Dark Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Black Pepper
Makes: 1 generous quart/1 generous liter
The butterscotch and molasses overtones of this ice cream meld beautifully with a grinding of black pepper, which adds a spark of smokiness and a hint of heat. This is a great blending of sugar and spice. Muscovado sugar has depth, complexity, and a spiciness of its own. India Tree Muscovado comes from the volcanic island of Mauritius, off the coast of India, and really smokes in this ice cream.
Ice Cream Base
| dark brown sugar, preferably India Tree Muscovado | 168 grams | ¾ cup, firmly packed |
| heavy cream | 464 grams | 2 cups (473 ml) |
| 7 (to 11) large egg yolks | 130 grams | ½ cup (118 ml) |
| glucose or reduced corn syrup | 42 grams | 2 tablespoons (30 ml) |
| fine sea salt | . | a pinch |
| milk | 160 grams | ⅔ cup (158 ml) |
| pure vanilla extract | . | ½ tablespoon (7.5 ml) |
| freshly ground black pepper | . | to taste |
* Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium bowl.
1) In a medium saucepan, place the sugar. With a silicone spatula, stir in the cream and then the egg yolks. Stir in the glucose and salt until well blended.
2) Heat the mixture on medium-low, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until it thickly coats the spatula but is still liquid enough to pour. When a finger is run across the back of the spatula, it will leave a well-defined track. An instant-read thermometer should read 170° to 180°F/77° to 82°C.
3) Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into the strainer, scraping up the thickened mixture that has settled on the bottom of the pan. Press it through the strainer and scrape any mixture clinging to the underside into the bowl.
4) Stir in the milk and vanilla.
5) Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or until no warmer than 43°F/6°C. (Alternatively, cool in an ice water bath.) Set a covered storage container in the freezer.
6) Churn the dark brown sugar custard in a prechilled ice cream maker. Transfer the ice cream to the chilled container. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream, cover the container, and allow the ice cream to firm in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.
Pass the pepper mill!
Store
Covered storage container: frozen, 3 days
Scoops
* The cream is heated with the sugar and egg custard and then the milk is added at the end because the acidity in the brown sugar can cause the proteins in the milk to coagulate.
Variation
Sage Ice Cream
Sage is an unexpectedly welcome addition and makes this ice cream a perfect accompaniment to pumpkin pie. The sage stays in the background, imperceptible at first taste, but then appears briefly and compellingly, making you want to take another and yet another taste to find it again.
Add about 15 leaves/10 grams of fresh sage to the hot custard before stirring in the milk and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate, allowing the sage leaves to steep for 1 hour before removing them. Omit the black pepper.