Goodbye to the Hiatus

I'm back - well, sort of. I was too incredibly enthralled by your blog entries that I continued to read them... and never left. So, I guess the more appropriate introduction would be that I'm not lurking anymore! Which just made this post about 100x creepier.

Anyways, do you recall that I had received an ice cream attachment and was asking for ice cream recommendations? Well, I found a basic vanilla ice cream recipe (since I heard that it's safest to start with something simple), but couldn't resist and had to tweak it in a few ways.

So, what I actually printed out and held in my hand was an everyday vanilla ice cream base.

What I ended up with in the freezer was a Honey Vanilla Ice Cream w/ Roasted Peanuts.

Okay, the roasted peanuts weren't originally part of the plan. But you see, my neglected creative twin will occasionally rebel at around 4:00 in the afternoon, and this time, before I could stop her, she reached in and grabbed a handful of roasted peanuts and threw them into the churning mixture. I was shocked. My friend, Erin (who was with me earlier that day and had been helping me with pouring and mixing of the ice cream) gawked at the now-ruined mixture and glanced over at me. Being the take-charge person that I am, I stood by helplessly, watching my twin ferociously add more handfuls of peanuts, all the while glaring and barking at us to back off. I think I spotted foam at her mouth.

Anyways, with the damage done, I really couldn't do anything besides freeze it accordingly. But I was disheartened when I saw that the custard was too liquidy and the peanuts all floated to the top. I tried to ignore the texture and leave it alone in the freezer but I couldn't push the caramel colored honey sea with peanut islands out of my mind; after an hour or so, I took a look at my ice cream. To my surprise and genuine delight, it was actually firming up! There wasn't an excess amount of liquid as I first feared that there would be. I took the opportunity to swirl around the peanuts with my chopsticks (seriously... I don't think I ever use a whisk or even a spoon to mix anything anymore ever since my mother taught me how to mix/whip/stir more efficiently with chopsticks) so that they would be lodged in various areas of the ice cream. I stuck it back in the freezer.

I wish I had pretty photos to show, but I can't, since it's practically all gone. My brothers and mom all liked it, but all had differing opinions on what to add more of.

Mom: I couldn't taste the honey.

Brother #1: I couldn't taste the vanilla.

Brother #2: I can taste both.

The ice cream texture was one that resembled the soft-serve ice creams, so the crunchy peanuts added a nice contrast.

Anyways, here is the recipe for the Honey Vanilla Ice Cream):

2 cups milk1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (I didn't have a vanilla bean, so I used 1 Tbs. of vanilla extract)7 egg yolks1/4 cup brown sugar3/4 cup honey3/4 tsp. salt (I estimated this one)2 cups cream

Heat together milk and vanilla bean until simmering (do not boil). In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, brown sugar, honey, salt until frothy. While whisking, slowly combine hot milk with mixture, then transfer back into the sauce pan. Cook until mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.Remove vanilla bean from mixture (hold onto it). Strain the custard into a bowl then scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean back into the custard. Stir the heavy cream into the custard (Note: This is where I added in the vanilla extract, since I didn't have a vanilla bean). Cover & chill for 4 hours, or until completely cold.Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Note: If you also have a creative twin, wait until the last 2 minutes of the freezing/churning process before you let him/her loose.

And voila! You've got a honey vanilla ice cream that's gourmet enough to serve to guests but also homey and familiar enough that your picky teenage brother will also dig into.

Have a great day.