ffwd: olive oil ice cream (or a sundae on sunday)
(I’m a little late, but better late than never…)
Many moons ago, Howard (the resident ice cream guy) was given an ice cream maker as a going-away gift when he left a job. That was over a decade ago, and we never actually used it. I’m mildly lactose-intolerant, so have to admit that ice cream has never been one of my favorite foods. However, this week’s assignment for French Fridays with Dorie, Olive Oil Ice Cream, seemed like the perfect opportunity to scare up all the parts and give the ice cream maker a ride.
The ice cream was easy enough to put together. Milk and cream were brought to a boil, then carefully whisked into an egg yolk and sugar mixture. The custard was then lightly cooked (though I slightly overheated it) and strained before whisking in olive oil and vanilla. Then, the mixture cools in a bowl set over ice and cold water.
It was fun to taste test the various extra virgin olive oils in the pantry to find one that was fruity and not peppery. I settled on a special Greek olive oil that I got for my birthday. It comes from a farm in Xirokambi, near Sparta, off the road that Paris and Helen of Troy used to run away together. (Thanks, Cass!)
The ice cream maker made quick work of turning the custard into ice cream. It took about 25 minutes. I tasted it before freezing it to ripen and harden, and it was just like vanilla ice cream.
Once hardened, it was time to eat the ice cream for real. I made a sundae with a brownie base, olive oil ice cream topped with fleur de sel caramel sauce. The ice cream was OK. The olive oil gave it a slightly unusual taste and texture. I’m not sure I liked it. Howard thought it was “weird”. We’ll finish it, but I’m not sure this ice cream will be making a repeat appearance at my house.
If you’d like to see how the other Doristas made out with their olive oil ice creams, check out their links here. If you’d like the recipe, you can find it in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
Now the big dilemma is what to do with the 5 egg whites in the fridge. I was browsing the May issue of Bon Appetit and came across this recipe for blackberry financiers, so that is a definite possibility. Any other ideas?
Posted on 10 June 2012, in French Fridays with Dorie and tagged French Fridays with Dorie, ice cream. Bookmark the permalink. 9 Comments.
A Plateful of Happiness 
That’s unfortunate that it wasn’t a hit for you. Love your serving ideas, though. And I have to say, an ice cream maker is a much more creative job-leaving gift than I’ve heard of before. :)
I finally made this last week and enjoyed it. Sorry it wasn’t a hit for you, though. I’ve only used our ice cream maker twice so far and neither were conventional ice creams.
Ice cream maker as a going away gift, huh… I guess that was supposed to make parting a little sweeter? :-) (Sorry for the bad pun)
That blackberry financier recipe has been on my “make” list since I saw in BA.
My one daughter has milk issues and I will make ice cream with coconut or almond milk base for her – it’s not quite the same as the cream based version, but she doesn’t complain too much :-)
Tricia shared some of her ice cream with us and we enjoyed it with some chocolate sauce.
It is different I’ll admit, but I imagine the type of oil used will make a difference. Since I
do not have an ice cream machine I don’t think I would make this one. Your ice cream
does look delicious and inviting.
use the egg whites in tapioca pudding – one of my favorites!
Betsy…Glad you took out that ice cream maker and got this one done…Sorry it wasn’t a big hit…we really enjoyed it! I dog eared that recipe in BA…I definitely want to make those financiers…waiting for the fresh berries to come out in my garden!
I think meringues are a definite option for leftover egg whites.
There are so many delicious ice creams/sorbets/and gelatos, that you might as well go with flavors you like. At least the ice cream maker came out of “storage” and is present and ready for work! I also marked the financiers because we made some in May for FFWD. I liked Dorie’s recipe but think I would like the blueberry version better. I love meringues – on a nice dry day!
I’m sorry you and Howard didn’t enjoy this, Betsy. It looks so good especially with the sauce. I didn’t even think to use the fleur de sel caramel sauce that I had in the fridge with this. My daughter is also slightly lactose intolerant, but she tried this and really liked it and wants to make it herself.