Vanilla Bean Ice Cream With Hot Fudge Sauce Food

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM WITH HOT FUDGE SAUCE

Steps:

• For the ice cream: Heat the half-and-half and sugar in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the vanilla seeds and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
• Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale yellow and thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Temper the yolks by slowly drizzling in 1 cup of the hot half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the half-and-half mixture, whisking gently as you add it. Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until very thick, about 5 minutes. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon but not as thick as pudding.
• Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a separate large bowl. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Transfer to a freezer-safe baking dish or loaf pan, cover and freeze until firm enough to scoop, at least 8 hours.
• For the hot fudge sauce: Whisk the cocoa powder and sugar in a medium saucepan, then whisk in the heavy cream until very thick. Turn the heat to medium and continue to whisk as the mixture warms up. Once it's warm and smooth, add the butter and stir until melted. When the mixture is nice and hot, add the vanilla and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and let the sauce cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a jar. If not using right away, store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (the sauce will firm up). To serve, scoop out some sauce into a microwave-safe bowl; microwave for 20 seconds, then stir and microwave for another 10 seconds or so until warm. Pour over the ice cream.

HOT FUDGE OVER VANILLA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Bring cream and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add sugars and corn syrup, and heat, stirring, until sugars dissolve. Whisk in cocoa powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add chocolate, and stir until melted. Stir in vanilla. Use immediately, or keep warm in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Serve hot fudge over ice cream.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Split vanilla beans lengthwise with a sharp paring knife. Gently scrape out all the seeds.
• Place vanilla-bean scrapings and pods in a medium saucepan with milk. Scald the mixture, cover, and remove from heat. Let steep for 30 minutes.
• Combine egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat at medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. Alternatively, whisk together in a medium bowl.
• Return milk to stove, and bring just to a simmer. Using a measuring cup or ladle, slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot-milk mixture into the egg-yolk mixture, whisking constantly on low speed until blended. Keep adding milk mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, until it has all been added. Whisk until combined.
• Pour mixture back into saucepan, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. The custard should retain a line drawn across the back of the spoon with your finger.
• Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Remove pan from heat, and immediately stir in chilled cream to stop the custard from cooking. Pour through a mesh sieve into a medium bowl set in the ice bath, and stir occasionally until cooled. (Discard vanilla-bean pod and strained seeds.) Stir vanilla extract into cooled custard. Cover bowl, and transfer to refrigerator until chilled, at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Pour custard into an ice-cream maker, following the manufacturer's instructions. Churn until the ice cream is just set, but not hard.
• Transfer soft ice cream to an airtight plastic container; freeze at least 4 hours and up to 1 week.
• If you don't have an ice-cream maker, you can still make ice-cream. After you have made up your mixture, transfer it to a lidded plastic box (a shallow one enables the freezing to happen more quickly and also makes whisking easier as the beater can go down straight into the box) and put it in the coldest part of the freezer for two hours, or until the contents become firm at the edges. At this stage, empty out the box into a mixing bowl and whisk the ice cream with an electric hand whisk to break down the ice crystals. Return the box to the freezer and freeze for another two hours, then repeat the whisking process. Refreeze the ice-cream ( if making a sorbet that contains a generous quantity of alcohol, freeze overnight ) until 30-45 minutes before you want to serve it, at which time you should transfer it into the fridge to soften. Incidentally, it's a good idea to arm yourself with a digital kitchen timer to remind you to remove the ice cream and whip it at various stages.

VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH HOT FUDGE SAUCE AND RASPBERRIES

Steps:

• To make ice cream: Combine half-and-half and vanilla seeds (scraped from the vanilla beans) and pods in a saucepan over medium high heat cooking until milk scalds (10 minutes). Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Remove pods.
• Whisk yolks (or egg substitute) and sugar in a bowl.
• Reheat half-and-half.
• Whisk 2 cups of the half and half into egg/sugar mixture and return all to pan. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture thickens (3-5 minutes). DO NOT BOIL.
• Strain mixture into bowl. Cool one minute before stirring in raspberry juice.
• Cover and refrigerate ice cream until well chilled.
• Transfer to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions.
• Freeze in freezer overnight.
• To make hot fudge sauce: Melt chocolates (semisweet and unsweetened) with preserves and coffee powder in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally (5-10 minutes).
• Blend in 6 tablespoons cream and 1/4 cup raspberry juice and heat. (If necessary add more cream until desired consistency is reached. Sauce should be able to pour easily). Cool slightly before proceeding.
• Beat 1 cup cream with sugar and 1 tablespoon raspberry juice until soft peaks form.
• To serve: Spoon ice cream into individual glass bowls. Spoon sauce over. Top with raspberries, then whipped cream and sprinkle with almonds, if desired.

HOT FUDGE BROWNIE SOUFFLE WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°F.
• Butter a 1-quart soufflé dish and sprinkle with sugar.
• Melt butter with chocolate, stirring until smooth.
• Blend in ¼ cup of sugar, yolks, coffee mixture and vanilla; stir in flour (can be prepared several hours ahead and set aside at cool room temperature. Reheat before continuing.) Beat whites in large bowl until soft peaks form; gradually add remaining ½ cup sugar, beating, until whites are stiff but not dry.
• Fold ¼ of whites into chocolate mixture, then fold chocolate back into whites (be careful not to deflate - a few streaks of white may remain).
• Gently turn batter into prepared dish.
• Sprinkle lightly with sugar.
• Bake 5 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 400F and continue baking until puffed, about 20 minutes (center will remain moist).
• Serve immediately with sauce.
• (and remember - A SOUFFLE WAITS FOR NO ONE).
• Vanilla Ice Cream Sauce: Let ice cream soften 10 minutes; add rum and beat until smooth.

VANILLA ICE CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt ice-cream gently in a medium saucepan over low heat.
• Blend cornstarch and water together, and whisk into the melted ice cream, until mixture boils and thickens.
• Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, cool.
• Whisk in the liqueur and half the cream, then fold in the remaining cream.
• Can be re-warmed, gently, in the microwave.