chestnut ice cream

Simple and satisfying, chestnut ice cream is my contribution to my summer ice cream event!

I am growing increasingly fond of chestnut as a flavour. A versatile nut, chestnut can be eaten candied, boiled or roasted. Another important use of chestnut is ground as flour, which can then be used to prepare bread, cakes and pasta. My favourite chestnut recipes include roasted chestnuts, marrons glacés and chestnut cake.

The ice cream I describe here tastes of pure chestnut. The recipe calls for less sugar because the chestnut spread used as an ingredient is very sweet. Chestnut puree can be used instead; however, the quantity of sugar will then need to be increased. I decided to use chestnut spread partly because it contains glucose, and glucose helps create a smoother (less icy) ice cream that tends to last longer. Sweetened chestnut spread can often be found in ethnic or specialty food stores.


Chestnut ice cream

1 cup 35% cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
5 egg yolks

1 - (225g) can of sweetened chestnut spread

1. Place cream and whole milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
2. In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of sugar with the egg yolks until well mixed. Temper the egg yolk mixture with 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture.
3. Once tempered, add the rest of the egg mixture into the cream mixture. At this point you can add the sweetened chestnut spread and mix until combined. Bring the mixture up to 85ºC or until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and cool. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator over night or until completely cool, at least four hours.
5. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Technorati Tags: Chestnut, Ice cream, Summer ice cream event