Preparations for Simple Ices

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Digital kitchen scale
• •2-quart heavy saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Large bowl for an ice bath
• •Countertop ice-cream machine or shallow stainless-steel pan
• •Freezer-safe 1-quart container

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the family

   Make either the cream base or the fruit-syrup base. Do not combine the two ingredient groups. Freeze the ice-cream machine canister fully before beginning, or set a shallow stainless-steel pan in the freezer if you will work by hand. Put a small metal saucer in the freezer as well; it will become your home equivalent of the pastry kitchen's density test.

   A half-frozen machine canister cannot remove heat fast enough, and slow freezing produces coarse crystals. Give the canister the full freezing time specified by its maker.
2. 2

   Cook the crème anglaise

   For the cream base, whisk the yolks with half the sugar until smooth and slightly lightened. Heat the milk with the remaining sugar until small bubbles gather around the edge, about 175°F (80°C), then pour one-third of it into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly across the floor and corners, until the crème anglaise reaches à la nappe, thick enough to coat a spoon, at 175 to 180°F (80 to 82°C). Never let it boil. If fine curds appear, pull the pan from the heat, stand its base in cold water, whisk hard, and strain immediately. Ça se rattrape, provided you stop the cooking at once.

   Draw a finger through the custard on the back of the spoon. When the track stays clean instead of flooding shut, the crème anglaise is ready.
3. 3

   Build the fruit syrup

   For the fruit-syrup base, combine the water and sugar in a clean saucepan. Warm gently, stirring only until every crystal dissolves, then bring the syrup to a quiet simmer for one minute. If sugar crystals form around the sides, cover the pan for one minute so condensation washes them down. If the syrup grains despite this, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) water and dissolve it again over gentle heat rather than throwing it away. Cool the syrup completely, then whisk it into the strained fruit purée until uniform.

4. 4

   Chill and test

   Strain the chosen base into a stainless-steel bowl set over ice and stir until thoroughly cold. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until no warmer than 40°F (4°C). Spoon 1 tablespoon onto the frozen saucer and return it to the freezer for 10 minutes. It should scrape into soft curls while holding a clear groove. If it freezes hard, dissolve 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 13 g) sugar in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) hot water, cool it, stir it into the base, and test again. If the sample remains loose and syrupy, stir 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) cold milk into the cream base, or the same amount of cold water into the fruit base, then retest. This adjustment is the work once done by the saccharometer, translated for the home freezer.

5. 5

   Churn the base

   Pour the cold base into the running ice-cream machine and churn until it swells slightly, holds ridges, and resembles very soft ice cream, usually 20 to 30 minutes. Stop when the paddle begins leaving a firm channel; continuing beyond that point warms the mixture without improving it. Without a machine, pour the base into the frozen shallow pan, freeze for about 40 minutes, and beat the firm edges into the softer center with a sturdy whisk. Repeat every 30 minutes three or four times. The hand-frozen ice will have a slightly coarser grain, but the balance and flavor remain honest.

6. 6

   Harden and serve

   Pack the churned ice into a chilled 1-quart container, press parchment directly against the surface, cover, and freeze for about 3 hours, until firm enough to scoop. Let it stand in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. If it has frozen harder than intended, do not attack it with a hot spoon; give it another 10 minutes in the refrigerator and scrape the softened edges toward the center. Serve the cream ice smooth and ivory, or the fruit ice bright and clean. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source's full cream dial is 7 to 16 yolks and 6 ounces to 1 pound (170 to 454 g) sugar for each quart of milk. This half-quart working batch uses 5 yolks and 150 g sugar. For a creamier ice, raise both together; for a harder, cleaner ice, lower both together.
• •The old saccharometer range ran from 15° through 30° or 32°, but those figures should not be copied blindly onto a modern Brix scale. Fruit brings its own sugar and water, so weighing gives you a repeatable starting point and the cold-saucer test settles the final adjustment.
• •Use ripe, unsweetened berry or stone-fruit purée. Frozen fruit picked ripe is often better than tired fresh fruit; thaw it, purée it, and strain out seeds or coarse fibers before measuring.
• •Cold dulls sweetness and aroma. Taste the base after chilling, not while warm, and remember that the frozen result will seem a little less sweet than the liquid.
• •A hard ice is not ruined. Temper it gently in the refrigerator for service, then increase the sugar slightly in the next batch. A soft ice wants less sugar, not more time in the machine.

Advance Preparation

• •Either base can be prepared and chilled up to 2 days before churning. Keep the crème anglaise tightly covered and cold; stir the fruit base before use because the purée may settle.
• •Freeze the machine canister for the full time required by its maker. A canister that still sloshes when shaken is not ready.
• •The finished ice keeps well covered for about 2 weeks. Press parchment against the surface to limit frost, and temper the container in the refrigerator before scooping.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 90g)