MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
This is an intensely flavorful ice cream. The color is a pretty pale tan, and the texture is either nubbly or silken depending on whether or not you choose to sieve it. The final flavor will be only as good as the nuts. Taste them before buying; they should be sweet.
The ice cream mixture can be refrigerated for a day or two before freezing. Once frozen, it holds nicely for two days.
¾ cup (3 ounces) plump hazelnuts
2 cups half-and-half
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon Frangelico liqueur
About ¼ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
One of my childhood thrills was the Good Humor ice cream truck that plied its slow, sweet way along the main streets of our town.
The white truck was memorable. On both sides was a tantalizing painting of a giant Brown Cow—a slab of vanilla ice cream on a stick—with one evocative, big bite taken out of it. As a kid, I used to wonder who ate all those bites.
The Good Humor man was naturally very cheerful. He jangled a happy band of bells and the neighborhood came running. Some kids would buy Brown Cows, others would stain their lips blue with mint Popsicles, while neat little girls like myself would buy Dixie cups and lick the lids clean of ice cream, revealing pictures of well-known stars.
My lid-licking days came one day to a sorry end. Between the melting white ice cream and the photo of Mickey Mantle was a squashed spider. I remember it as huge (and improbably furry). I was traumatized to sleeplessness and swore off ice cream for at least a day.
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Move a rack to the middle position.
2. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast until they turn pale brown beneath the skin, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir the nuts midway to ensure even toasting. Wrap the hot nuts in a clean, dry kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove the skins. Don’t get hyper; a bit of skin is flavorful in the final mix.
3. Immediately after toasting, process the nuts in a food processor, running the machine for a minute or more to obtain a relatively smooth, oily paste. Add the half-and-half and sugar, then process a minute more to blend.
4. Should you wish a smooth-textured ice cream, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. (I never bother; I like the tongue-feel of the nuts.)
5. Add the liqueur, then add the lemon juice in drops until the flavor peaks on your tongue.
6. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Store with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface. Let soften slightly before serving.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: This is a good mate to Amy’s Hazelnut Mounds (page 459) or to her Summer Peach Hazelnut Streusel Tart (page 476). It’s redundant, but delicious.