Graham Cracker Ice Cream

*Post by Mark.

Everything happens for a reason. A few weeks ago we were treated to some delicious graham cracker ice cream at Night + Market. This week, a friend, having just returned home from a camping trip, happened to leave a box of graham crackers at my home. If that isn't a sign from the ice cream gods, I don't know what it is.

And let me tell you something about the ice cream gods.  You don't want to piss them off. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 fluid ounces (one shot) of dark rum 
• 5 graham crackers (I used store-bought Honey Maid), crushed into a powder.

First, you'll want to prepare an ice bath and set a mixing bowl inside. Pour 1 cup of the cream into the bowl and let it chill. 

In a separate mixing bowl whisk together 6 egg yolks (below).

Next, get your graham crackers good and crushed (below, left). I did so in a Ziploc bag.

Then heat the remaining cup of cream in a sauce pan, adding the sugar, milk, salt and half of your crushed graham crackers over medium heat (below, right). Stir until all the ingredients are dissolved and the mixture appears about ready to boil. 

Ladle about half of the cream mixture into the eggs.  Pour slowly and whisk wildly to keep the eggs from curdling. Once the eggs have been combined, pour the mixture back into the sauce pan over low heat. Don't let it get too hot or it will curdle. You'll know it's done when the sauce begins to thicken and coats the spoon or spatula you've been stirring with.

Next, pour (you can strain it if necessary) the custard into the chilled cream waiting in the ice bath and whisk it all together (below, left). Once the mixture is cooled, refrigerate it for 3 hours or until it's completely chilled.

Now we're ready to make some ice cream. Pour the remaining crushed graham crackers into the mixture and freeze it according to your ice cream makers instructions (below, right).

If you're wondering why add graham cracker at two different points of the process? Well, the first batch was meant to dissolve some of that graham cracker flavor into the ice cream base. We added the rest at the end of the process to add a little texture. 

The ice cream, was easily Angela and my favorite of the ones we've made so far and while we may have been done with our graham cracker ice cream, our graham cracker ice cream wasn't done with us. Sure it was great on it's own, but you can't make graham cracker ice cream and not throw in chocolate and marshmallow. Some mini marshmallows and homemade chocolate sauce (just semi-sweet chocolate chips melted in a sauce pan with heavy cream, sugar, and a tsp of vanilla extract) helped us organize a little camp-out (below), and before long we were enjoying a delicious S'mores sundae. No bug spray necessary.

 

Comments

[Caitie]

Now if you could make a toasted marshmallow ice cream flavor too...

[Mark]

Caitie -

There's still time before you visit! :)

[J]

That looks amazing. Did you guys truncate your posts so you can't read the whole thing in Google Reader? If so, that's very sad news.

[Mark]

J-

Does the 'truncation' make it so you can't read it in Google Reader? (I don't use Google Reader, so I don't really know how any of that works...). I shortened it so that it just displays a short summary, and readers can click to 'read more' if they like. It has a much cleaner look & will make navigation of our site considerably easier (rather than having to scroll through each post, etc.)

Most blog sites have that feature. We used to use it when we were on blogspot, and I just now figured out how to do it through our host.

Unless you think it's a bad idea..?

[J]

Yeah, it means that when you open google reader you can only see a portion of the post and you have to click through to the blog to read more. That doesn't work for a lot of people who read blogs at work and google reader is the only way to access them because of sites being blocked. Usually I'll delete any blog that I have to "click through" simply because I'd have to remember to go back and read the rest of the post when I get home which isn't that likely. I'd make an exception for you guys though :) Just food for thought. I know a lot goes into blog decisions. I just wanted to see if it was my RSS feed that was broken or a recent change in your blog set up.

[City Girl]

This would take more skill and effort than I have in the kitchen, but it sounds and looks amazing! Kudos as always to Chef Angela! I'll definitely try to find it somewhere. xoxo

[Mark]

CG -

AHEM. This one was almost entirely Mark. And if I can do it, then I'd have to think that anyone can.

:)