Spice Ice Cream Food

SPICE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place the vanilla bean, scraped seeds, cinnamon sticks, and star anise (if using) in a saucepan with milk over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover, and remove from heat. Allow to steep for 30 minutes; then strain, discarding solids.
• Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl, and whisk until pale yellow and thick, about 3 minutes.
• Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Return milk to stove, and bring just to a simmer. Slowly pour milk mixture into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return it to the saucepan, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. The custard should retain a line drawn across the back of the spoon with your finger.
• Remove the pan from the heat, and immediately stir in cold cream. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl set in the ice bath. Stir occasionally until cool. Cover bowl, and place in the refrigerator until well chilled, preferably overnight.
• Pour the custard into an ice-cream maker, and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions, until ice cream is set but not hard.
• Transfer the soft ice cream to an airtight container, and freeze at least 4 hours or up to 1 week.

MAPLE SPICE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, reduce maple syrup by half, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer one cup cream with cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon and salt, stirring occasionally until cream begins to simmer, about 5 minutes. Allow to stand, off heat, for 20 minutes.
• Strain into a bowl, discarding spices. Stir in reduced maple syrup, remaining cup cream and the milk. Transfer bowl to refrigerator or set into an ice bath to chill.
• When cold, pour into bowl of an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer to a container and freeze until solid, at least 2 hours. Let sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, or in refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.

MAPLE SPICE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Split the half vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Put the seeds, pod halves, milk, cream, spices and brown sugar in a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan. Scald the mixture over low heat. Remove from heat, and let the mixture steep for 1 hour. While the mixture is steeping, reduce the maple syrup by 1/3 over medium-low heat.
• Combine the egg yolks and salt in a large bowl and whisk just to blend. Bring cream mixture back to a simmer. Dissolve the reduced syrup into the hot milk mixture.
• While gently whisking the yolks, drizzle in the hot cream/syrup mixture so the yolks are gradually warmed. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Be sure to continuously scrape the spoon across the bottom of the pan so the custard does not scorch. The custard is done when it has thickened slightly and can evenly coat the back of the spoon. Do not let it come to a boil.
• Strain the custard through a fine sieve. Press out all the liquid in the vanilla bean and discard bean. Stir in the bourbon and maple extract. Place the bowl with the custard into a large bowl of ice. Let it cool, stirring occasionally.
• Transfer mixture to an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Put the finished ice cream in a storage container and freeze until firm.
• Once frozen, mix in walnut brittle and serve.
• Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over high heat and cook until it reaches a deep amber color. Meanwhile cover a baking sheet with cooking spray. Remove from heat, stir in the walnuts and pour onto sprayed baking sheet. Let sit until hard and crack into desired pieces.

FIVE-SPICE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Tear tangerine peel into pieces. Pulse peppercorns, star anise, cloves, and allspice to a coarse mixture in grinder.
• Combine cream, milk, tangerine peel, spices, and 1/2 cup sugar in a heavy medium saucepan. With tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into cream mixture, then drop in pod. Bring mixture just to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 20 minutes.
• Bring spiced milk to a simmer, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding spices and peel. Return to saucepan.
• Whisk whole egg and yolks with remaining 1/2 cup sugar in bowl until pale, then add hot spiced milk in a slow stream, whisking. Return to saucepan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture coats back of spoon and registers 170 to 175°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil). Immediately strain custard through fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in rum and kosher salt.
• Chill custard at least 6 hours, then freeze in ice cream maker.

SPICY MEXICAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds (do not discard), set aside.
• Roughly chop the chocolate and melt in a medium sauce pan together with milk and cream (over medium heat). After the chocolate has melted, whisk in the cocoa powder, avoiding clumps. Add the vanilla bean and seeds. Bring the mix to just under a boil (150° on a candy thermometer), stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let the mix steep, covered, for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Remove the vanilla bean. Reheat mix over moderate heat until hot (150 degrees), stirring frequently.
• Whisk the eggs, sugar and salt together in a small bowl.
• Temporarily remove the pan from the heat. Add 1/2 cup hot cream mixture to the eggs/sugar in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Whisk the egg/cream mix back into the saucepan and return to medium-low heat, STIRRING CONSTANTLY until a candy thermometer reads 170 degrees (do not let it boil).
• In a medium to large bowl (that cream mixture will be chilled in) combine the cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Pour a small amount of the chocolate cream through a strainer into the bowl and whisk to combine, avoiding clumps. Pour the remaining chocolate cream mixture through the strainer and whisk to combine.
• Cool completely in the refrigerator (at least 4 hours). Freeze in an ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.
• Notes: DO NOT add more than 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. The flavor intensifies as it freezes in the ice cream maker. If you don't have 1/8 tsp, use 1/4 tsp and remove half the cayenne.
• Notes: To chill more quickly, place the final mixture in an ice and cold-water bath for 30 minutes (a larger bowl for the ice water, a smaller bowl filled with the cream mixture that will sit in the "bath"). Stir frequently.