Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Mascarpone Ice Cream with Strawberry Balsamic Compote

How is it already July?

I somehow ended up with a pound of mascarpone in my refrigerator, and was trying to think of ways to eat it. Pasta? No. Some kind of topping for bruschetta? No. Ice cream? Well, we are in the peak of summer, so, ice cream it is!
Last year, I had made a ricotta ice cream, and it didn't churn very well because the kitchen was very hot given all the cooking and baking we were doing. So this year, I made sure to churn my ice cream well after I turned the stoves off.

The recipe below uses only 1 cup of mascarpone, it is unclear what I did with the other half of this.


The reason this looks melty is because I didn't let the ice cream "bloom" after churning. That means I should have put it into a container and stuck it in the freezer for a few hours before serving. But, we all know how impatient I can get. Next time!


Mascarpone Ice Cream with Strawberry Balsamic Compote

Makes 1 Quart plus about 1 cup of strawberry balsamic topping

Ingredients

Mascarpone Ice Cream
  • 1 cup mascarpone 
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
Strawberry Balsamic Compote
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
  • 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
  • 1/8 tsp. lemon zest

For the Ice Cream: 

In a medium size bowl, add three egg yolks and the sugar, and set aside. 

In a saucepan, heat the whole milk and mascarpone until it starts to get some light bubbles on the side but NOT to boiling.  Once this is heated, gradually pour this into the egg yolk/sugar mixture, while stirring with a whisk. Once everything is blended, add the vanilla extract. 

Pour everything back into the original saucepan and heat over medium heat. This last step in the process is what cooks the egg yolks, but over cook it and you could end up with scrambled eggs. Let this heat until the mixture coats the back of your spatula. Once the mixture has come to room temperature, chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Once the mixture has chilled in the fridge, pour it into the frozen ice cream canister and churn for 30-40 minutes. It would be ideal to let it "bloom" in the freezer for a few hours after you have churned it, but, if you are like me, you probably can't wait that long!

For the Strawberry Balsamic Compote 

In a medium sized sauce pan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium heat. Then, reduce heat to low and simmer until it has reduced to 1/4 of its original volume, this should take 5-10 minutes.

Stir in the remainder of the ingredients, and increase heat back to medium, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat back to low and simmer. Using the back of your spatula, squash the strawberries and continue to simmer for another 5-10 minutes, until the mixture becomes thick. Let it cool slightly before topping your ice cream! 

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