Monthly Mingle - Gingersnap Ice Cream

Thank you to everyone who voted in the "Ice Cream Poll" - which was 23 people, so ROCK ON! After a slow beginning, Gingersnap pulled through to victory, claiming 38% of the vote. This excited me greatly, because I was secretly (and not so secretly) hoping that it would win. In addition, Randi and I experimented with Peppermint White Tea with Honey ice cream. Hey, we were in Whole Foods and decided that it needed to be made! In an effort to post the truly superior ice cream of the two, we had a small Fourth of July / BBQ / Ice Cream Tasting party this afternoon. Although, both were good - the vote unanimously went to Gingersnap as the winner.

This is a very exciting time for me, as a food blogger - because I am submitting this recipe to July's "Monthly Mingle" produced by Meeta at What's For Lunch, Honey? Again, thank you to all who voted and helped make this a reality...wink wink. But, seriously, thanks Randi, you are the awesomest ever.

Anyway, on to the main dish - ICE CREAM!

I love gingersnaps, which was a main reason that I was pulling for this flavor (don't worry though, only voted once - and we will make Cinnamon-Clove in due time). A good gingersnap will have a sturdy crunch, a sweet taste and a nice gingery bite at the end. I was hoping to bring all of these elements out in the ice cream and I think I succeeded quite well. This recipe was taken from an article titled "Ice Dreams, Crystallized" from the New York Times Dining & Wine Section from 2005.

Gingersnap Ice Cream
Courtesy of: New York Times Dining & Wine
yields 1 quart

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream
2 ounces ginger, peeled and grated
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
1½ ounces gingersnap cookies (about 8 cookies), coarsely crushed

Tip: On scales at the grocery store, there will be an ounces measurement, if you do not have a food scale at home, weigh it at the store!

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk cream with ginger and salt. When it just begins to steam, after about 6 minutes (about 150 degrees on a candy thermometer), turn off flame and allow to stand 3 minutes. Pour cream through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing ginger to extract as much liquid as possible.

2. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until they become milky yellow in color, about 1½ minutes. While continuing to whisk, slowly add ginger-flavored cream in a thin stream.

3. Fill bottom half of a double boiler with an inch or two of water, and bring to a boil. Pour custard into top half of double boiler (I used my mixing bowl over a sauce pan), and stir until thickened slightly, 6 to 8 minutes (about 150 degrees). Let cool for about 10 minutes; then whisk milk into custard. Pour into a covered container, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

4. Churn custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Fold in crushed gingersnap pieces, until thoroughly combined. Pack ice cream into a vessel with a tight-fitting lid, and place in freezer to harden for 2 hours. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.

This ice cream was delicious. It turned out exactly the way I wanted. This was also the first time that I made ice cream at home. I will definitely be experimenting with many more flavors this summer - hopefully I will not gain too much weight in the process. If you would like the recipe for the other one we made, leave a comment. Also, please let me know what you think!