Sicilian Ice Cream

Bought an ice cream churner attachment for my Kitchen Aid recently.  My grandchildren are visiting this weekend, so what better time to whip up ice cream?

Fall apples are crisping up in the side yard trees, inspiring Fresh Apple Cake link to apple cake recipe, my favorite apple cake.  I used gluten-free "flour" this time with good results.  The cake didn't rise as high as when made with wheat flour, but tasted wonderful and the crumb was good. 

Along with Julia Child's caramel sauce, caramel-sauce-la-julia-child.  I'm thinking a parfait trifecta.

The kiddos will rave over this combination.

Whatever is left over will go to my library meeting.  I expect my fellow board members to swoon.  Is 10:30 a.m. too early for dessert?

The results:  The ice cream is so smooth and silky, no ice crystals, and was scoopable right out of the freezer. Very easy recipe. 

Sicilian-Style from Food 52 recipe

A cooked-until-thick ice cream base, just like custardy French, but in this case, egg yolks aren't doing the thickening. Cornstarch is. (Yes, the same cornstarch you have in your pantry to make gravy!) As David Lebovitz notes in The Perfect Scoop, "thickening gelato with a starch is a Sicilian trait, and it is done because egg yolks are less digestible than starch, important during their hot summers." If you ask me, the chewy, silky result is something to get behind anytime, anywhere. To make a Sicilian-style ice cream: Heat up the cream and milk. Separately stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly add the warm liquids to the dry ingredients, return to the saucepan, and continue to cook until thick. Chill completely, then churn.

Pros: Cornstarch inhibits ice crystallization (more on that below, "How to Avoid Icy Ice Cream"), which means you're in for a supremely creamy ice cream. It's the sort of texture egg yolks would accomplish, but without the added heaviness.

Cons: Cornstarch breaks down in the freezer over time, which means you won't want to keep this ice cream around forever. Get on those sundaes sooner than later.

Basic ratio: 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1 1/2 cups whole milk, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.

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