Friday, October 11, 2013

Roasted Plum Ice Cream



The last vestiges of the fresh stone fruit season are plums.   Among the most varied of fruit, there are over 2000 kinds of plums throughout the world, with about 100 varieties grown in the U.S. and 50 in northern California, which produces about 95% of the plums in this country. The season starts in May and goes through November.  I’m seeing mostly plums with dark red-blue skins with pale yellow flesh where I live.

Plums are a favorite for me in the kitchen because of their tartness and gorgeous color.  For this ice cream, I roast the plums to concentrate their flavor and soften them enough to blend into a smooth puree.  The result is an ice cream with a good dose of pure plum flavor along with a deep rosy color, a very enjoyable treat to savor before they slip away for another year.

Bench notes:
- Since homemade ice cream doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients or emulsifiers, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften before serving.
- After pouring the finished ice cream into an airtight container, I press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface and then seal with the lid to eliminate air pockets where ice crystals will form.


Roasted Plum Ice Cream
Makes about 1 1/2 pints

1 lb 5 oz ripe red or black plums
2 tablespoons (26 grams) dark brown sugar

1 cup (8 oz) heavy cream
1/2 cup (4 oz) milk
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon rum
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the plums in half and remove the pit.  Place them in a shallow dish cut side up and sprinkle with brown sugar.  Roast until tender, about 15 – 20 minutes, turning them over halfway through.  Place on a wire rack to cool. 

Puree the roasted plums in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Add the remaining ingredients and blend, working in batches if the quantity is too large for your machine.  Pour into a clean airtight container and whisk thoroughly.  Add salt, to taste.  Cover and chill thoroughly. 

Freeze the ice cream base in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.  Pour the ice cream into a clean airtight container.  Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface, cover and place in the freezer to firm up.

5 comments:

Kate said...

Gorgeous color!
You have such unusual and always tempting flavors.
I served your ginger ice cream with apple pie to friends last week. It was delicious and unique.
My husband ate the rest and was happy to do so :)

pastry studio said...

Oh, I love ginger ice cream. And pairing it with apple pie is genius. Great move, Kate!

pastry studio said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Elly McCausland said...

Ooh I made something very similar last weekend but using damsons - have you ever tried damsons? They are much sharper than plums and make the most incredible deep purple ice cream.

pastry studio said...

Helloooooo, Elly. YES, damsons are delicious! I didn't find any this year so will have to make up for it next year. I bet your ice cream was fabulous.