen Mishap of ’08, I ground the seeds by hand. I felt quite the pioneer woman. That is, until my arm started getting really, really tired.

While making the basic ice cream base, add five or six drops of sesame oil to the mixture. Stir in the black sesame powder before putting the base in your ice cream maker.

The finished ice cream should be a purpley-gray. The yuckiness of its appearance is in opposite proportion to the yumminess of the flavor.