All Things Ice Cream Blog

If you’re like me, you’ve grown increasingly wary of the sugar substitutes in all these “diet” products. Why not try something natural?

Stevia: Stevia is a very sweet herb from South America that’s available in powder and liquid form at health-food stores. It’s said to be 250x sweeter than sugar so you only need a little bit.

Single Blossom Honey (red clover or orange blossom) or Agave Nectar: both are low-glycemic but high caloric & carbohydrate.

Whey Low® for Ice Cream : This healthful, patented blend of fruit sugar, table sugar, and milk sugar offers an amazing 70 to 80% lower glycemic index, 75% lower caloric value, and 75% lower effective carbohydrate (or net impact carbohydrate) count than sugar when incorporated into sweet dairy products like ice cream.

Natural sugar substitutes should be used in moderation, just like you would regular sugar.

Here’s a great recipe for chocolate ice cream using agave nectar:

From David Lebovitz’s Living the Sweet Life in Paris

CHOCOLATE AGAVE ICE CREAM

10 tablespoons (155 ml) agave nectar
2 ounces (55 g) unsweetened chocolate, very finely chopped
1/3 cup (35 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups (750 ml) half-and-half, divided
5 large egg yolks
pinch of salt

1. In a small saucepan, warm the agave syrup with the unsweetened chocolate over the lowest heat possible, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and transfer mixtures to a large bowl. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, add 1½ cups (375 ml) of the half-and-half and whisk in the cocoa powder. Cook over moderate heat until the mixture begins to bubble, then simmer for 30 seconds, whisking frequently, making sure to break up any clumps of cocoa powder.

3. Remove from heat and scrape the mixture into the bowl with the chocolate-agave mixture. Stir them together, then set a mesh strainer over the top.

4. Add the remaining half-and-half to the saucepan with a pinch of salt, turn on the heat, and when warm, slowly pour the warm half-and-half into the yolks whisking constantly, then pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

5. Cook, stirring constantly over moderate heat, until the mixture becomes steamy and thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read about 170-175F degrees. (76-79C).

6. Pour the mixture through the strainer into the chocolate mixture.

7. Stir, then let cool a few minutes until tepid. Once it’s not super hot, whiz the mixture in a blender for ten seconds until it’s smooth and velvety. (Never blend very hot liquids in a blender, since it creates a hot vortex and can cause the liquid to blast out of the top.)

8. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes 1 quart so it’s PERFECT for your PLAY & FREEZE!

In keeping up with the uncommon ice cream flavors today, here’s a great recipe for Grilled Potato Ice Cream from H. Alexander Talbot of the Ideas in Food Blog:

500g raw russet potatoes, cut into quarters lengthwise
530g skim milk
80g agave nectar
4g salt
370g whole milk yogurt

Cook the potato quarters on the grill until they are charred on all sides. Once the potatoes are grilled, cut them into chunks and put them in a pot with the skim milk, salt and the agave nectar. When the potatoes are falling apart, turn off the heat and fold in the yogurt. Use a food mill to coarsely pulverize the base mixture. Chill the mixture. We use a pacojet to make ice cream, a device which thinly shaves the frozen mixture into creamy ice cream. In lieu of the pacojet, I would recommend quickly pulsing the ice cream mixture in a blender to smooth the mixture. This process must be done quickly so as not to overwork the gluten in the potatoes. At this point, freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker.

Speaking of Russet Potatoes, Cape Cod Potato Chips uses russet potatoes to make their chips and personally, I’ve got to say they are DELICIOUS and they have very little saturated fat! The naturally forming sugars in the russet potatoes give them a robust potato flavor so I can only imagine what the russet potato ice cream tastes like!

Last night my friends and I went to dinner at a wonderful little Vietnamese restaurant in Portland, ME called Thanh Thanh 2.  We’ve been there several times and are never disappointed.  While they don’t have a dessert menu like the Thai restaurant across the street, they do have a nice assortment of shakes.  I think I’ve tried all of them on the list… even the dreaded durian shake.

My shake choice last night was Red Bean and Coconut.  Simply delicious!  I’ve tried red bean popsicles before from the asian food market across the street (yes, this street is very well cultured!) and it wasn’t bad.  The shake, however, was 10x better.   This had me thinking I’d like to make some red bean and coconut ice cream myself.

I’m a fan of no egg ice creams, so when I came across this red bean and coconut ice cream recipe, I was delighted.

1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup cream
3 cups coconut cream or thick coconut milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 to 2 cups red bean paste
In a med bowl, whisk sugar, milk and cream til sugar is dissolved. Stir in coconut cream and vanilla.  Put in ice cream maker…. enjoy!

Recipe adapted from the Cuisinart recipe book by East Meets West

This recipe makes about 2 quarts, so you’ll want to cut it in half if you’re going to use your MEGA Play & Freeze Ice Cream Ball to make it.

Oh, and I’d just like to add that perhaps it’s just my wacky taste buds, but last night’s red bean shake had a similar taste to chocolate.  My friend, who also had a red bean shake that night, kinda agreed, but not really.  Then I found a blog about the KitKat Azuki.  Yes, a KitKat candy bar made with red beans! I guess my “red beans taste like chocolate” idea wasn’t that uncommon as the Japanese have paired it with lots of chocolate.

Ok, so we’re a day late for Easter eggs, but here’s a cool idea to do anytime: Ice Cream Eggs.

Kieran at IceCreamIreland.com has done it again.  Ice Cream Eggs are a great way to be creative with your ice cream.  Simply fill up an egg mold with the ice cream and let it freeze.  After it’s set, pour chocolate over them or even dunk them in the chocolate.  After dunking you may want to put them in the freezer again so the chocolate can harden back up.

These days everything is becoming “instant”. Instant pudding, instant rice…. and now instant ice cream. While it is exciting and fun to make your own ice cream at home, there are those who just don’t have the patience.

This is where MooBella steps in with their Ice Cream Vending Machine. What an awesome idea! It flash freezes whatever combination you want and even allows mix-ins.

A while ago I blogged about Lobster Ice Cream in Bar Harbor, Maine. While lobster and ice cream are enjoyed by many, combining the two doesn’t seem to go over well for most people.

I’ve Got A Better Idea for Getting Lobster into Your Ice Cream!

A Chocolate Lobster is the Best Add In for Your Homemade Ice Cream! A Chocolate Lobster has the Tastiest Claws Around!

This Chocolate Lobster is made of Milk Chocolate that is Handcrafted by the people at Haven’s Candies. Haven’s is a Maine-owned and operated Premium Handcrafted Candy Shop that’s been making Delicious Gourmet Candy since 1915!

Be Sure To Check Out My Lobster Ice Cream Kit! You’ll Be the Center of Attention When You Tell People You’re Making LOBSTER ICE CREAM!

Don’t see a combo you like? Don’t fret! Let us know and we’ll help make a custom kit for you!

I found this cute tutorial on YouTube on how to make fried ice cream.

Celebrate this St Patty’s Day by making your own ice cream! Check out the Minty Fresh St Patty’s Day Ice Cream Making Kit on our ice cream site.

You get a GREEN ice cream maker, premium hot fudge, hostess mints, and storage containers. The hot fudge and mints are from Haven’s Candies — a Maine gourmet candy company that has been handcrafting candies since 1915!

Recently in Boston, a local tavern had a bacon eating contest. Yes, I know what you’re thinking — I’m thinking it, too — That’s a lot of cholesterol!

“For the event, chef Mark Des Lauriers concocted three special menu items: bacon-infused vodka for BLT Bloody Marys, garnished with lettuce and a cherry tomato; bacon-flavored shots of bourbon; and a labor-intensive bacon-and-egg ice cream.”

Yes… you read that correctly. Bacon and egg ice cream! This recipe was borrowed from British Chef Heston Blumenthal. Not all the people who tasted it liked it, but there were a few who did. Here’s a video of the chef telling you how to make it….

St Patrick’s Day is just around the corner.  Here’s a great twist on a popular Irish drink:

Bailey’s Sundae Coffee Drink (serves 6)

12 cups brewed coffee

1 pint French vanilla ice cream (homemade is best!)

12 fluid ounces Irish cream liqueur

Brew 12 cups of coffee. While the coffee is brewing, fill each cup with a scoop of ice cream. Be sure to use large cups (the oversize types you get at coffee houses are best).

Top each scoop of ice cream with just enough Irish cream so that the ice cream looks lightly coated.

When the coffee is brewed, pour it so that each cup is filled up about halfway. It is then up to each individual to add more Irish cream, half-and-half or sugar to taste.

– Recipe submitted by KAF5978 on Allrecipes.com

This is an excellent twist on the idea of the ice cream float because you don’t have to worry about the ice cream melting — you want it to melt!

Check out our GREEN Ice Cream Balls for a festive way to make ice cream this St Patty’s Day!