Friday, October 16, 2009

Oatmeal Ice Cream


This is probably one of the easiest and best ice creams you’ll ever make. Returning to one of my favorite ingredients, this is chock full of the simple and beautiful flavor of oatmeal and it is fantastic. It starts with a creamy milk and oatmeal brown sugar cinnamon base with a healthy pinch of salt into which eggs yolks are stirred and cream is added. The brown sugar builds a lovely caramel flavor, there’s just enough salt to perk it up, the cinnamon doesn’t overwhelm and the oatmeal lends a wonderful chewiness that is just perfect. A little splash of rum expands the earthiness but the final product does not taste of alcohol. If you can imagine all these warm and fabulous flavors harmonizing together in splendid bliss, I think you know what I’m talking about. Well, that is if you love oatmeal as much as I do.

I think this ice cream tastes really fabulous on its own. I know it’s going to be hard to resist the temptation to add various things to it. I’ve dressed it here with a very light drizzle of Saba, which is delicious and takes the simple homey quality of this ice cream into the realm of total elegance. But honestly, this ice cream is really great all by itself. Once this comes out of your freezer, you’ll be so busy tasting it that it will be gone by the time you think you might want to garnish it. Full speed ahead!



Bench notes:
- Be sure you use old fashioned rolled oats, not the instant variety.
- Be generous with the salt as this is what gives it its full flavor and balance.
- Chill this ice cream base overnight to give all the flavors a good chance at a happy marriage and ensure a very cold start when you go to churn it.
- Saba is a kind of super delicious slow cooked balsamic that is sweet and smooth, a bit lower in acid with a faint taste of raisin. It has a slightly thicker viscosity than vinegar but is not quite a heavy syrup. It's fabulous on ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, caramel, toasted walnut, etc, etc!). If you’d like to try Saba, I highly recommend the brand I received as a gift from a great pastry chef. It’s Guerzoni SABA BiodynamicTraditional Grape Syrup and it’s from Modena.



Oatmeal Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart

2 C whole milk
1/2 C + 1/4 C brown sugar, divided
generous 1/2 t salt
1/2 C + 2 T old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 t ground cinnamon
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 C heavy cream
2 t rum

Bring the milk, 1/2 cup of brown sugar and salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Lower the heat and add the oats and cinnamon. Simmer for about 6-8 minutes, stirring constantly, until the oatmeal has thickened and has a creamy consistency but the oats are still chewy.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 C brown sugar until thoroughly combined.

Add just a bit of the hot oatmeal into the egg mixture and whisk. Continue adding slowly and whisking until completely blended. Whisk in the heavy cream and rum. Taste for additional salt. Cool. Refrigerate overnight in an airtight container.

Stir the mixture and churn in your ice cream machine. Pour into an airtight container, press a piece of plastic wrap into the surface, cover and place in your freezer to firm up.

Oatmeal Ice Cream! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

26 comments:

Valérie-jeanne said...

Yummy! I can imagine this on a nice slice of pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving.

pastry studio said...

Oooo, Valerie-jeanne, I like that idea! One of my favorite pumpkin recipes begins with an oatmeal crust.

It's funny - while I was tasting this ice cream, so many complimentary flavors did go through my mind - apples, huckleberries, spiced nuts, coffee, chocolate.....but in the end, I just left it alone. I guess I'm sort of a purist at heart. But now that you mention this, I will probably make it for Thanksgiving. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

wow, this is really different. not something i would've thought of on my own, but definitely something to try! glad my boyfriend bought us the kitchenaid stand mixer ice cream attachment!

cheers,

*heather*

Anonymous said...

I think this looks and sounds wonderful. And the pumpkin pie idea is great, too. In fact, I think you should post your pumpkin pie recipe with that oatmeal crust for the rest of us to enjoy. Pretty please?
Thanks. ^_^

Victoria said...

This is just gorgeous!

CrumbsandPixels said...

What a great ingredient for ice cream! Will definitely try this one! Thanks for sharing.

pastry studio said...

Thanks for the sweet comments! I'm always very glad to hear from oatmeal fans.

Anonymous, they are actually Pumpkin Bars. I'll have to see if I can locate the recipe. It's been ages since I've made them.

chriesi said...

How unique!

Barbara said...

I love oatmeal- love caramel-love rum so why wouldn't this be fabulous? It looks divine and rich-love the color. And I like the idea it's a little chewy too. Interesting recipe- thanks! I always love visiting your site and seeing what lovely new things you've dreamed up along with your mouth-watering photos!

Cannelle Et Vanille said...

must try this!

anna said...

Yum! This sounds like a great idea, and since oatmeal goes so well with so many things, the topping possibilities are practically endless! I could see it with any type of fruit compote...

test it comm said...

I like the sound of using oatmeal in an ice cream.

Madame Sucre said...

I'd love to try out all those ice cream recipes!! this is a very new idea!! never ever tried it..

the problem is i dont have an ice cream machine.. wondering if its possible to use something else instead?

pastry studio said...

Hello Madame Sucre! If you don't own an ice cream machine, here are some good instructions from David Lebovitz about how to manage without one:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/07/making_ice_crea_1.html

Once you start discovering the joys of making your own ice cream, you may eventually want to invest in a basic machine. Cuisinart makes a good one that is relatively inexpensive and very simple to use. In any case, I hope you get to enjoy this ice cream. It's a great treat!

cedar chests said...

I love it!! Another new ice cream flavor to beat! And this is going to be a healthy one!

Anonymous said...

I haven't been able to stray from making pumpkin ice cream once I figured out the perfect recipe (for my tastes), but oatmeal ice cream might just cause me to make room in my freezer for another flavor. Thanks!

Diana H said...

Rum and oatmeal sounds like a great combination to me.

I don't own an ice cream maker. Do you like the type you use with rock salt or the other type?

pastry studio said...

Hi Diana,

I have a simple Cuisinart that I bought years ago when I finished pastry school:

http://www.cuisinart.com/products/ice_cream/ice-20.html

It's nothing fancy or modern but is very easy to use and clean. It does require you to freeze the bowl for about 24 hours each time before you use it. But since I've been experimenting with so many ice cream flavors these days, mine just has a permanent place in my very small freezer section.

alargamiento pene said...

It doesn't sound like something I would make ice- cream of but you totally convinced me.

Anonymous said...

I'm eating a bowl of this ice cream as I type this. It's soooo good. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

(By the way, I used skim milk instead of whole and half&half instead of cream. I also skipped the rum. I usually do this when making ice cream to cut down on the fat. Only when I make it for myself, though. When I make it for others, I like to make it nice and creamy/rich.)

pastry studio said...

gunma-gal, thanks very much for your feedback. Glad to hear you enjoyed it with your substitutions. It's a great ice cream and I find it hard to resist!

bullionsInvestor said...
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tina Mora said...

I can't believe what I am seeing here! Oatmeal Ice Cream??!!!?? Mind -Blown.... I will be trying to make an attempt to make this yumminess!. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Simply the best! I quadrupled the amount of rum & tripled the amount of cinnamon. It's a grand slam. I fear it's untoppable. Thank you :-)
-pc

pastry studio said...

Patrice, you are my kind of pal! You enhancements sound wonderful. Thanks so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed this dreamy ice cream. I love it, too!