Plum Cardamom Ice Cream

I love cardamom.

I especially like to use whole seeds from their beautiful green pods.

I made a gluten free plum and cardamom galette when I bought some plums last week, it turned out great, thank you so much!

I saved some plums from that ice cream recipe, and when it came time to decide on the recipe, cardamom with whole seeds seemed like the perfect flavor combination.

Plums are in season now, so head on over. Get them organic and local if you can.

I think you will like this.

Walnut and cardamom ice cream
Christina's original recipe
(Print the recipe)
Composition:
2 cups (lots) chopped fresh prunes*
2 packets Splenda or 2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste) depending on how sweet the plums are
2 1/3 cups 2% milk
4 cardamom pods, finely ground seeds
2-inch vanilla beans, split
3 large or 4 medium yolks
1/4 cup Splenda-sugar mix *** or 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream


Preparation.
Combine the chopped prunes with the first measure of Splenda or sugar and let the juice sit for 15 minutes.
In a large saucepan, cook plums over medium heat until tender, at least 5 minutes. **Remove from heat, let cool for 5 minutes, then puree in a food processor. Keep aside.

Meanwhile, heat the milk, cardamom seeds and vanilla in a large pot until bubbles form around the edges of the pot. Remove from heat and let sit for 20 minutes to 1/2 hour. Discard the vanilla beans and strain the milk mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Pour the milk back into the pot. At this point, if you want, you can add vanilla seeds to the milk.
Beat the egg yolks with the remaining Splenda-sugar mixture or 1/2 cup of the sugar until the egg yolks are pale yellow and thickened until the mixture falls from the mixer in streaks.
Gently whisk 1/3 of the hot milk into the eggs until combined, then add the egg mixture to the milk and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it coats the back and top of a wooden spoon. If your finger is too tight, it will loosen. . Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Lightly whisk the plum puree into the cream, pour into a large glass bowl or container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) until completely chilled.
Before processing, mix the cream until combined and process according to the ice cream manufacturer's instructions.

* I used a combination of red and yellow plums left over from this recipe . They were sweet and sour, which I like. The amount of sugar used for the ice cream will depend on the acidity or sweetness of the plums you use.

**I learned the hard way that some fruits need to be cooked to reduce the acidic effect of dairy products. I didn't do this with the first batch I made, resulting in an ineffective cream. So please steam your plums.

***I learned through trial and error that beating the egg yolks and adding the sugar is critical to the success of the ice cream. I don't like that it's true, but I fear it. So I use the Splenda sugar mix as much as possible. It works for me and adds a small amount of sugar per serving. As always, if you're not a Splenda user like me, go for sugar. I will not judge you.

****Alternatively, you can add plum puree as you process the ice cream, it creates a ribbon effect.

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

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