Pistachio Ice cream

Hi there! It’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been occupied with getting the house ready to sell, starting a new job and spending time with my friends and family. I’m still trying to figure out my schedule because I want to start posting regularly!

This weekend will be the hottest days of the summer so it’s only appropriate to cool down with some ice cream!

Out of the dozens of ice cream flavors, pistachio is my favorite. Its nutty flavor and bits of crunchy pistachio contrast with the creamy and smooth ice cream.

I used salted and roasted pistachios from Wonderful and my ice cream turned out sweet and salty- MmMmMm. Feel free to use unsalted pistachios for full sweetness.

Stay cool!

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Ingredients:

1 cup shelled pistachios
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

1. Finely grind 1 cup pistachios in a food processor.
2. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Stir in milk and transfer to a saucepan. Heat the mixture on low heat until thickened, stirring constantly, about 6 minutes. Once thickened, strain mixture into a bowl.
3. Mix in ground pistachios and heavy cream. Then chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
4. Stir the mixture then pour in ice cream maker to freeze. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze to harden.

Optional: pinch of salt

Yields about 1 quarts of ice cream.

Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

I held off on buying matcha for months because I couldn’t fathom the idea of paying $10 for only a 2 oz. container of powder.  However, after much research and comparing prices in several supermarkets, I finally ordered some from Nuts.com.  Even though I hate paying for shipping, Nuts.com had the best price and my matcha arrived in two days! I even received a small sample of trail mix.  I justified my purchase by reassuring myself that matcha is a healthy source of caffeine, full of antioxidants, and has anti-aging properties.

Be careful when buying matcha, because sometimes the powder can include fillers like sugar and powdered creamers.  Make sure the package says 100% matcha and if the price is too good to be true, it probably is.One of the reasons why matcha comes in small containers is because it is highly sensitive to air and light.  Once opened, it typically lasts only a month or two.  After that, the bright green color begins to turn dark and the powder losses it’s antioxidant properties.  I’ve been trying to use up my 8 oz. package by making green tea lattes everyday.

Matcha is a little pricey because it is a highly concentrated form of green tea.  One glass of matcha is equivalent to 10 glasses of green tea in terms of its nutritional value and antioxidant content!  Wowerz!  In my opinion, the taste and benefits of matcha are worth the price.

After seeing a tub of green tea ice cream going for $8 at the supermarket, I decided to make my own.  This recipe requires only a few ingredients and you can enjoy homemade green tea ice cream in just a few hours!

1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup whipped heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tb matcha green tea powder
3 tb hot water

1. Mix hot water and green tea powder together and set aside.  Make sure there are no lumps.
2. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Stir in milk and transfer to a saucepan.
3. Heat the mixture on low heat until thickened, stirring constantly.  Once thickened, remove from heat and set aside to cool.  Stir the green tea mixture into the pan.  Soak the bottom of the pan in ice water to speed up the process.
4. Add whipped heavy cream in the mixture and stir gently. Pour the mixture in an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Yields 1.5 quarts of ice cream.

Note:  You do not have to whip the heavy cream if you want dense, gelato like ice cream.

Blueberry Ice Cream

Happy National Ice Cream Day!

I went to the 12th Annual NJ State Ice Cream Festival over the weekend to celebrate! My friend convinced me to tag along. I mean who can say no to ice cream right?

I envisioned the festival packed with several gourmet ice cream vendors serving unique flavors. However, there were only six vendors who each served only one flavor. Two of which were Shop Rite and Stop and Shop. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

Admission is free but tasting tickets costed $7. The ticket entitled festival goers to a “tasting kit” which included a napkin and plastic spoon in a sandwich bag.

The first vendor I stopped by offered an orange creamsicle like ice cream that was unappetizing-ly and strikingly orange. It wasn’t the best, but I had high hopes for what the other vendors had to offer.

Next, I stopped by Stop and Shop who offered classic Neapolitan ice cream. It was good but nothing to brag about – tasted like your average ice cream from a carton.

My favorite flavor was a coffee cookies n’ cream ice cream. The coffee flavor was not overpowering and the chunks of cookies added texture to the overall smooth treat.

I also tried a “black and tan” ice cream. The “black and tan” ice cream from Yuengling’s was a combination of Belgian chocolate and salty caramel. The flavor was rich, but the ice cream was partially melted by the time I tasted it so I wasn’t able to experience the true texture of the ice cream.

I didn’t even bother stopping by Shop Rite because the long line for generic vanilla ice cream wasn’t worth it.

Considering this was a state ice cream festival, I expected more vendors, better quality ice cream and unique flavor combinations. The samples were served in plastic sauce containers and some of the samples were melted. I didn’t even vote for my favorite flavor because I wanted to escape the crowded street.

Aside from tasting ice cream, there was a live band, ice cream eating contest and vendors serving boardwalk food. I’m happy that I was able to experience an ice cream festival, but I don’t think I’ll be coming back next year.

Ingredients:
2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
dash of salt
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a saucepan bring blueberries, sugar, and salt to a boil over moderate heat. Simmer mixture and stir frequently for 5 minutes. Cool slightly then purée mixture with milk and heavy cream. Add vanilla.
2. Chill mixture, covered, overnight or in the freezer for 1.5 hours.
3. Pour the mixture into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. Yields about 1 quart of ice cream.

Strawberry Ice Cream

I haven’t bought a tub of ice cream all summer.  This is very unlikely of me because I used to hoard Turkey Hill ice cream whenever it went on sale.  I guess I have started to lose interest in traditional flavors like chocolate, strawberry, and cookies n’ cream.  However, making your own ice cream is a whole nother story.

After seeing countless bloggers make homemade ice cream, I was convinced to make some of my own. You can make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker, but that usually involves using condensed milk and/or putting the mixture into the freezer and mixing it every hour or so.  I am not a patient person and I value my time, so I decided to invest in an ice cream maker.  Besides, you can make so many different flavors and more importantly, you can control the ingredients.  You can make flavors like coffee, red bean, green tea, and basil!  You can also say no more to artificial flavors, hydrogenated oils, and other ingredients that are more fit for a science experiment.

I ended up getting a Cuisinart ice cream maker.  It comes with a freezer bowl, lid with an ingredient spout, and a paddle.  I just leave the bowl in my freezer so I can make ice cream whenever I want. Isn’t she a beauty?Here is a foolproof eggless strawberry ice cream recipe.  It is surprisingly creamy even without the addition of eggs.  I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup and omitted food coloring.  Give it a try if you have some fresh strawberries!I also made strawberry chocolate macaron ice cream sandwiches!