GINGERBREAD ICE CREAM
Gingerbread Ice Cream is a delicious custard-based frozen dessert that can be enjoyed on its own or served with other desserts. I often make it at Christmas because it has these beautiful warm notes of ginger, cinnamon and clove that are traditional for Christmas. So wonderfully fresh and creamy, the ice cream will complement many classic Christmas desserts beautifully. It pairs well with Christmas pudding, crumble, panattoni and other festive cakes. Yet, you won’t be restricted to serving my Gingerbread Ice Cream only at Christmas as it’s a delightful and refreshing treat that you can enjoy anytime.
Where does gingerbread flavour come from?
This wonderful gingerbread ice cream may be a modern dessert, but its flavours go way back in time. Ginger root was first cultivated in ancient China, where it was commonly used as a medicine. From there, it spread to Europe via the Silk Road, and according to Rhonda Massingham Hart’s Making Gingerbread Houses, the first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece in 2400 BC. Chinese recipes were developed during the 10th century, and by the late Middle Ages, Europeans had their own version of gingerbread. Initially, in Western Europe, gingerbread was made with spices and breadcrumbs, without ginger. Spices were extremely expensive at that time and available only to the rich. Generously spiced food sprinkled with cinnamon was a common sweetmeat served between courses at influential people’s dinner parties. It was a good way to clear the palette, help with digestion and sweeten the breath, but also to demonstrate the wealth of the host.
When spices became more affordable, gingerbread became a popular treat sold at festivals and fairs. And today, as we all know, it’s often associated with the festivity of Christmas.
Why you will love this recipe?
- Ice cream is a treat that most of us enjoy, and this one tastes so good! It has the same distinct flavours and spicy notes as gingerbread cookies. It also has a beautiful silky creamy texture like gelato.
- I make this ice cream with ginger root and spices. You probably know about the many health benefits of ginger. Ginger is loaded with antioxidants, helps with digestion, supports the liver and heart and many more.
- As with the gingerbread served as a sweetmeat in the Middle Ages, our ice cream is the perfect dessert to have after a heavy meal. It will help with digestion and sweeten your breath.
- Gingerbread is not just a winter flavour. It’s perfect for all seasons.
- This ice cream is easy to make with an ice cream maker. The custard takes no longer than 15 minutes to prepare, then the machine does the hard work for you.
Ingredients needed
- Dairy. To create a silky and creamy ice cream, you will need heavy cream and full-fat milk. They contain butterfat which is essential for making ice cream. Batterfat contributes to ice cream in several important ways: it gives the ice cream a beautiful creamy texture, adds flavour, absorbs other flavours, makes the ice cream firmer and slows its melting.
- Eggs. Another important ingredient that has a similar role is egg yolk. Egg yolk adds flavour to the ice cream and helps to create a creamy texture. It also prevents ice crystallisation, making the ice cream smoother.
- Sweetener. Sugar adds sweetness to the ice cream. In this recipe, it’s good to use dark sugar because it has a specific caramelised taste. For an even deeper flavour, you need to add honey or molasses.
- Flavouring. First, you need to use vanilla essence to create a base of flavour, then add to it. It’s best to use vanilla paste or vanilla pod scrapings because they have more intense flavours than the liquid essence. To make gingerbread flavour, we need cinnamon, clove and ginger. Some recipes use allspice as well. Dried ground ginger can work, but using fresh ginger is better as it has a fresher flavour. To add a lovely zing, use a bit of orange zest.
- Salt. You may wonder why adding salt to a sweet dessert? Salt assists in freezing the cream. It also lowers the freezing point of the water molecules in the cream leading to a more cohesive and even texture of the ice cream. Many say it’s essential to use fine rock salt rather than table salt when making ice cream.
Step-by-step instructions
- Infuse the cream mixture with the spices. In a saucepan, whisk the cream, milk, sugar and honey. Peel the ginger. It’s not necessary to cut the ginger into smaller pieces, just score it to release more flavour. Add the spices to the saucepan. I use ground spices, but whole pieces of cinnamon and cloves will work as well. Heat the cream mixture on medium heat and stir until the sugar and honey dissolve completely. Once it starts to simmer, add the orange zest. Remove the saucepan from the heat just as soon as the mixture comes to a boil. Do not let it boil because that can cause the milk to separate or curdle.
- Make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and vanilla to combine. Pour about 1/4 of the hot cream mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks and whisk continuously to combine. This tempers the egg yolks to gently cook. Continue to pour small splashes of hot cream mixture into the custard and keep on whisking until you have used all the cream mixture.
- Sieve the custard. Pour the custard over a fine-mesh sieve or a muslin cloth into a bowl to filter the custard and remove the spices. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill the custard for at least 4 hours or even overnight to ensure proper churning.
- Make the ice cream in an ice cream maker. When the custard is thoroughly chilled, pour it into your ice cream maker and make the ice cream.
Tips on making and storing ice cream
- It’s very important to chill your custard mixture properly to ensure no ice crystals form in the ice cream.
- Use a good quality ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure your ice cream forms well.
- The ice cream can be eaten straight out of the machine, but it will still be a bit soft. For a firmer ice cream, place it in the freezer for at least a couple of hours before serving.
- Always store ice cream in an air-tight and freezer-safe container.
- When serving ice cream, scoop it quickly and do not allow it to melt in the container, otherwise, the texture of the ice cream will change and it lose some of its creaminess.
How to serve Gingerbread Ice Cream
Gingerbread Ice Cream is a delicious treat by itself, but it’s also excellent to serve with other dry desserts like cakes, sweet pies or scones. It’s a perfect topping for Christmas pudding and mince pies.
More ideas on what to serve with Gingerbread Ice Cream:
Try it with my Filo Pumpkin Pie.
Enjoy!! 👨🍳👨🍳👨🍳
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Gingerbread Ice Cream
Equipment
- 1 ice cream maker
- 1 medium sausepan
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 hand mixer or a whisk
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup dark sugar Muscovado sugar or similar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 7 eggs yolks only
- 1 inch fresh ginger peel and make cuts into it
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves ground
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 pinch rock salt
Instructions
- In a saucepan, whisk the cream, milk, sugar and honey. Peel the ginger and make a few cuts on it. Add it to the saucepan with the spices. Heat the cream mixture on medium heat and stir until the sugar and honey dissolve. Once it starts to simmer, add the orange zest. Remove the saucepan from the heat just as soon as the mixture comes to a boil. Do not let it boil.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and vanilla to combine. Pour about 1/4 of the hot cream mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks and begin to mix with a whisk or hand mixer. Pour small splashes of hot cream mixture into the custard and continue whisking until you have used all the cream mixture.
- Filter the custard over a fine-mesh sieve or a muslin cloth and dispose of the spices. Cover the bowl of custard with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Make the ice cream in an ice cream maker. When the custard is thoroughly chilled, pour it into your ice cream maker and make the ice cream.
- When the custard is thoroughly chilled, pour it into your ice cream maker and make the ice cream following the manufacturer's instructions. Store the ice cream in an air-tight container in the freezer.
