Another hot Fourth of July means lots of ice cream at parades, picnics and backyard barbecues. But being patriotic doesn’t mean settling for a scoop of plain vanilla topped with red and blue sprinkles.
Right now, the ice cream world is something more like an explosion of flavor fireworks displayed in bold combos like bacon brittle, sweet corn, salty caramel and bourbon chocolate.
In Atlanta, chef Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill recently teamed with Morelli’s Gourmet Ice Cream to open a new store in the Edgewood Shopping District, where he’ll be dreaming up cutting edge ice cream recipes, as well as a culinary sundae menu.
The super smooth ice cream base Morelli’s husband and wife owners, Donald Sargent and Clarissa Morelli, developed is a closely guarded trade secret. But we asked Gillespie if he would give us something home cooks could do in their kitchens.
His answer was caramelized peach ice cream — a homey delight that’s made with an egg custard base and peach butter recipe that will appear in the cookbook he’s finishing, “Fire in My Belly: The Passions of an Ingredient-Driven Chef” (Andrews McMeel Publishing, Fall 2012).
“The peach butter was something we already had in the book,” Gillespie said. “I like to serve it with hot biscuits or on pancakes. But it’s sweet enough that it won’t freeze solid so I decided to blend it into an ice cream base. What surprised me is that it held up in the freezer for several days without icing up.”
More than that, Gillespie unleashed his imagination on a couple of sundaes that serve as reminders of the mix of Southern charm and creative energy that made him a Top Chef fan favorite.
The first is a riff on peach Melba, called “The Classic Combo,” topped with juicy fresh raspberries, basil, almond butter and crushed Italian amaretti cookies.
“They’re one of my favorite cookies because they have such a strong almond flavor,” Gillespie said. “And they’re so light and crunchy, which adds a really great texture.”
The second, called “Southern Sensation,” is “kind of indulgent and ridiculous,” he admitted, because it combines bourbon, mint and cinnamon toast.
“The idea in my head was to make something like a mint julep,” Gillespie said. “So it’s whiskey and mint — and peach plays really well with those flavors. I love cinnamon toast. I loved it as a kid and I still love it as a grownup. I have vowed to see how much cinnamon and sugar I can put on one piece of toast.”
Some may find it a tad strange that a serious chef would find so much pleasure in playing around with ice cream. But Gillespie doesn’t see Morelli’s and Woodfire Grill as all that different.
“We make all of the ice cream we serve at Woodfire,” Gillespie said. “We’ve done that at almost every restaurant I’ve ever worked at. I love ice cream. I’m obsessed with it.
“At the new Morelli’s, I wanted to approach sundaes the way we approach composing dishes in a traditional restaurant setting. You think about every component — the protein, the starch, the vegetable, the sauce, the garnish. Why wouldn’t that same mentality apply to making an ice cream sundae?”
> Morelli’s Gourmet Ice Cream, 1220 Caroline Street, Atlanta, 404-584-2500, morellisicecream.com
Recipes
Woodfire Grill chef Kevin Gillespie unleashes his imagination in recipes for peach ice cream and two super creative sundaes.
Caramelized Peach Ice Cream
Hands on: 60 minutes Total time: 3 hours, including 2 hours for freezing
Makes: 1 quart
This update of an old-fashioned custard ice cream base can be used with a variety of flavor combinations. We tested it with plain vanilla and it came out really well. For Gillespie’s caramel peach ice cream, incorporate his peach butter recipe.
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
pinch fine grind sea salt
4 large egg yolks
1 cup peach butter (recipe follows)
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, scald milk and cream over medium heat. (to scald, heat to just below the boiling point, a small ring of bubbles will form around the edge of the pan). While the milk mixture is heating, in a large bowl, vigorously whisk the yolks, sugar and salt until thick and butter colored. When properly whisked, the mixture will start "binding up/gathering together and pulling away from the bowl; kind of making a mass.
Remove the milk mixture from the heat. Stir 1/3 cup of the mixture into the yolks. This will temper the yolks and help prevent the mixture from curdling/scrambling. Slowly whisk the warmed yolks into the hot milk and “rinse: the bowl with some of the milk mixture to ensure you get all the yolks and return all to the sauce pan. Return to low heat and gently, but constantly, stir with a rubber spatula (using a rubber spatula, you can feel the bottom of the pan and get into the corners to make sure nothing scorches/sticks). Cook just until the mixture starts to thicken and the eggs are cooked, it will have a delicious custard flavor. Strain the custard through a chinois or other very fine mesh strainer. Chill until ready to make your ice cream.
Note: The custard can be made and chilled ahead of time, up to three days in advance. If you're making it and using it immediately, pour the cooked custard into a large metal bowl that is set in an ice water bath and gently stir until cool (the metal bowl will help to chill the mixture quickly).
To make ice cream: Stir chilled peach butter and almond extract into the chilled custard. Freeze in an electric ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Pay close attention to the ice cream after about 15 minutes, it’s very common to over-churn and “butter-up” the ice cream. It will literally start churning into butter. For a standard home model electric “pre-freeze canister” machine, it took only 18 minutes for the ice cream to freeze to a thick, rich, smooth and velvety soft texture. Remove and pack ice cream into a freezer safe covered container until firm, about 2 hours. This is best churned, packed and eaten the same day.
Per 1/2-cup serving: 227 calories (percent of calories from fat, 55), 3 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 14 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 149 milligrams cholesterol, 47 milligrams sodium
Peach Butter
Hands on: 1 1/2 hours Total time: 2 1/2 hours, including 1 hour for chilling
Makes 4 cups
This is great spread on hot biscuits, served with pancakes or, used as an ingredient in sauces and other dishes such as peach ice cream.
3 cups peaches, cut into 1/2 -- inch wedges (leave the peel on)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground allspice
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Place peaches, sugar, cinnamon, clove, allspice and nutmeg in a Dutch oven, stir, cover and simmer over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Stir, reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until soft, another 25 minutes. Remove cover, increase heat to medium and simmer another 20 minutes until peaches are falling apart and a bit mushy. Stir in almond extract (this will enhance the peach flavor), spread mixture on a sheet pan and refrigerate until cold. Once the mixture is chilled, remove to a deep bowl and puree with a stick blender until smooth.
Heat a 12″ skillet over high heat until it's REALLY hot, pour the peach puree into the hot pan and shake/agitate the pan while stirring constantly (we call this the washing machine method!) You’ll smell the sugar starting to caramelize. After 1 minute, remove the pan from the heat and continue stirring for another minute. The mixture will be a shade darker and smell fabulous; peaches, caramel, yum. Your pan needs to be really, really hot when you start, this instantly caramelizes the sugar and takes about an hour off the traditional cooking method for peach butter. More importantly, this method of agitating and stirring evenly cooks the mixture throughout. Chill until ready to use.
Per 2-tablespoon serving: 34 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.
From Fire in My Belly: The Passions of an Ingredient-Driven Chef by Kevin Gillespie (Andrews McMeel Publishing, Fall 2012)
The Classic Combo
Hands on: 15 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes
Makes: 1 sundae
This clever take on peach Melba adds the flavors of fresh basil crushed amaretti cookies.
3 scoops of ice cream
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 basil leaf
2 tablespoons almond butter, warmed in a hot water bath until pourable
3 amaretti cookies, crushed coarsely
In a small mixing bowl, combine raspberries with sugar and basil leaf. Crush the berries lightly with a fork and allow the sugar to soften the mixture and the flavors to infuse for 5 minutes.
To serve: Place the three scoops of ice cream in a sundae dish. Drizzle the almond butter over the ice cream. Spoon raspberry mixture over the top and garnish with the crushed cookies.
Per serving: 774 calories (percent of calories from fat, 49), 14 grams protein, 90 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 43 grams fat (15 grams saturated), 87 milligrams cholesterol, 174 milligrams sodium.
Southern Sensation
Hands on: 20 minutes Total time: 20 minutes
Makes: 1 sundae
This wild style cocktail of a sundae combines bourbon, mint and cinnamon toast.
3 scoops of ice cream
1/2 cup diced fresh peaches
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon whisky
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 slice of white sandwich bread, crusts removed
1 tablespoon room temperature butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2-3 torn mint leaves
Combine the peaches with the dark brown sugar, salt and bourbon and allow to sit for 15 minutes. While the peaches are marinating, brush the bread with butter to completely cover. Combine cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle evenly over the buttered bread. Toast in a preheated 400 degree oven until the sugar melts and the bread is lightly toasted on the bottom, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove the toast from the oven and allow to cool until just warm. Cut the bread into 4 pieces and reserve.
To serve: Place the ice cream in a sundae dish. Using a slotted spoon, top the ice cream with the marinated peaches. Garnish the sundae with the pieces of cinnamon toast and torn mint leaves.
Per serving: 718 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 10 grams protein, 94 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 34 grams fat (21 grams saturated), 118 milligrams cholesterol, 655 milligrams sodium
BOOK EVENT
The science of ice cream is a tricky business. But a new book, “Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home” by Jeni Britton Bauer (Artisan Books, $23.95), is all about a better ice cream recipe for home kitchens.
Bauer, who owns Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Shops in Ohio, developed the recipes in the book using a standard 1 1/2 quart Cuisinart Ice-20 canister ice cream machine. And her base recipe calls for two rather unexpected ingredients: corn starch and cream cheese.
If you want to learn more, there’s a Meet-the-Maker event at Star Provisions, where Bauer will show how she makes her Ugandan Vanilla Bean ice cream, share tastings of her most popular ice cream flavors and sign copies of the book.
Free. 4 -- 6 p.m. July 26, Star Provisions, 1198 Howell Mill Road N.W., Atlanta, 404-365-0410, www.starprovisions.com
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