French Chestnut Ice Cream Food

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.

FRENCH CHESTNUT ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Put milk, chestnut puree and 3 oz of the sugar in a pan and bring to a boil over med. heat.
• Whisk the egg yolks and the remaining sugar in a bowl until a light ribbon consistency.
• Pour the boiling milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then pour the mixture back into the pan.
• Stir over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the custard lightly coats the back of the spoon. When you run your finger through it, it should leave a clear path on the spoon.
• Immediately take the pan off the heat and pour custard into a bowl.
• Add the rum now, if using.
• Cool over ice, stirring occasionally to prevent the formation of a skin.
• When cold, pass the custard through a fine strainer or a chinois into the ice cream maker and churn 10-15 minutes.
• Pour the cream into the ice cream maker, in a slow stream. Churn an additional 10 minutes. It is ready when firm but still creamy.
• Serve with the marrons glace on top, in small pieces, if desired, or with a drizzle of semi-sweet chocolate sauce, or just plain.

FRENCH VANILLA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, lightly whisk together the yolks and half of the sugar.
• In a non-reactive saucepan combine the cream, 1 cup of the milk, the remaining sugar, and the salt.
• Split the vanilla bean in half, lengthwise, to expose the tar-like seeds inside the pod. Scrape the seeds loose with a knife; add the bean and the seeds to the cream mixture.
• Heat the cream over medium-high heat until just at a boil. Remove from the heat. Gradually pour the hot liquid into the yolks, while whisking constantly. Return the cream-egg mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring the mixture constantly, with a wooden spoon in a figure-8 motion, until thickened, about 10 minutes. When the ice cream mixture is properly cooked it should coat the back of a spoon, be satiny thick, and be free of any bubbles on the surface. (If you taste the ice cream base it should have a slight egg-y taste.) When thickened, pour in the reserved milk to prevent the mixture from overcooking. Strain into a medium bowl. Add the cognac if desired.
• Fill another bowl with ice. Set the bowl of ice cream base in the ice and stir until thoroughly chilled. Freeze the base in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. (Take care not to over churn the ice cream or it will get a grainy texture.) Transfer the ice cream to the freezer to set up for at least 1 hour. Serve.

CANDIED CHESTNUT AND VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH HOT FUDGE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a bowl stir together well the ice cream and the marrons glacés and freeze the mixture, its surface covered with plastic wrap, for 2 to 3 hours, or until it is firm. In a heavy saucepan boil the cream, stirring occasionally, until it is reduced to about 1 cup, whisk in the brown sugar, and simmer the mixture, whisking, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat, whisk in the chocolates, whisking the mixture until it is smooth, and whisk in the butter and the Cognac. Serve the sauce warm over the ice cream.

CHESTNUT ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Combine the rum and chestnut puree to make a smooth paste.
• Whip the cream and sugar to form soft peaks, fold into the chestnut mixture.
• Freeze until ready to use.