the waiting game

Dear Mom,

So, I'd like to say that due to the recipe I've been working on I haven't been able to post for the past few weeks.  Instead, my terrible excuse is that I have been "too busy."  I know what you will say, that "too busy" is simply not a good excuse because you know that these posts just do not take that long to write.  I did make a very legitimate attempt last week at getting in a post, it was my first attempt at cheesecake.  I should have known better.  For change the pictures that I took of the dessert looked lovely, but the taste?  Eh, not so much.  It was really a texture issue, which I believe I can correct and I will make a second attempt at a later point in time.

This week I did find some time to make ice cream.  John and I received an ice cream maker as a wedding present, and I just love the thing.  I would recommend to any one who likes frozen desserts to get one.  There is something enchanting about homemade ice cream that no store bought product can touch.  And with the ice cream maker there are so many options!  So today I present to you a "lower" fat (yet still delicious) vanilla-nutella ice cream.  The ice cream is very versatile and comes out quite good considering it is a low-fat variety, if you don't like nutella you can add anything your heart desires, fruits, nuts, chocolate, peanut butter, etc.  Just remember to put your add-ins during the last ten minutes of freezing time.

"lower-fat" vanilla-nutella ice cream

1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
2 cups 2% milk
1 cup half & half
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup nutella

Whisk first three ingredients together in a medium saucepan.  Slowly add milk and half & half whisking to combine.  Stir constantly over medium heat until slightly thickened (8-10 minutes).

In a separate bowl whisk egg yolk until slightly thickened.  Remove saucepan from heat.  Slowly pour 1 cup of hot milk mixture into egg, whisking constantly.  Slowly pour egg mixture back into saucepan, whisking constantly.  Pour custard through a fine-meshed sieve, discard solids.  Chill at least one hour, stirring occasionally, until custard is cold.

Pour custard into the bowl of an electric ice cream maker.  My ice cream maker takes approximately 30 minutes to freeze ice cream, so I will usually add my add-ins in the last 10 minutes, your machine may vary.  Warm the nutella in the microwave, so that it is pourable.  With the machine running slowly drizzle the nutella into the ice cream.  You want to have drizzles of frozen nutella still intact in the ice cream (instead of fully incorporating into the ice cream). 

cosmo's cooking notes:  If you want to go down this road and never come back, its worth it:  put this ice cream on warmed chocolate brownies.  I'm warning you though, this is dangerous.