Growing up in India, mango season was always one that we all looked forward to. Mango season lasts from the months of April to June, so that is about less than 3 months in the entire year, that we got to enjoy mangoes. The mangoes in India are absolutely sweet and fragrant and unlike any other mangoes I have had in the US, or in any other part of the world. Come Mango season, Mum would use mangoes in every possible way. We would have mangoes for breakfast, aam ras or thick freshly pureed mango with our thali lunch, mango milkshakes for an afternoon snack, and some form of mango at night too! It would be a mango bonanza for 2 full months that we would thoroughly enjoy! Mangoes are in season only for 2 months in the entire year in India, so it was a priced commodity and quite expensive too. I would always see my mom haggle with the mango wallas as we would call them, endlessly to get a good price on the petis and petis(crates) of mangoes that she would buy to satisfy our mango cravings. Pretty funny! Oh and the mangoes come in this crate with hay in it. The hay would drive my pet cat Sweety crazy! She would play with the hay and go absolutely nuts!
Did you know that there are 1500 varieties of mangoes that are grown in India?! My favorite varieties are Alphonso and Payari. Mum would use Payari to make the mango juice or aam raas that was invariably our sweet dish for every lunch in the mango season months. Towards the end of the mango season, we would have the Dasseri variety or the Langda variety which were pretty good too. Alphonso was fantastic for eating, milkshakes, in shrikhand, and to make ice cream!
*ROSE’s ICE CREAM BLISS – a NEW ICE CREAM COOKBOOK!*
Dart Frogg Co, is a company that does publicity campaigns for authors. They have been sending me the new cookbooks for some time now, and me being a fan of new cookbooks, it is always wonderful to see what new and existing authors are coming out with. The company sent me a copy of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s new cookbook called ROSE’s ICE CREAM BLISS, who is the also famous author of THE CAKE BIBLE. The book is filled with a collection of 100 easy to follow frozen treat recipes that have been meticulously tested. The book has a wide range of ice cream topics that Flavorful Ice Creams, Berry Fruit and Vegetable Ice Creams, Chocolate and Nut Ice Creams, Toppings, Adornments and Add-Ins for Ice Cream, Ice Cream Socials. I personally love the Ice Cream Social Chapter, which has all the fun ice cream options for parties, such as ice cream sandwiches, waffle ice cream cones, black forest ice cream cake roll etc. The cover is my absolute favorite! It is so childlike, bright, beautiful, vibrant and screams summer!
I love making ice cream and have been ice cream for a few years now. But there are always new things to learn from cookbooks, especially when it is from a James Beard Award Winner like Rose Levy Beranbaum herself! I have been enjoying reading her cookbook and learning a few new tricks that I plan to use when I make ice cream from now onwards. I will highlight them below. This cookbook is fantastic for newbies and for experts. It has fun popular flavors, and also fruity flavors that are my absolute favorite.
*FEW THINGS I LEARNT FROM THIS COOKBOOK:*
– I had no idea that the basic base had a formula to make the perfect base. The cream is 50%, milk is 17.2%, egg yolk is 14%, Glucose or reduced corn syrup is 4.5%. These percentages change when adding additional ingredients.
– Using Corn Syrup instead of Glucose in the ice cream base : It is not easy to get Glucose for home makers, and a good substitute is to use corn syrup. The best way to replace glucose is to take ¼ cup or 80 grams of corn syrup, bring it to a boil on a stove top and stir in an equal amount as the glucose, of the corn syrup into the ice cream base. This will result in the same consistency as glucose.
– Milk powder is an excellent emulsifier and it bonds with the liquid and the fat in the base, preventing ice crystals from forming when the ice cream is in the freezer. This works especially in ice creams that have a high water content, for example Orange Ice Cream.
*RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CERTAIN INGREDIENTS IN THIS COOKBOOK:*
– Egg Yolks help with the creamy texture of the ice cream and hence the weight of the egg yolks is important while making good creamy textured ice cream.
– Essences and Oils help to add the extra flavor to the ice cream, that sets the ice cream apart from other brands or other methods.
– Fruit concentrates and pulps help to add the necessary full bodied fruit flavor required for fruit ice creams.
– Sometimes if a particular ingredient does not impart color for example Lavender Ice cream, a little bit of purple would be great to add to showcase the flavor of the ice cream.
– Nut pastes enhance the flavor of the particular nut in the ice cream.
There are several more recommendations in the book, and it is really worth getting it for your reading pleasure.
*MANGO PULP USED IN THIS ICE CREAM:*
The mango pulp recommended in this book is the Ratna brand Alphonso pulp, which is a brand from India, since Alphonso mangoes do have the sweetest and fruitiest, bright orange mango flavor that imparts the maximum flavor to this ice cream. I love using this mango pulp in various other desserts as well, and the desserts turn out beautifully.
*ICE CREAM MAKER THAT I HAVE:*
In my opinion, ice cream maker is one of the most fun and creative and best investment. The usage you will get out of the ice cream maker, and the different varieties and kinds of innovative fun ice creams that you can make, even better than what you get at the super market, will be a journey that you will not regret! I have my ice cream maker since 3 years, and many tubes of ice creams later, it still works really well, and my family enjoys all the wonderful flavors that I come up with in the process. The Ice cream maker that I have is the Cuisinart one. I have linked it here. There are many others in the market now, and ones that do not require freezing the tub in the freezer for 24 hours. I have to freeze it for a day, before I can make ice cream, but it has become a habit now, and I put the tub in, make the custard, and make the ice cream the next day.
ANOTHER TIP : I usually make ice cream, with the egg yolks when I make macarons. The egg whites go in making the macarons, and the same amount of yolks usually make the custard base. So it is a win-win situation and there is no wastage. You can also make meringues, pavlovas, use egg whites to make a light airy cake etc. The uses are endless!
This mango ice cream that I made from Rose’s new Cookbook is absolutely divine, so velvety and one of the best mango ice creams I have ever had! The custard is smooth, silky and the ice cream simply melts in your mouth. It is a must make. I am glad I chose mango ice cream to make from this book since it is summer, we all love mangoes, mangoes will always have my heart, and summer means fruity flavors. My kids loved this ice cream and I will definitely be trying more flavors from this cookbook! I ofcourse love the addition of cardamom in this ice cream. Mango and cardamom are a match made in heaven. They both go so well together. I did add pistachios in this ice cream for that slight bite to the ice cream which I love!
I hope you get to try this recipe, and also buy the book from Amazon! I am linking the book here! It is a cookbook for keeps, especially since I have so much respect for Rose Levy Beranbaum, who is mega accomplished in the food world, and has so many accolades to her credit.
Hope you are all are doing well in this pandemic and coping well.
Best wishes always,
XO
Amisha
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (333 gms) alphonso mango pulp
- 1 tbsp (9 gms) cornstarch
- ½ cup (121 gms) whole milk, divided
- 1 ½ cups (348 gms) heavy cream
- ¾ cup (150 gms) granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp (63 gms) glucose or reduced corn syrup
- A pinch of sea salt
- ¼ cup plus 3 tbsp (112 gms) – about 6 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp freshly ground cardamom
- 2-3 tbsp slivered pistachios
- Garnish:
- Slivered pistachios
Instructions
- 1. Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium bowl
- 2. Prepare an ice water bath.
- 3. Into a small bowl, weigh or measure the mango pulp. Cover and refrigerate it.
- 4. In a custard cup or small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 21 grams/2 tbsp of the milk until smooth, adding the milk slowly as you mix it in. Cover with plastic wrap.
- 5. In a medium saucepan, with a silicone spatula, stir together the remaining milk (100 gms/6 tbsp), the cream, sugar, glucose, cardamom and salt until well blended.
- 6. In a small bowl, place the egg yolks and whisk them lightly. Set it near the cooktop.
- 7. Over medium heat, bring the milk mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and cook at a slow boil for 2 to 3 minutes to evaporate some of the water in the mixture. Remove the pan from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes (to about 180 degrees F).
- 8. Stir the cornstarch mixture to make sure it is smooth and then whisk it into the hot mixture. Return the pan to the heat and bring the mixture to a slow boil. Cook for 1 minute, whisking gently. It will thicken slightly.
- 9. Remove the cornstarch mixture from the heat and gradually whisk about ½ cup of the mixture into the egg yolks to temper them. Then use a whisk to stir the egg yolk mixture back into the pot. Check the temperature. If an instant-read thermometer reads 170 degrees F, there is no need to heat it further. If it is lower, heat the mixture on low, stirring constantly, until thickened a little further. When a finger is run across the back of the spatula, it will leave a well-defined track. An instant-read thermometer should read 170 degrees F.
- 10. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into the strainer, scraping up the thickened mixture that has settled on the bottom of the pan. Press it through the strainer into the bowl and scrap any mixture clinging to the underside into the bowl.
- 11. Set the bowl in the ice water bath and allow it to cool until no longer warm to the touch, stirring occasionally. Stir in the mango pulp and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or until no warmer than 43 degrees F. (Alternatively, continue cooling it in the ice water bath.) Set a covered storage container in the freezer.
- 12. Churn the mango custard in a pre-chilled ice cream maker. Transfer the ice cream to a chilled container, mixing in the pistachios at ever scoop of the ice cream in the container. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream, cover the container and allow the ice cream to firm in the freezer for atleast 4 hours before serving.
- NOTES:
- Many canned brands of mango pulp taste more like peach than mango. The Ratna brand is renowned for its bright orange fresh and intense mango flavor. You can get it from the Indian stores and even online on Amazon.
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