(#92) SWEET NUT CHERRY VANILLA: And One For My Dad...

I asked my Dad what flavor I could dedicate to him. He came up with Sweet Nut Cherry Vanilla. Toasted walnuts cooked in maple syrup and cherries in a rich vanilla bean base (look at the specks--they're like stars!) Very fitting for my Dad who is a sweet nut! 

Scoopsies' Sweet Nut Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream is made with: vanilla beans, whole milk, heavy cream, cherries, walnuts (toasted), maple syrup, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. 

(#79) VANILLA BEAN: Sweet Pods

The word "moist" usually makes me really uncomfortable.  But let me just say that there is nothing like a moist (cringe!) vanilla bean.  I used to not have the patience to make Vanilla Bean ice cream; cutting up the bean and making sure to get each bit of vanilla was so tedious.  But I have come to love this and now find it therapeutic.  I love taking my time with each vanilla bean, appreciating it in every way. Feeling how soft and moist (cringe!) it feels, admiring its layers and its sweet, delicate aroma. There is nothing like breathing in a bundle of vanilla beans. These pods are surely a gift from the universe. 

It's about time I made a Vanilla Bean flavor. I've experimented with the flavor for awhile and have finally found a recipe that is perfectly rich and creamy. 

Some tips for using vanilla beans:

1. Don't be stingy.  I use two and a half beans per quart of ice cream. Don't use a small amount of vanilla bean and try to compensate with vanilla extract.

2. Every bit is precious. When I get some on my fingers, I dip my fingers in the heated batter so the vanilla isn't wasted. I would also put the emptied pods in the batter, so any left over seeds come out. You can take the pods out after the mixture is done heating and scrape them again. They will be softer and the seeds will come out easily. Just be sure to put them back in the batter before you put it in the fridge to ripen. 

3. Bulk is the best. If you'll be using a lot of vanilla beans, buy them in bulk! They're so overpriced at the market (the cheapest I've seen is $2/bean).  I've recently started buying them in bundles of 30 from an online vendor--they're the same quality and more than half the price.  Be sure to buy Grade A beans, as they are moister (cringe!) than Grade B. 

Scoopsies' Vanilla Bean Ice Cream is made with: vanilla beans, whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract.

(#41) DRAGON FRUIT: Cooking With Cacti

Dragon fruit is the first in our series of asian-inspired flavors.  We took a trip to Chinatown to pick up some fresh fruit and spices and came up with five of our best flavors yet! 

You might not guess dragon fruit would make a good ice cream flavor, but we were pleasantly surprised with the subtly sweet outcome.  

We used pink and red dragon fruits (or "pitahayas") in our recipe.

Each fruit was only $1 each -- a STEAL (compared to $6/each at Whole Foods!) Thanks, Chinatown!

Scoopsies' Dragon Fruit Ice Cream

yields about 1.5 quarts

3 cups dragon fruit 
2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup whole milk
3 large egg yolks
2 large whole eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp guar powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

(#38) COOKIE DOUGH: Childhood Favorite

Cookie dough ice cream is probably the most popular "modern" but classic ice cream flavor. During the early 90's Ben & Jerry's started mass producing this flavor, obviously making it every child's number one choice. I remember being excited to see it at the local Friendly's restaurant and then being even more excited when every shop in town started carrying this flavor. I try to use my "grown-up taste buds" but I can never outgrow cookie dough ice cream!

Scoopsies' Cookie Dough Ice Cream

yields about 1.5 quarts

cookie dough:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/8 cup chocolate chopped very fine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

vanilla base:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon guar powder

1/2 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

(#33) MALTED VANILLA: Like A Frappe

Herrell's ice cream.

Probably the best ice cream I ever had growing up.

Steve Herrell is the pioneer of super premium ice cream with his original flavors and extremely popular malted vanilla. (Also the first ice cream shop to use mix-ins!) We love this flavor because it has the flavor of a malted vanilla frappe but you get to eat it by the spoonful! Just throw on a cone and enjoy.

Malted Vanilla

(yields about 1 quart)

1/2 cup malted milk powder

1/8 teaspoon powdered guar

2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt

Adapted from Ellen Brown's "Scoop"

(#8) CUCUMBER ROSE: Floral & Ethereal

If you're in the mood for something delicate and delightful, cucumber rose is your flavor.  Fresh, floral, light, and pretty, too.  

Scoopsies' Cucumber Rose

3 full ORGANIC rose heads - divided

2 English cucumbers, pureed

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup whole milk

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

3 teaspoons rose water

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/8 tsp guar gum

1. Wash, peel and de-seed cucumber and chop into pieces. Pull off base of two roses leaving only the petals. Thoroughly wash petals and pat dry.

2.  Combine the cream, milk, milk powder, and salt in a medium sized saucepan, and stir well to dissolve.  Add cumber pieces, 2/3rds of the rose petals and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover, remove from heat, and let steep for one hour.

3.  Warm the cream mixture over medium-low heat. Beat egg yolks with sugar, rose water and vanilla extract until thick and light yellow in color. Slowly beat about one third of the warm cream mixture into the eggs so they gradually warm up, and then add the egg mixture to saucepan stirring constantly. Continue stirring, reaching all parts of the bottom of the pan, until the mixture reaches 170°F on an instant-read thermometer or when the mixture begins to emit steam, thicken slightly and coat the back of the spoon. (You can run your finger along the spoon and it a clear line is drawn then it’s ready). This should take 3-6 minutes – be careful it doesn’t boil because you don’t want your eggs to scramble!

4. Pour the mixture into a hot liquid storage container and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate the mixture (no lid) until it is completely chilled.

5.  Right before churning your ice cream wash and pat dry the remaining petals. Break petals into small pieces.

6. Strain the mixture to remove the original cucumber and rose petals. Then freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. After churning transfer to an airtight storage container, layer with petals and freeze until hard- typically 4 hours or more.