Roasted Apricot Ice Cream

There was an abundance of apricots.

Sweet, sensuous, apricots.

It’s too easy to forget the tastes of summer.

The way food is meant to be eaten, dripping down pinkies and chins, pooling into the nooks of the creaky wooden floors.

There is an urgency to it all. To enjoy to the fullest extent the tastes, sights, and sounds of the productive season. I’ve been blessed with some apricots in my house.

What could I make that would allow the true flavors of apricot to shine through?

I love jam. I have too much homemade jam. I like pie. Not enough. Traditional ice cream? Yessssssssssss.

This recipe is an adaptation of a few, and I took great liberties, so I suppose I can call it my own.

First, roast  10 medium – large apricots by slicing them and placing cut side up onto a roasting tray. Sprinkle with sugar, maybe a tablespoon to encourage caramelization.

Set oven to 375°F to roast. Turn the pan if needed, but don’t disturb the apricots.

This should take at least 30 minutes.

This is the apricots before roasting. They will look almost melted and will have dark brown glaze dripping and pooling all around them.

The only other ingredients are pictured below: whole milk, cream, maple syrup, 2 eggs.

In a small saucepan heat up 1 cup of maple syrup until just boiling, then turn it down to medium – low, add in the apricots and any liquid and let those simmer together for 10 minutes.

Then add in 1 cup of cream and 2 cups of whole milk. Add in a pinch of salt. Oops, that’s not pictured, sorry.

At this point, before the mixture gets too hot, use an immersion blender to blend in the apricots with the liquids. If you want larger chunks, blend lightly. Blend more for a smoother consistency, which is what I did.

Let the mixture come to a boil.

Whisk the 2 eggs in a bowl. Take a glass measuring cup and scoop some of the hot mixture to add in slowly to the eggs to temper them. Whisk while slowly streaming about a cup into the eggs. Repeat with another cup of the hot mixture, then the eggs should be tempered and ready to pour slowly into the hot boiling mixture.

Turn the heat down to medium – low and cook for about 3 minutes more. Wait until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Now place the mixture into a bowl and let it cool down. I set it on the counter for a while so that it wouldn’t heat up my refrigerator too much, then I placed it in the refrigerator overnight. I used some beeswax wrap to cover the bowl and it worked perfectly.

The next morning I was ready to churn! I have a KitchenAid ice cream attachment which is nice because I don’t have to have a whole other appliance.

Churning is fun! It might need scraped down at times.

It should look thick when it is done.

Place into container of choice and back into the freezer to finish.

My sister said it was different and really yummy! I liked the slightly roasted flavor and felt it brought out a fuller, darker sweetness.

I have also made a vegan apricot-basil ice cream here.

Peace and love,

Kristan

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High Summer Apricot Basil Vegan Ice Cream

When apricots are in season I try to make them into as many treats as possible. Ice cream is usually a first choice. Apricots and basil pair well together and when blended with coconut milk and maple syrup, it is a delight for the taste buds! Tart, sweet, creamy, with just a hint of herby, nearly anise-like, basil. Yum!

I blended the ingredients together then poured into my kitchen aid ice cream attachment that had been in the freezer for several days. The outside temperature has been over 100F for a couple weeks. I had to put the whole attachment, with the ice cream, back into the freezer for a couple hours, then churned again. It worked!

I do still buy cans of coconut milk that I recycle after, obviously. I don’t know of a solid replacement for this item that is actually zero waste. I am comfortable recycling tin cans for the time being. I love my curries too much to give up the cream!