More Delicious Ice Cream

This recipe again came from having too much of something - in this case sour cream.  In trying to keep my food budget as manageable as possible,  I try as hard as possible to stay on top of the contents of my refrigerator and not let things go bad.  So what do you do when you have a full pint of sour cream that's going to expire in a week?

Probably make a chocolate cake.

The number one rule of ice cream, according to Alton Brown, is to only use the best, freshest ingredients.  I can't find that on the interwebs anywhere, but I'm confident I heard him say it one time.  The theory is, if I remember correctly, that the ice cream is just going to intensify the flavor of whatever you have, so it is not the time to use less than fresh eggs or heavy cream.  Also you don't really cook the custard that much when you make it, so if there were something funky going on, you wouldn't really be giving it the opportunity to cook out.

But sour cream...?  I've always wondered what to say is wrong with my old sour cream.  Is it too sour?  I mean, sour cream is just cream that has gone bad, right?  (I Googled a recipe for sour cream and came up with this.  Basically, you just mix some heavy cream with a little bit of sour cream or buttermilk and let it sit out for 24 hours.  Gross, but pretty much what I figured.)  Shouldn't old sour cream just be "sharp"?  Sour cream, cheddar, same difference right?

Anyway, this sour cream was not bad.  It was totally unopened, foil top still in place.  It smelt and tasted fine.  So I used it.  And the ice cream turned out fine.

Great, actually.  I was really surprised.  I kind of expected the ice cream to be thicker or creamier, but it was basically a normal ice cream.

Except it tasted like cream cheese frosting.

No idea why.  I didn't put any cream cheese in it - although now I'm thinking I could and that would be really good too...  But I love cream cheese frosting, so this was an awesome discovery for me.  This is a very easy ice cream recipe:

Sour Cream Ice Cream

• 2 cups half-and-half (L)
• 1 cup honey (L)
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 8 large egg yolks (L)
• 2 cups (1 pint) sour cream (L)

Fill a large bowl half full with an ice bath.  Place a smaller, non-reactive, heat proof bowl into the first bowl, and set a fine mesh strainer on top.  You will want to have this ready at the end of these directions, and you will be busy up until that point, so just do it right away.

In a saucepan, combine half and half, 3/4 cup honey, and vanilla bean.  Heat over medium low heat until bubbles just start to form around the sides of the pan.  Remove the vanilla bean, and scrape the seeds into the half and half.  Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup honey.  Whisk about 1/4 of the warm milk into the eggs then add this mixture into the pan with the rest of the warm milk, whisking constantly.  Return to the heat and cook over moderately low heat until the custard coats the back of a spoon, again stirring constantly and making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan.

Remove from heat and pour through the strainer into the non-reactive, heat proof bowl, resting in the ice bath.  Add the sour cream, and stir continuously until cooled.  Then, place plastic wrap directly on the top of the custard, and put into the refrigerator.  Chill at least several hours, preferably overnight, before freezing in your ice cream machine according to the machine's directions.

I made served this in two different ways.  The first was with a sour cream and rhubarb upside down cake.

Frankly, this cake pissed me off.  I made it because it used rhubarb and sour cream, which I seem to have a ton of.  And I found the same recipe in several places on the internet.  I'm pretty sure no one actually made the recipe before posting it, though, because it took TWICE AS LONG to cook than what the recipe said.  I don't have time for that.  My husband and I eat late as it is is, I don't have time to wait for cake to cool when it hasn't even come out of the oven by the time we're done with dinner!

And, as you can see from the picture, we didn't wait.  The cake was still hot, it fell apart when I tried to cut it, and it melted the heck out of my ice cream.

And it didn't even taste that great.  I am not going to post a recipe here.   I will come up with my own recipe for upside down rhubarb cake, and, once I have mastered it, I will share it with you and it will be awesome.

The second way I served the ice cream was with peaches.  I actually had intended to grill the peaches, but then it started to pour so I cooked them in a pan instead.  It actually worked out better, because I used maple syrup, and when the maple syrup poured over the ice cream it hardened and turned into delicious sticky candy.  I will be making that again and eating the crap out of it as soon as I get my braces off!

Maple Syrup Peaches

Serves 2 or 3

• 1/4 cup maple syrup - do NOT use the fake stuff.  Seriously.  Just make a different recipe (L)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp minced candied ginger

• 3 peaches

Combine all ingredients except peaches in a small glass baking dish.  Cut peaches in half and remove the pit.  Place cut side down into pan, and refrigerate for an hour (or longer.  We just let them sit while we were eating dinner.)

Remove peaches from the pan, and pour syrup and all spices into a small frying pan, over medium low heat, and heat gently until bubbles just start to form, stirring with a rubber spatula.  Add the peaches, cut side down.  Cook, spooning the hot syrup over the tops of the peaches until the peaches are soft and warm throughout. 

Scoop two bowls of sour cream ice cream, place three peach halves on top of ice cream in each bowl, and pour remaining syrup over the top.  

Enjoy!