Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Creme Fraiche Ice Cream



I love the tangy flavor of creme fraiche. Creme fraiche is super easy to make, and a lot less expensive than what you can find in the gourmet dairy department of your grocery store. If you use the yogurt setting on this wonderful appliance called the Instant Pot, you can cut down the time down on making creme fraiche from 36 hours to 7 hours. I've adapted the procedure for making creme fraiche from our very own Donna Currie, who also has a wonderful blog, Cookistry: Homemade Creme Fraiche in the Instant Pot. The ice cream is not made with egg yolks, resulting in a very light and tangy ice cream more similar to a sorbet in texture. It's a very refreshing dessert in the summer and is perfect served with fresh fruit, a berry compote or, in this case, some wonderful preserves made with Maine blueberries.

Creme Fraiche Ice Cream
by Diana

For the creme fraiche:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup buttermilk

Pour 3/4 cup heavy cream and a 1/4 cup buttermilk in a 12-ounce canning jar and stir. Repeat with the remaining heavy cream and buttermilk. Place the jars on the steaming insert rack in the Instant Pot. Close the lid of the Instant Pot and push the yogurt button and adjust the time to process for 7 hours. Once done, remove the jars and refrigerate overnight.

For the ice cream:
1 1/2 cups half and half
2/3 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons orange blossom honey
2 cups creme fraiche
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Gently warm half and half, sugar and honey in a small pot over medium-low heat, until sugar and honey are dissolved. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. You might want to place the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer now, as well, if required by manufacturer.

The next day, place a sieve over the bowl of the ice cream maker. Stir together the homemade creme fraiche, vanilla and the half and half/sugar mixture in a bowl or 1 quart measuring pitcher, and pour through the sieve into the ice cream maker bowl. Churn according to the ice cream maker's instructions. When it reaches a soft-serve consistency, spoon into a 1-quart lidded container, cover and place in freezer. Freeze until firm then serve with blueberry preserves, fresh berries or dulce de leche.

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