Beet Ice Cream with Orange Zest and Poppy Seeds

Eating beets has never been an attractive choice for me until now. I'll be honest: I made this ice cream for the color. That's all natural fuschia, my friends. Earthy and tart, beet ice cream is not your typical after-school special, but it's worth every spoonful (and the poppy seeds add a nice crunch!).

         

         

Last Week: Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Beet Ice Cream with Orange Zest and Poppy Seeds
adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

yields one generous quart

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
zest of 1 orange
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup puréed roasted red beets (two medium-sized beets will get the job done)
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Directions:
For the roasted beets: Preheat oven to 450°F. Wrap the beets in a sheet of foil. Bake until very soft, about 1 hour. Let the beets cool slightly, then peel them while still warm. Cut into chunks and puree through a sieve.

For the ice cream: In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup milk and the cornstarch; set slurry aside. In a saucepan, whisk together remaining milk and the cream, sugar, syrup, and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add orange peel. Cook for 4 minutes; stir in slurry. Return to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Place cream cheese in a bowl and pour in 1/4 cup hot milk mixture; whisk until smooth. Then whisk in remaining milk mixture; stir in beets. Pour mixture into a plastic bag; seal, and submerge in a bowl of ice water until chilled, about 30 minutes.

Pour mixture into an ice cream maker; add poppy seeds; process according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to a storage container and freeze until set, about 4 hours.

Enjoy.
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Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Instead of complaining about another Tucson summer, I've decided to be proactive. I'm going to make new flavors of ice cream to get me through these trying times. Let's be real - I'll probably still complain to you anytime it gets above 105, but - hey - at least you get an ice cream recipe every time I do. You can thank Jeni for inspiring me.

I just received Jeni's book in the mail from my Mom! I officially have a major girl crush on Jeni. Her book is delightful. If you don't believe me - the James Beard Award thought so, too. Here's the book description from amazon.com:

“Ice cream perfection in a word: Jeni’s.” –Washington Post
At last, addictive flavors, and a breakthrough method for making creamy, scoopable ice cream at home, from the proprietor of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, whose artisanal scooperies in Ohio are nationally acclaimed.
Now, with her debut cookbook, Jeni Britton Bauer is on a mission to help foodies create perfect ice creams, yogurts, and sorbets—ones that are every bit as perfect as hers—in their own kitchens. Frustrated by icy and crumbly homemade ice cream, Bauer invested in a $50 ice cream maker and proceeded to test and retest recipes until she devised a formula to make creamy, sturdy, lickable ice cream at home. Filled with irresistible color photographs, this delightful cookbook contains 100 of Jeni’s jaw-droppingly delicious signature recipes—from her Goat Cheese with Roasted Cherries to her Queen City Cayenne to her Bourbon with Toasted Buttered Pecans. Fans of easy-to-prepare desserts with star quality will scoop this book up.
How cool is that? 

Oh, it's cool, Jeni. So for my first post, I made Jeni's sweet potato ice cream and added some candied ginger pieces. Smooth, creamy, and rich with sweet potato and molasses, this ice cream is like having Thanksgiving for dessert! Enjoy.

         

Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Candied Ginger
adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

yields one generous quart

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled sweet potato (I used frozen, already cubed potatoes)
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup diced candied ginger pieces

Directions:
Make sure the ice cream maker has been in the freezer overnight or for at least 10 hours.

In a medium saucepan, combine diced sweet potatoes and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are soft and easily pierced by a knife, 8 to 10 minutes.

Fill a large bowl with ice water.  In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch.  In another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese, cinnamon, and salt.

Once potatoes are cooked, transfer to a food processor and puree.  If pieces still remain, return to pan and puree using an immersion blender.  Add heavy cream, sugars, corn syrup, and molasses to potato puree.  Place pan over medium-high heat and bring mixture to a rolling boil until the sugar dissolves, 4 minutes.

Remove from heat and gradually whisk into cream cheese mixture until smooth. Set the bowl in the ice water bath, and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.

Once ice cream base is chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Sprinkle a layer of toasted marshmallows on the bottom of a plastic ice cream container.  Lightly spoon a layer of ice cream on top.  Continue to alternate layers of candied ginger pieces and ice cream until the container is full.  Sprinkle a few more marshmallows on top.  Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
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