Cantaloupe Ice Cream

Why didn't the melons get married?
Because they cantaloupe!

I recently acquired one and a half cantaloupes from a friend who was leaving town and wasn't able to finish them before they went bad.  Well, this friend should've guessed what I would do with said cantaloupes... make ice cream, of course!  I've had cantaloupe ice cream before and remember being surprised by how much I liked it.  Subtle, yet distinctive.  I was excited to try to make it myself.  Here's what I did:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ripe cantaloupes
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 eggs
• 3 limes
• 1 1/2 cups cane sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt 

Directions:




Cut up the cantaloupe into chunks.  Blend into a liquid in a blender.  Juice the limes (I like to do this over a mesh strainer to get out the pulp and seeds) and stir the lime juice into the cantaloupe.  Set the lime/cantaloupe juice aside.

Now it's time to make your ice cream base.  In a large pot, heat the cream and milk over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it is just about to boil.  Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.  Once the milk/cream mixture is heated, begin to add it to the egg mixture in 1/4 cup increments, stirring constantly until about 1 1/2 cups have been added.  Then, return everything to the pot and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes (the mixture should coat the back of a spoon).  Do not allow to boil.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.






Pour the ice cream base through a mesh strainer into a large bowl or container.  Stir in the cantaloupe/lime juice.  Strain the ice cream one more time through the mesh strainer to ensure that it is creamy and smooth.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Once the ice cream is cooled down in the refrigerator, run through the ice cream maker for about 20 minutes (this will take two batches).  Freeze for at least a few hours before eating.

Pineapple Rum Sorbet

So what if this is basically a frozen blended cocktail?  I'm really liking these sorbets.  So simple, so good.  I promise my next one will be an actual ice cream.

Ingredients: (again this is a double batch... so you can share some with your friends!)

• 2 whole pineapples
• 1/2 cup rum (I used Bacardi Gold)
• 2 cups sugar (I use cane sugar)
• 2 cups water

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, cook the water and sugar over medium heat until the sugar is disolved to make a simple syrup.  Meanwhile, cut up the pineapples into chunks, discarding the stalk, skin, and core.  Does pineapple cutting scare you?  Hey, this might be helpful: http://howtocutapineapple.com/.  Don't even think about not using fresh pineapple!
Blend the pineapple in a blender (you may need to do in batches) until smooth.  Add the simple syrup and rum to the blender and blend until all ingredients are mixed (again, you may have to do this in batches).  Pour liquid into a freezer-safe container and freeze overnight.  Once sorbet is frozen, scoop out chunks and re-blend in the blender until sorbet is smooth and a light yellow color.  Refreeze for at least a couple of hours before eating.

What should I make next?

I've been enjoying sorbets lately and I need your input on what I should make next.  Here are the two I can't decide between:

• Pineapple Vodka (with a hint of mint) sorbet
• Rasberry Jalepeno sorbet

What do you think I should make?

Rosemary Lemon Sorbet

Hot day = I want sorbet.
I thought to myself:  I had a rosemary lemonade years ago and it was delicious.  Why not make this into a sorbet?
Four ingredients.  Easy.

Ingredients (this is a double batch):

• 3 to 4 sprigs of rosemary
• 1 cup of fresh lemon juice (about 8-10 small lemons)
• 2 cups of sugar (I use cane sugar)
• 4 cups of water

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring the water, sugar, and rosemary to a boil.  Cover and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Meanwhile, juice the lemons.  I used a mesh strainer to pour the lemon juice into a bowl while filtering out the lemon seeds and pulp.  Then, pour the rosemary syrup mixture through the mesh strainer into the bowl of lemon juice and mix.  Place in freezer until solid (I froze overnight).  Once sorbet is solid, blend in blender to make slushy and refreeze.

Good job.  You made yummy sorbet! 

Coming Soon...

Rosemary Lemon Sorbet.

Mango Chili Ice Cream

I've enjoy the combination of sweet dried mango and chili powder, so I figured that those flavors would work well together in ice cream.  I've also been using lime juice in quite a few recipes to add a little sour to the mix.  I found a recipe online and tweaked it a little bit.

Ingredients: (This makes two batches of ice cream)

• 5 manila mangos
• 7 tablespoons lime juice (about 4 limes)
• 3 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups sugar (I use cane sugar)

Directions:

Cut and peel the mangos.  Cut up into pieces.  Juice the limes.  Blend mango, lime juice, chili powder, corn syrup, and salt in a blender until smooth.  Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat milk and heavy cream on medium heat until it's just about to boil.  In a medium size bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar.  Add hot milk/cream mixture to egg/sugar mixture in 1/4 cup increments, mixing well, until about 1 1/2 cups have been added.  Then, add egg/sugar/milk mixture to the rest of the milk in the saucepan and heat on medium for about 10-15 minutes so that the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon.  Make sure you stir frequently.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Add the ice cream base to the mango mixture and stir.  Place ice cream in refrigerator for at least a few hours.  Run ice cream through ice cream maker for about 20 minutes and freeze for at least a few hours before eating.

Cilantro Cashew Ice Cream

Well, my little poll showed that most of ya'all were interested in cilantro in ice cream.  I looked up some ideas for this and end up mixing a couple to make this cilantro cashew ice cream.

Ingredients: (makes two batches of ice cream)

2 cups cashews, soaked for a couple of hours in water
2 bunches of fresh cilantro
2 limes
2 cups sugar
6 egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
3.5 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Combine the milk and heavy cream in a saucepan until just about boiling.  Meanwhile, mix the cashews, cilantro, and sugar in a food processor.  In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and cilantro/cashew/sugar mix with a whisk.

Add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk/cream mixture to the bowl and mix.  Keep adding 1/2 cup amounts to the bowl and mix until about 2 cups have been added.  Then, combine everything in the saucepan and return to medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often.  Do not allow the mixture to boil.
After about 15 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool.  You may wish to strain through a wire mesh to remove any clumps.  Store ice cream in refrigerator for at least several hours.
Once ice cream has cooled, mix in the juice of the two limes.  Then, mix ice cream in ice cream maker for 20 minutes and place in freezer for a couple of hours before eating.