My obsession with kumquat continues. This fruit is so tiny but packed with so much flavor! My kumquat plant has tiny buds on it, and I finally see tiny orange buds on it. I wonder if it will bear fruit this year. If it does, I am going to squeal like a 5 year old! Lol. Little things that excite me! So I made the candied kumquats, and in my mind, I was thinking that kumquat ice cream would be absolutely delicious!
I added pureed kumquats to the ice cream base. And I feel some ice cream require the crunch factor. Cashew-sunflower seed and ginger praline sounded just right with this ice cream. So I made a simple praline using my praline recipe, and substituting the ingredients for half cashew and half sunflower seeds, and added a dash of ground ginger, for an ounce of warmth. The praline was broken down into pieces and added into the ice cream base after churning and before putting into the baking tray to set in the freezer. The praline addition was absolutely mind blowing, in contrast with the kumquat ice cream and candied kumquats in the ice cream.
I was very happy with the whole combination! The color was so pretty too, that slight yellow orange hue, so perfectly spring like and happy and bright! With summer coming, I can think of a million ice creams to make! For now, I will think of more spring like recipes J.
Hope you are experiencing more sunshine now in wherever part of the world you are in. We started seeing more sunshine this week, and less rain which is great. Rain is fantastic for the bay area, but I think most of us were getting a bit tired of it. Loving all the wild flowers springing everywhere – a sight to breath in and take in.
Much love to you all.
XO
Amisha
Ingredients
Kumquat Ice Cream Base:
- 1½ cup whole milk
- 1½ cup heavy cream
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup kumquat puree
Candied Kumquats:
- 8oz kumquats
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
*Kumquat Puree: *
- 8 oz kumquats, washed and dried
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Cashew-Sunflower seeds-Ginger Praline:
- 1/3 cup raw cashews chopped into big pieces
- 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
*Candied Kumquats: *
- Cut the ends of the kumquats slightly. Cut the remaining into 4 slices. Remove any seeds. Make sure to collect all the juice in a bowl.
- In a small saucepan, on medium heat, put the water and sugar, and let it dissolve, for about 2 minutes. Now add in the ginger, cinnamon stick and kumquat, and let it boil for about 5-7 minutes until the kumquat is translucent. Switch off the gas, and put gently remove the slices into a glass jar, with a spoon. Drain the remaining liquid into a small bowl, to discard the ginger and cinnamon. Add the sugary syrup into the glass jar. Cover and keep it refrigerated for about 3 weeks.
*Kumquat Puree: *
- Puree the kumquats and sugar in a high speed blender, until absolutely smooth. Remove from the blender and strain through a mesh strainer to get a smooth puree. Refrigerate for a week.
Cashew-Sunflower seeds-Ginger Praline:
- Keep a jelly roll pan, or a small baking sheet with parchment paper ready within reach.
- In a small saucepan, on low to medium heat, add in the sugar and let it caramelize. Do not stir it. When the sugar starts the melt, use a rubber spatula and move the sugar around. It will start the melt and become liquid. The process takes about 3-4 minutes. Add in the ginger and stir with the spatula. Add in the cashew and sunflower seeds and stir to coat all of the nuts and seeds properly. This process is quick, so immediately pour it onto the parchment paper, and using the spatula level it out onto the parchment paper. Let it cool and set, about an hour. At that point the praline is ready to be chopped and eaten or used in the ice cream!
Make the Ice Cream Base:
- Set a strainer over a medium bowl set in a larger bowl containing ice and 2 cups water. Heat the milk, cream, 1/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, , until steam appears and the milk is warm (about 175 degrees), about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk the yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl until combined and pale yellow, whisk it vigorously. Whisk half the warm milk mixture into the beaten yolks, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.
- Whisk the milk-yolk mixture into the warm milk in the saucepan; set the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until steam appears, foam subsides, and the mixture is slightly thickened or an instant-read thermometer registers 180 to 185 degrees. (Do not boil the mixture, or the eggs will curdle.)
- Immediately strain the custard into the bowl set in the ice bath; cool the custard to room temperature, stirring it occasionally to help it cool. Once cooled, add in the vanilla extract and stir. Also add in the kumquat puree and give it a good whisk to blend. Cover and refrigerate for atleast 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
Making the ice cream:
- Once, the custard is ready, pour the custard into the ice cream machine and churn, following the manufacturer’s instructions, until the mixture resembles soft-serve ice cream for 20 minutes. Add in small praline pieces and ½ cup of the candied kumquats at this point. Churn for 5 additional minutes. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight rectangular 8x8 baking tray, top with a few more candied kumquats and praline and let it set in the deep freezer for 2-3 hours.
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