Chestnut Caramel Ice Cream Food

SESAME CHESTNUT MOUNTAIN CUPCAKES (CHESTNUT CARAMEL CAKE WITH BLACK SESAME CREAM AND CHESTNUT CREAM FROSTING WITH BLACK AND WHITE SESAME CHOPSTICKS)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a regular-size cupcake or muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together and set aside. Combine the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl, and then add the vanilla and egg mixture, one egg at a time, with the mixer on low speed. Add the Caramel. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and then increase the speed to medium and combine thoroughly. With the mixer the lowest speed, add the flour mixture and the sour cream, alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix only until just combined, do not over-mix.
• Fill the cupcake liners with a 16-size ice cream scoop, or about half full, and bake until dark golden and baked through, about 15 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely.
• To assemble: Core each cupcake using an apple corer. Fill each cupcake with the Black Sesame Pastry Cream and generously frost with the Chestnut Cream Frosting so that the frosting resembles a mountain of noodles. Top each cupcake with a pair of the Black and White Sesame Chopsticks.
• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan (or preferably an unlined copper pot), combine the sugar with 4 tablespoons water to moisten. Place over medium-high heat and, without stirring, cook until the sugar is dark amber in color. Meanwhile, place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat and warm to a simmer. Turn off the heat on the caramelized sugar and slowly add the warmed cream while stirring the caramel with a wooden spoon. Be careful as the mixture will splatter. Allow to thicken slightly over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice if using. Cool completely.
• Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks with the sugar and cornstarch until smooth and well blended. While whisking, slowly pour in one-quarter of the milk into the yolk mixture to temper the yolks. Add the remainder of the milk, while whisking. Pour back into the saucepan and place on medium heat. Whisk vigorously and constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter, piece by piece. Add the tahini and black sesame powder, and whisk to blend. Cool completely.
• Cream together the chestnut paste and chestnut puree in a food processor fitted with a metal blade until smooth. Add the softened butter, powdered sugar, rum and vanilla extract, and continue to process until well blended. If chunks remain, press the cream through a fine sieve to remove any large chestnut chunks. Place the cream in a piping bag with a "spaghetti" tip.
• Line a half sheet pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Coat the paper with cooking spray. Coat a wide spatula and a rolling pin with cooking spray.
• In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan or unlined copper pot, combine the sugar, vinegar and 1 teaspoon water. Cook over low heat until the sugar is melted and the mixture is thick. Stir a little. Cook until the sugar reaches 248 degrees F on a candy thermometer. At this point, add the sesame seeds to the sugar and stir well with a wooden spoon. Quickly scrape the mixture onto the parchment and spread evenly, first with the prepared spatula and next with the rolling pin. The desired thickness is about 1/16-inch thick. Cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
• Cut the candy into 12 chopstick shapes, each about 3 inches long, with the aid of a Chinese cleaver and a heavy pan. This technique makes cutting easier, even when the candy gets a bit hard. Let the candy cool completely.

CHESTNUT-CARAMEL ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Whisk chestnut spread, 1/4 cup milk, and salt in small bowl to combine. Set aside.
• Combine sugar and 1/3 cup water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides and swirling pan, about 12 minutes. Slowly and carefully add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously), then remaining 1 cup milk. Stir over low heat until any hard caramel bits dissolve and mixture is smooth. Stir in chestnut spread mixture and Armagnac. Transfer cream mixture to bowl; cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Process cream mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to bowl; cover tightly and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.)
• Scoop into bowls. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons chopped chestnuts.

CHESTNUT ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Halve vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds using tip of a sharp knife into a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan. Add pod, cream, sugar, and chestnut purée and bring to a simmer, whisking until chestnut purée is broken up and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cover pan. Let stand 15 minutes.
• Whisk together yolks in a medium bowl, then add warm cream mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Pour egg mixture back into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard is thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 170°F on thermometer. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean metal bowl, discarding vanilla pod and forcing chestnut purée through sieve. Set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Freeze custard in ice cream maker until soft-frozen, 20 to 25 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, about 3 hours.

CHESTNUT ESPRESSO CARAMEL-SWIRL ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a chestnut knife or a small paring knife, make an incision about 1/8 inch deep through the shell and into the flesh of each chestnut almost all the way around the circumference of the nut. Transfer to a chestnut pan or rimmed baking pan. Roast in the oven until the chestnuts are tender, about 35 minutes. Turn the oven off. Leaving the pan with the chestnuts in the oven, remove several at a time. Working quickly, place 1 chestnut in a towel, and, holding both, peel the chestnut while still hot. Remove and discard the shells and inner skin; set aside.
• Combine 2 cups cream, milk, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla bean, and chestnuts in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-low heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chestnuts are falling-apart tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. In a large bowl, using a whisk, beat together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until mixture is pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Pour 1 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, and whisk to combine well. Pour the egg mixture back into the remaining hot mixture, and whisk to combine. Return saucepan to medium heat, and, using a wooden spoon, stir constantly until the mixture thickens and holds a line when a finger is drawn across the back of a wooden spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and immediately stir in 1 cup cream.
• Transfer mixture to a food processor or blender, filling no more than halfway full, and puree, in batches, until smooth. Pass mixture through a fine sieve, pressing down on the chestnuts to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids, pour the mixture into a large bowl, and set in the ice bath, stirring occasionally, until cold.
• Stir together espresso and the remaining 1/2 cup cream; set aside. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the water in a small saucepan, and place over medium-high heat, brushing the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in cold water to prevent crystals from forming. Cook until the mixture turns a dark golden color, 13 to 15 minutes. To gauge the color of the caramel, dip a small piece of white paper into the mixture. Carefully add the espresso and cream. It will boil and sputter. Do not stir. When bubbling has subsided, about 1 minute, add butter. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Transfer to the ice bath to cool.
• Freeze ice cream in an ice-cream maker, according to manufacturer's instructions. Quickly transfer half the ice cream to a 1 1/2-quart container. Drizzle 4 or 5 tablespoons of caramel over the ice cream. Cover with remaining half of ice cream, and drizzle with 4 or 5 tablespoons of caramel. Drag a knife through the caramel and ice cream to create a swirl effect. Cover and place in freezer, about 6 hours or overnight.