HAZELNUT ICE CREAM
To make true nut-flavored ice cream, you need to use supersmooth ground-nut pastes, or nut butters, which can be easily found online. While they’re a little pricey, the results are far superior to those you’d get using the sugar-laden supermarket versions of these pastes.
We source our hazelnuts from Piedmont and Sicily; both are wonderful but very different. Oregon and Turkey also produce nice hazelnuts, though in our experience, the Italian nuts have the richest, deepest flavor. Whichever hazelnut paste you wind up using, just try to find the best quality available to you—it will make a world of difference.
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
1½ cups heavy cream
1¼ cups whole milk
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 grams) sugar
¼ teaspoon (1 gram) kosher salt
6 large egg yolks
¼ cup (60 grams) hazelnut paste (see Sources)
½ cup (60 grams) hazelnuts (optional)
1. Pour the cream and milk into a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk in ½ cup (100 grams) of the sugar and the salt and stir until they have dissolved. Warm the mixture until you see steam rising from the top.
2. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set another bowl over it. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, with a kitchen towel underneath it to prevent slipping, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar until uniform. While whisking, add a splash of the hot dairy mixture to the yolks. Continue to add the dairy mixture, whisking it in bit by bit, until you’ve added about half. Add the yolk mixture to the remaining dairy mixture in the double boiler. Set the heat under the double boiler to medium and cook the custard, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon and reducing the heat to medium-low as necessary, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Hold the spoon horizontally and run your finger through the custard. If the trail left by your finger stays separated, the custard is ready to be cooled. Whisk in the hazelnut paste until it has melted and the custard is uniform.
4. Strain the custard into the bowl sitting over the prepared ice bath and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard has cooled. Transfer the custard to a quart-size container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.
5. If using the hazelnuts, preheat the oven to 325˚F; position a rack in the middle. Spread the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until crisp and fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool. Using a clean kitchen towel, rub the skins off the hazelnuts, finely chop the nuts, and set them aside to fold into the ice cream or use as a garnish.
6. Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the container in which you refrigerated the custard in the freezer so you can use it to store the finished ice cream. Churn the ice cream until the texture resembles “soft serve.” At the last minute, add the chopped hazelnuts, if desired, and churn for 1 minute. Transfer the ice cream to the chilled storage container and freeze until hardened to your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately—it will be the consistency of gelato. If you didn’t use the toasted hazelnuts in the ice cream, you can use them as a topping. The ice cream will keep, frozen, for up to 7 days.
