Spectacular Summertime Ice Cream Recipe

Spectacular Summertime Ice Cream Recipe

by Wolfgang Puck

As summer really starts to heat up, lovers of good food know that one of the best ways to cool down is to have some ice cream. One of my favorite flavor discoveries is honey-flavored ice cream. I hope you enjoy this honey ice cream with almond nougatine and sesame seed cup recipe.

As summer really starts to heat up, lovers of good food know that one of the best ways to cool down is to have some ice cream. Whether you get it from a supermarket or an old-fashioned truck, a traditional soda fountain or a new-fangled specialty shop, ice cream has the ability to make us all feel like children again, ready to take off our shoes and run barefoot through the grass.

I'm not against all those fancy flavors you see in the freezer cases today. But, to me, some of the simplest kinds remain my favorites. Give me a good scoop of pure vanilla, rich chocolate, or robust coffee ice cream and I'm a happy man.

One of my favorite flavor discoveries was honey-flavored ice cream. The first time I tried it, many years ago now but still as a grown-up professional chef, I was surprised by how rich and complex the flavor was. Most people, you see, think of honey as just a substitute for the sweet-but-flavorless sugar you add to just about any ice cream recipe. But, when honey becomes the star flavoring as well as the sweetener, its qualities really shine.

There's so much subtlety to be found among the many kinds of honeys sold in food stores or at stalls in farmers' markets. You can really taste the distinctive differences between varieties named for the kinds of flowers from which the honeybees gathered their pollen: orange blossom, lavender, sage blossom, buckwheat, tupelo -- the list goes on and on. And those are showcased in honey ice creams made from them.

I like to use orange blossom honey for ice cream, mainly because my two young sons like it the most. If you've bought a jar of blended, more generic-tasting honey at the supermarket, you can add a little bit of grated orange zest to the ice cream mixture when simmering it, to recall the light citrusy quality of orange blossom honey. Or, if you'd like a much more robust honey, look for the rarer buckwheat honey, as earthy and rich tasting as the grain from whose blossoms it derives.

Rather than mixing in all kinds of different swirls and nuggets to this delicious ice cream, I like to complement it in simpler ways. To contrast with the creaminess, mix in some toasted sliced almonds before it is frozen solid, for example; or try making a crunchy, brittle-like almond nougatine, for which I include a recipe here. And finally, I like to serve this in edible containers like my sesame seed cups, which look beautiful and have their own rich, nutty flavor that tastes delicious with the honey ice cream.

I hope you not only enjoy this recipe but also chill out this summer!

Also, Check Out:
Grilled Banana Splits & Triple Berry Ice Pops

Honey Ice Cream with Almond Nougatine & Sesame Seed Cups

Makes 2 quarts, 10 servings

1 quart heavy cream

2 cups milk

8 cage-free egg yolks

1 to 1-1/2 cups honey

Almond Nougatine (recipe follows)

Sesame Seed Cups (recipe follows)

Pour the cream and milk into a large, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat.

Put the egg yolks into a large stainless-steel bowl. Whisk until blended. Whisking continuously, drizzle in the hot cream mixture.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Stirring continuously, cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in at least 1 cup of the honey, adding more to taste, bearing in mind that the ice cream will taste less sweet when frozen.

Transfer to a clean stainless-steel bowl. Rest the bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and water and chill, stirring occasionally, until cold.

Freeze in an ice cream maker, following manufacturer's instructions and working in batches if necessary. Just before completely set, very thick but still slightly soft, add the Almond Nougatine; continue churning for a few minutes longer.

If not serving immediately, store in a freezer-proof container, letting the ice cream soften slightly at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Scoop into Sesame Seed Cups.

Almond Nougatine

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

Flavorless vegetable oil, for brushing

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup sliced blanched almonds

Brush a baking sheet with vegetable oil and set aside.

In a medium-sized heavy saucepan, cook the sugar over high heat until caramel colored, watching carefully to prevent burn. Stir in the almonds and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet in a very thin layer. Leave to cool and harden.

When set completely, use a heavy metal spatula to scrape it from the baking sheet and transfer to a cutting board. With a large, sharp knife, carefully cut or break into small pieces. Transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature until ready to use.

Sesame Seed Cups

Makes 10 to 12 small bowls

1-1/4 cups sesame seeds

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup cage-free egg whites (4 or 5)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon toasted Asian-style sesame oil

Milk

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, sugar, egg whites, butter, flour, and sesame oil. Leave at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour some milk into a shallow bowl.

Using a 2-tablespoon measure, spoon some batter onto a nonstick baking sheet. Dip the tines of a fork into the milk and, using the back of the tines, gently pat the batter, spreading it into a very thin circle 6 to 8 inches in diameter. (The milk prevents the sugar from sticking to the fork.) You should be able to form 2 or 3 circles on an 11-by-15-inch sheet, spaced 2-1/2 inches apart.

Bake until golden-brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using a spatula, immediately transfer each circle to an inverted 2-1/2-to-3-inch bowl or mold, to form cup shapes. Leave to cool and harden. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Subscribe to Receive our Gourmet Recipes

FOOD, DRINK & RECIPES [...]

Wolfgang Puck Recipes: "Spectacular Summertime Ice Cream Recipe Recipe

World-renowned chefs with an extraordinary passion for food share their passion on iHaveNet.com. These chefs make great cooking easier than imagined. Each gourmet recipe features expert advice and an easy-to-make recipe. Exactly what you need to transform your home cooking from acceptable to delectable