White Pineapple Cobbler With Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipes

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Combine the heavy cream, milk, and vanilla pod and seeds in a large saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat, then remove from the heat.
• Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Ladle half of the cream mixture into the egg mixture and whisk to combine; return to the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon in a figure-8 motion, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 10 minutes.
• Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a blender; discard the vanilla pod. Puree until frothy, about 30 seconds; pour back into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Transfer the chilled custard to an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a resealable container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM BASE

Steps:

• To make the vanilla ice cream: Combine the cream, milk, salt, and 2 cups of the sugar in a large pot. Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a paring knife; add them to the pot and toss in the pods for added flavor. Place the cream mixture over medium heat, and bring up to a simmer; stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Ideally, the temperature should reach 175 degrees F (just below scalding) for a smooth-textured ice cream; this should take about 15 minutes. Shut off the heat, cover the pot, and allow the cream mixture to steep for 15 minutes to further infuse the vanilla flavor.
• In the meantime, combine the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and blend them lightly with a wire whisk. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and continue to whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved and the eggs are thick and pale yellow; about 6 minutes.
• Using a large ladle or measuring cup, temper the eggs by gradually whisking in about 4 cups of the hot cream mixture. Return this back to the rest of the cream in the saucepan and turn the heat to medium-low. Stir constantly until the custard thickens and leaves a path on the back of a spoon when you run your finger across it, about 10 to 12 minutes (do not let boil.)
• Pour the vanilla custard through a fine strainer into another pot* and chill completely in a sink full of ice, stirring here and there; this should take about 1 hour. Ideally, let the ice cream base "age" overnight in the refrigerator before churning in an ice cream maker to improve the flavor and texture of the final product ¿ but it is still good if you decide to process it right away. Divide the ice cream into quarts** and churn each in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. When done, the ice cream will be the consistency of "soft serve." ***To harden the ice cream fully, freeze in plastic covered containers.
• Flavor Variations:
• *To make the Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream: Heat 3/4 up of milk in a pot over medium-low heat. Add 12 ounces of the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted. Pour 1 quart of the strained hot vanilla ice cream base into the melted chocolate and stir until very well incorporated. Chill and process as directed in the master recipe. Fold in the remaining 4 ounces of chopped chocolate after churning while the ice cream is in the "soft-serve" stage. Churn another 1 to 2 minutes just until combined.
• **To make the Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream: Mix the strawberry preserves into the vanilla custard just before you start churning in the ice cream maker. Add the pieces of strawberry cheesecake and fresh strawberries after churning while the ice cream is in the "soft-serve" stage. Continue to churn for an additional 5 minutes or until combined but still chunky.
• ***To make the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream: Add the pieces of cookie dough after churning while the ice cream is in the "soft-serve" stage. Continue to churn for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until combined but still chunky.

RUM-ROASTED PINEAPPLE AND SUGARED PECANS WITH VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• For the pineapple: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Begin by peeling the pineapple and cutting it into 1/2-inch-thick planks approximately 2 by 2 inches wide; discard the core. Arrange in a single layer in a roasting pan. Whisk together 1/2 cup water, the rum, sugar, vanilla and salt, and then pour over the pineapple. Sprinkle the top with a little extra sugar, if desired, then roast until caramelized, 17 to 18 minutes. When done, remove the pineapple from the pan and allow to cool slightly before dicing.
• For the pecans: Arrange the pecans in a baking sheet and toast until slightly darkened and fragrant, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before adding the butter to the baking sheet. Immediately toss the baking sheet to coat the pecans as the butter melts. Sprinkle evenly with the sugar and salt and toss once more. Set aside on a plate to cool.
• To assemble, place 2 to 3 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream in a bowl. Top with 2 to 3 spoonfuls of rum-roasted pineapple and garnish with sugared pecans.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Prepare the custard base: Pour the milk, cream, and sugar (1 C + 2 tbsp) into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. While it's heating, add the egg yolks to a bowl and place it over a larger bowl filled with hot water. Whisk the yolks as the hot water heats them. They should feel warm to the touch. Set aside.
• Infuse the custard: As the milk mixture continues to heat add a pinch of salt. Split the vanilla bean by cutting it lengthwise to open it up. Then, run a knife lengthwise and scrape the vanilla beans onto the knife. Scrape the beans back onto the vanilla pod and add the pod with beans to the milk mixture. The instant the cream comes to a rolling boil and rises in the pot, lift it off the heat. With the whisk in one hand and the saucepan in the other, pour the boiling cream into the egg yolks as you whisk constantly but gently. Don't whisk rapidly or you will cool the custard before the yolks have a chance to set. At this point the custard should be fully cooked. An instant-read thermometer set in the custard should register 170 F to 180 F and it will coat a teaspoon (if for some reason it did not get hot enough, you can pour it back in the pot and very slowly heat it up, stirring with a rubber spatula). Cool the ice cream mixture by placing the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice or chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
• Make the ice cream: When the ice cream mixture has chilled, strain it through a chinois using a ladle to get all of the custard through. Pour into a well frozen ice cream maker (use according to the manufacturer's directions) and churn until it's ice cream, about 20 minutes. Place the ice cream into a container and freeze for 1-2 hours. (This is called tempering so the ice cream is scoopable.) Then, scoop and serve. Garnish with blueberries and raspberries.