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I have really so enjoyed my ice cream maker since we got it back in March as an early wedding present from my mom. Ice cream is a big passion of mine, it is something we eat almost everyday, in small amounts (sometimes!) and I find that it has been a really fun and creative outlet for me! But…we have been making so much ice cream since we got the maker, that I literally have a backlog of recipes to share with you all. So consider the next few days, the ice cream chronicles, as I share with your our creations!

I am always looking out for new and great recipes for ice cream, gelato (although you can’t really make true gelato without the proper equipment), sorbetto and slushies. I hoard little bits of this and that away in the freezer for future ice cream endeavors, especially from Daring Bakers Challenges.

This is the inspiration for today’s two recipes!

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For the Pistachio-Cherry, I broke down and went with an egg base, something I have been avoiding. However, I had 6 leftover egg yolks in the freezer from a Daring Bakers challenge that needed using. So I decided to finally do an egg based ice cream to remember what the difference in texture is. Texture has been the most difficult thing for me to perfect in past attempts. I was really frustrated to see that there really is a difference. This ice cream was so creamy, its nuts! And this ice cream TRULY was nuts because we went a little nuts with the pistachios! But I was really struggling with the consistency issue and not using eggs. I was determined to find something that will work besides eggs, and I believe I found my answer …in BOOZE (see more on this farther down)…

Roberto loves Pistachio gelato, or ice cream. It is his absolute favorite. Second runner up, Amarena, otherwise known as black cherry. So we decided that this ice cream should incorporate these two flavors making the Ultimate Roberto Ice Cream. Unfortunately, we did overdo it with the pistachios, which means that flavor really overwhelmed the sweet cherry flavor. But it was still good, just not very cherry.

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I had a lot of fun getting the cherries ready for this endeavor. I really enjoy cutting into rich red fruits, like pomegranates and cherries and watching their juices stain everything from the cutting board to my fingers. I can’t explain it, but it makes it fun. I guess it is the kid in me.

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The second “leftover ice cream” was made from the cake remnants from the last DB challenge – the Hazelnut Gateau which was kind of a disaster for me. So I had a LOT of remnants. I had it stuffed in the freezer and had pretty much forgotten about it until I asked Roberto what kind of ice cream he wanted next. We had recently gotten a bottle of Bailey’s to experiment with making cocktails and so we decided to make a Bailey’s ice cream. That night, I DREAMT about adding the gateau pieces to it (this is how obsessed I am about ice cream!) and I am telling you guys, it is worth making the gateau, to put in this ice cream! I feel so validated now! Ben and Jerry’s really needs to buy this recipe from me to mass produce! LOL! The Bailey’s, since it is alcohol, doesn’t freeze so it made this ice cream so soft and scoopable and creamy!

Click through to see how we made them.

Very Pistachio Cherry Ice Cream

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INGREDIENTS:

2 cups ripe black cherries
2 TBS agave
1 TBS brown sugar
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
4 1/2 cups whole milk
1 tsp each: vanilla extract and almond extract
6 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/2 cup raw cane sugar
1/2 cup raw, unsalted pistachios – toasted

METHOD:

In a large saucepan combine cherries, agave, brown sugar and pepper. Cook over medium high heat for about 15 minutes so the cherries release their juices. At the same time, toast the pistachios in the oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes or until aromatic. Remove the pistachios and set aside in a clean bowl.

Remove half of the cherries from the saucepan and set aside. To the cherries in the saucepan add milk, and extracts and bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, whip the egg yolks, 1 whole egg and 1/2 cup raw cane sugar. Whip for about 5 minutes or until pale yellow, smooth and thick like a runny mayo. With the mixer still on low, add two cups of the hot milk mixture, slowly a cup at a time and blend until incorporated. Then pour this into the saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture. Cook over medium-low until it coats the back of a spoon (about 5 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a food processor, grind the reserved 1/2 of the cherries and 1/2 of the pistachios with a spoonful of the custard. Then add this puree to the saucepan. Allow the custard to cool and then chill for 30 minutes. Pour into the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker and follow manufacturers instructions. Before putting the bowl in the freezer, fold in the rest of the pistachios.

Baileys Hazelnut-Gateau Ice Cream

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INGREDIENTS:

6 cups whole milk
1/2 cup raw cane sugar
2 TBS maple sugar
1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 1/2 TABLESPOONS of Tahitian vanilla extract
leftover cake

METHOD:

In a mixing bowl combine the milk, sugars, Bailey’s and vanilla and mix together until sugar is dissolved. Add the cake and mix until the cake has been incorporated into the ice cream, as much as you would like.

Pour into the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker and follow manufacturers instructions.