Prunes And Armagnac Ice Cream Recipes

PRUNE-ARMAGNAC ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place the quartered prunes in a small saucepan with the Armagnac and 1 tablespoons of sugar. Heat over medium-low heat just until the Armagnac starts to bubble. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand at least 2 hours or several days in the fridge.
• When ready to make the ice cream, purée the prunes (be sure to save about 8 prune pieces for garnish) and their liquid in a food processor along with the sour cream, milk, the remaining 6 Tbsps. sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Pulse the mixture until it's almost smooth but leave a few little bits of prunes remaining. I do this by reserving a few prunes & throwing them in for just a few pulses.
• Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for about an hour (minimum), then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Serve garnished with a dusting of cocoa powder & a macerated prune piece on the side.

PRUNE-ARMAGNAC ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place the prunes and enough water to cover in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then turn off the heat. Let the prunes cool in the liquid, then drain them well. Stir in the Armagnac, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the milk, cream, and 1 cup of the sugar to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and add a little to the egg yolk mixture to warm it, whisking constantly to keep the yolks from cooking. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk mixture, whisking the milk constantly as you pour.
• Return the custard to the stove and cook it over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and strain it into a bowl. Stir in the salt and let cool completely.
• Chill the custard until it's thoroughly cold, at least 4 hours. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fold the Armagnac-soaked prunes into the ice cream immediately after freezing while it's still soft. Transfer to a container and place in the freezer until frozen solid, at least 2 hours.

CHOCOLATE PRUNE ARMAGNAC ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine the prunes and 1/3 cup water and simmer the mixture for 5 to 7 minutes, or until almost all of the liquid is evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat, add the Armagnac, and let the prunes macerate for 3 hours. Drain the prunes in a sieve set over a bowl, reserving the liquid, and chop them coarse.
• In a bowl whisk together the sugar, the cornstarch, the yolks, and a pinch of salt, add the milk, scalded, in a stream, whisking constantly with a wooden spoon. Boil the custard, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, add the vanilla and the chocolate, and whisk the mixture until the chocolate is melted. Transfer the custard mixture to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and let it cool, stirring. Stir in the cream and the prunes with the reserved liquid and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

PRUNE ICE CREAM WITH ARMAGNAC

Steps:

• Place a medium metal bowl over an ice bath. Combine the crème fraîche and 6 tablespoons of sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• Meanwhile, whisk the yolks with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl until mixture is thick and light. Whisking constantly, gradually pour about 2/3 of the hot crème-fraîche mixture into the yolks to temper them. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard has thickened and coats the back of the spoon. Pour the custard into the metal bowl and stir occasionally until it has cooled. Strain the custard and refrigerate for at least a few hours. Overnight chilling will result in the best flavor and creamiest texture.
• Place a container, preferably metal, that will hold the finished ice cream in the freezer. Pour the custard into an ice-cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is the texture of soft serve, mix in the prunes and Armagnac, then transfer to the chilled container and place in the freezer to harden.

PRUNE ARMAGNAC SORBET

Steps:

• Combine prunes and Armagnac in an airtight container and let macerate at room temperature at least 24 hours.
• Bring sugar and 3/4 cup cold water to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes.
• Purée prune and Armagnac mixture with sugar syrup in a food processor until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Add orange juice and remaining 1 1/4 cups cold water and pulse to combine. Force through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard solids. Chill until cold, about 1 hour. Freeze in ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours.