PEAR ICE CREAM

For my birthday last year, my dear friends Annie and Heather got me an ice cream maker and this was this first ice cream I made with it.  It's very subtle and has an interesting texture, although I found it to taste best right after it's been freshly churned.  It seems that once it's been frozen, the it gets quite hard and tastes a little crystalized.  Perhaps it's due to the water content in the fruit.  Or maybe it's just my freezer.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
half a cinnamon stick
3 Bartlett or Anjou pears, peeled and cored
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon brandy (optional)

METHOD
Combine milk, cream, and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat until small bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook pears with 1/2 cup of water for 45 minutes, or until they make a thick sauce. Let cool a bit, then puree in a food processor or blender.

Beat together egg yolks and sugar in a small bowl. Bring milk mixture back to a simmer, and whisk about 1 cup hot milk into egg mixture. Return to pan, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until thick enough to coat the spoon, about 5 minutes.

Stir purée into ice-cream base. Chill for sever hours or up to two days, then stir in brandy, if desired. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Store in an airtight plastic container up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 4 cups.

Comments

[Anon]

It's def the fruit that's hardening your IC. While I love to use fresh fruits, they always wind up this way. The last one I made, black raspberry, was rock hard within 3 days!

[Grant]

That is great to know. I love fruit ice creams, but it's a little disappointing that they seem to freeze so hard. Perhaps next time I'll try making an ice cream with spices instead. I found a recipe for ice cream with honey and lavendar that sounds really interesting.