Sugar Cube (25 page)

Along with stirrup pants, slouchy boots, and off-the-shoulder shirts, fro-yo has been resurrected from the ‘80s. I’m all for it. I love how tart and refreshing true frozen yogurt is. It’s perfect on a hot day with fresh berries, or use it to make an ice-cream sandwich with
Oh Snap! Gingersnap Cookies
. It even makes an excellent ginger ale float with a dash of celery bitters.
MAKES 1 QUART

• ¹
  /
  ₂
  vanilla bean
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  medium-large granny smith apple (about 5 ounces), cored and seeded
  
• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cups Sorbet Syrup #1, cold (recipe follows; see tip)
  
• 2
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cups plain, whole-milk greek yogurt
  
• Zest and juice of 1 small lime
  
• ¹
  /
  ₈
  teaspoon sea salt
  

• SPLIT THE PIECE OF VANILLA BEAN
  lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Add to the bowl of a blender (save the pod for another use). Chop the apple (with skin on) into 1-inch pieces. Add the apple, sorbet syrup, yogurt, lime zest and juice, and salt to the bowl and blend on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
  
• STRAIN THE MIXTURE
  through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, making sure to press on the solids to force out all the liquid; discard the solids. Refrigerate the mixture until very cold. (The colder the base, the faster it will churn. To speed things up, you can nestle the bowl into a larger bowl filled with water and ice and refrigerate.)
  
• POUR THE CHILLED FROZEN YOGURT BASE
  into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (If everything is super-cold, it should take 20 to 25 minutes. The frozen yogurt will thicken and ball up on the attachment. Don’t overchurn, or you will get a grainy, hard texture.)
  
• TRANSFER TO AN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER
  , place plastic wrap directly on the surface, and freeze for several hours until firm enough to scoop.
  

MAKES ABOUT 1
²
/
₃
CUPS

• ³
  /
  ₄
  cup water
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup sugar
  
• ³
  /
  ₄
  cup light corn syrup
  

• IN A MEDIUM SAUCEPAN, combine the water, sugar, and light corn syrup and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Continue to boil for 2 minutes, remove from the heat, and transfer to a metal bowl. Chill in an ice bath or in the refrigerator until very cold before using.
  

•
The addition of an invert sugar such as light corn syrup makes the frozen yogurt more scoopable and less icy.

Since bananas are so rich and creamy on their own, you can use them in ice cream and skip the hassle of cooking up an eggy custard base. Not only does that save time, but it also imparts an even stronger banana flavor. Roasting the bananas with honey caramelizes them and brings out their sweetness. After that, you just whiz everything up in a food processor and chill. So easy and so good. This ice cream is delicious in a sundae with
Aunti Shirley’s Chocolate Sauce
and cinnamon-spiked whipped cream, and it makes an incredible ice-cream sandwich with the
Hazelnibbies
. It’s like having banana-bread ice cream.
MAKES 1 QUART

• 5 small- to medium-size very ripe bananas
  
• 5 tablespoons flavorful honey, such as Meadowfoam
  
• ¹
  /
  ₈
  teaspoon sea salt, plus
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  teaspoon
  
• 2
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cups cold heavy cream
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or seeds from
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  vanilla bean)
  

• PREHEAT THE OVEN
  to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Place a large bowl in the fridge or freezer.
  
• CUT THE UNPEELED BANANAS
  in half lengthwise through their peels (leave in their peels). Place cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle them with 2 tablespoons of the honey. Sprinkle with the
  ¹
  /
  ₈
  teaspoon sea salt. Roast on the middle rack until deeply colored, fragrant, and very soft, 20 to 25 minutes. The kitchen will take on a lovely roasted-banana aroma. Let cool completely.
  
• WHEN COOL
  , scoop the banana flesh out of the peels and into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Puree until very smooth. Add the cream, nutmeg, remaining
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  teaspoon salt, vanilla, and remaining 3 tablespoons honey. Pulse several times just until smooth. (The mixture will be on the thick side. Make sure not to overmix, or you will end up with banana whipped cream!) Transfer the mixture to the chilled metal bowl, place plastic wrap directly on the surface, and refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour.
  
• FREEZE THE MIXTURE
  in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container, place plastic wrap directly on the surface, and freeze until firm enough to scoop, at least another hour. (If the ice cream becomes too firm to scoop, let it soften a bit for 5 minutes at room temperature before serving, or run your ice-cream scoop under hot water before using.)
  

This cream cheese ice-cream base is fantastic. It is super-rich, has a wonderfully silky texture, and it doesn’t get rock hard when you freeze it. It’s adapted from a recipe in
The Ultimate Ice Cream Book
by Bruce Weinstein, a great book I’ve used often through the years. The ice cream can be flavored dozens of ways, but cream soda extract is one of my favorites. It’s fun and different, and the flavor goes with lots of my desserts. Try this in an ice-cream sandwich with
Oh Snap! Gingersnap Cookies
or
Giddyup Cookies
. Keep in mind, the extract is very strong—like burn-your-tongue-off strong—so use a very light hand, and don’t taste it on its own unless you’re looking for pain.
MAKES ABOUT 1
¹
/
₂
QUARTS

• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cups sugar
  
• 8 ounces regular cream cheese, at room temperature (I prefer Philadelphia brand)
  
• ¹
  /
  ₈
  teaspoon sea salt
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cups whole milk
  
• 3 cups heavy cream
  
• 2 to 2
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  teaspoons cream soda extract (see tip, following)
  

• IN THE BOWL OF A STAND MIXER
  fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the sugar, cream cheese, and salt. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until smooth and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes.
  
• COMBINE THE MILK AND CREAM
  in a medium saucepan and bring to a slight boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Whisk about
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup of the hot cream into the cheese mixture to temper it, then whisk this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens (run your finger along the back of the spoon; the custard shouldn’t bleed into the line for several seconds), 5 to 8 minutes.
  
• REMOVE FROM THE HEAT
  and strain the custard into a metal bowl. Nestle the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice and a little water. Let the mixture cool, stirring occasionally, until lukewarm, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cream soda extract.
  
• REFRIGERATE UNTIL THE CUSTARD IS COLD
  , at least several hours. Give it a good stir, then freeze in two batches in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container, put plastic wrap directly on the surface, and freeze until firm enough to scoop, at least several hours.