Toasted Almond Ice Cream
Yield: 8 servings
1/3 cup crushed roasted almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 pinch salt
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
For the Toasted Almond Ice Cream
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 10 to 15 minutes, until fragrant and toasted, but be careful not to burn them. Let cool, then chop into small pieces and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, milk, 1 cup cream and salt and heat over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins steaming and bubbling around edges. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks in a separate bowl and set aside.
When milk mixture is steaming and bubbling around edges, remove 1 cup of it and slowly drizzle hot milk mixture into beaten yolks while whisking continuously, to temper the eggs. Make sure not to scramble the eggs by adding all the hot liquid too fast. Add remaining milk mixture and stir to combine into a thin custard. Pour custard mixture back into saucepan and continue cooking until it starts to coat the back of a wooden spoon (between 170 and 175 on a candy thermometer) – typically only 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a medium bowl, then add warm custard by first pouring through a clean mesh strainer into remaining heavy cream and stirring to combine. Add vanilla and almond extract, then cover and cool completely in refrigerator (4 to 6 hours or overnight) before churning.
Once custard base is thoroughly chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. When ice cream is about halfway churned, add chopped roasted almonds and allow ice cream to continue to churn until it is done. Pour churned soft-serve ice cream into a freezer-safe container, cover and place in freezer to cure for at least 4 to 6 hours so the ice cream can harden all the way through.
Winemaker pairing suggestion: 2015 Eroica Riesling, Columbia Valley
Recipe provided by The Cook’s Warehouse