Sometime in April, I excitedly made plans and jotted down flavor combinations. I eagerly waited for the weather to warm up so I could start whisking, mixing and churning....
Umm.. yeah.. best laid plans. Summer happened, churning not so much :)
Labor day came and went and those eaves of notes fluttered forlornly in the cooler breeze amidst the falling leaves. Then the
sun suddenly broke through
. I found some ripe plums that hadn't been eaten or baked into something. I decided it was time.. a little late but better than never, right?!
The plums were roasted in their own juice and a touch of ground cardamom that adds a wonderful earthy note. I added no sugar as fruits have enough sugar within them and the roasting process brings it out more and caramelizes the simple sugars into a sweeter note.
Tip:
I use cardamom to enhance the perception of sweetness of a dish. It allows me to cut down the sugar
Once that was done, it was just a few hours work of making the custard and hand churning it into a luscious, thick and entirely indulgent ice cream. A good old pint jar of it. Stored and consumed with joy! Every time I lick a spoonful of clean, I cannot help my face breaking into the
gleeful grin of little girl
... Yeah, you can picture me being silly. Go ahead! That's really where I am. Silly, happy and thrilled about the cold cream melting in my mouth and cooling me from inside.
So, if you made plans and haven't done them yet, it is ok...
There is still time :)
Cardamom Roasted Plum Frozen Custard (Ice Cream)
3 ripe plums, halved
3 cardamom pods, seeds crushed
For the custard:
1 pint half & half
3 egg yolks, room temperature
1/3 cup + 1 T powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350F. Place the plums in a roasting pan cut side up and sprinkle cardamom over. Bake for about 30 minutes till tender and the juices release. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and yolks until pale and fluffy. Warm the milk to just under scalding. Gently stream the milk into the yolks while continually whisking to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Return the mixture back into clean bowl and place on very low heat. Continue whisking and heating the mixture until it thickens into custard. To test, dip a wooden spatula into it and draw a line back. If the line stays and does not run through, the custard is ready.
Place a cling wrap directly on the surface of the custard to prevent forming a skin and cool to room temperature. When the plums and custard have cooled down, whiz them together. Cover and place in freezer for an hour. After an hour when the sides have started firming up and the center is still fluid, whip the mixture using a hand mixer to add air into it and build volume. Repeat process twice more after every hour or so. In the end, you will have whipped in about twice the volume of custard.
Freeze for atleast 4 hours to set. Well, then enjoy!
Homemade ice cream lasts a week at the most. The sooner you consume, the better!