At work we do an "Iron Chef Potluck" once a quarter, and every dish has to contain the same ingredient. This time it was tomato, and I was really uninspired because it's a bit early in the year. So, I went out into left field and made this - and it won.
Sun-dried tomato, basil, and vanilla-bean ice cream
1/2 cup Sun dried tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of half & half
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 oz cream cheese (softened - whip it with a fork)
1/2 vanilla bean (split and scrape out the seeds)
1/2 cup packed basil leaves
Bring the half & half, cream, sugar, vanilla seeds, and salt to a boil. Add the basil. Let it boil a minute or so. Remove from heat and add the cornstarch. You may want to mix the cornstarch with a quarter cup of half and half so it's not lumpy. Add the cream cheese. Put back on heat and still until everything is dissolved. This whole process reduces the water content and, thus, ice crystals common in homemade ice cream.
Strain into a bowl (removing some solids and the leaves) cover with Saran Wrap and let cool before adding the sun-dried tomatoes and putting into the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, put it in the freezer for 15 minutes before adding to the ice cream maker. This will help it freeze faster and further reduce ice crystallization.
Glaze
1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and stir constantly 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Serve the ice cream with a garnish of chopped sun-dried tomato, some basil seeds (available at your Indian grocer under the name tukmaria), some basil leaves, and the balsamic glaze.
Here's a pic: http://ift.tt/1EUXwE5
Submitted May 19, 2015 at 06:56PM by Rdxenti http://ift.tt/1R04zUq Cooking
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