Order 66 Pistachio Ice Cream (draft) | Poal: Say what you want.

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This is kind of a winged recipe because I wanted something simple and non-custard-based and couldn't find anything online that wasn't overly complicated. Notes below recipe for possible improvements.

ice cream

Ingredients:
3 cups milk (I had 1%, so that's what I used)
1 cup cream
1 cup sugar
1 tspn pistachio extract
2 drops of green food dye

I mixed these ingredients in a mixing bowl then got my ice cream maker -- stand mixer with freezer bowl and ice cream mixer attachement -- started and poured the mixture in. (I've learned the hard way that if you add your mix to a freezing cold bowl, it freezes on the sides, and then the mixer won't turn, so it's important to start the machine first before adding mix.) Then I left the mixer to its own devices and turned my attention to the pistachio swirl.

pistachio swirl

A little water
A goodly amount of sugar
1/4 tspn pistachio extract
4 drops of green food dye
About 1/4 cup of very finely chopped pistachios
Salt

I put the water and sugar and dye in a pan and stirred the sugar in until dissolved, then I let it boil down a little bit so it would be a very thick/ hard consistency when cold. Once it was boiled down I added pistachios, then I took it off the heat. The sickly green syrup was just about enough to cover all the pistachios with a little extra left over. I put this in the freezer and then once it was cooler I added some salt to the goop until it tasted slightly salty -- like maybe 1/2 tspn of salt.

Once the ice cream mixture had frozen, I observed it was far from set. Because of the high portion of 1% milk, the high sugar content, and the alcohol from the extract, the consistency was smoothie-like. It had obvious ice crystals but stirred easily and would probably melt if I looked at it too hard. So I popped that in the freezer for like half an hour, barely stirring it now and then just to get it to freeze more evenly. Once I felt like it was ready to handle the swirl, I introduced it and mixed it in. Then I spooned it into my old Talenti jars and popped it back in the freezer to set overnight.

Notes for future improvement

Overall, this recipe turned out. It's a fantastic flavor, and the saltiness and crunchiness of the swirl contrast great with the sweetness and smooth texture of the ice cream. Fully set, the consistency is still not overly hard, but your tongue can definitely feel the presence of the tiny ice crystals from the lowfat milk.

There are a couple adjustments I would make next time.

Firstly, I would up the fat content and slightly reduce the sugar to get a slightly creamier texture, but still get a hard set. (For whatever reason I want pistachio ice cream to be hard.) So switching the 1% out to whole milk, or perhaps changing the milk:cream ratio to 2.5cups:1.5cups. Another alternative is to bite the bullet and make a custard base. Upping the fat content makes the ice cream softer, so reducing the sugar (maybe to 2/3 cup) would ensure it maintains that hardness.

Secondly, I would make maybe 3x the amount of swirl that I thought I needed this time around. The swirl bits are so good, but there aren't nearly enough. So like a cup of finely chopped pistachios and however much sickly green syrup would be needed to absorb that much.

That's all.

*This is kind of a winged recipe because I wanted something simple and non-custard-based and couldn't find anything online that wasn't overly complicated. Notes below recipe for possible improvements.* **ice cream** Ingredients: 3 cups milk (I had 1%, so that's what I used) 1 cup cream 1 cup sugar 1 tspn pistachio extract 2 drops of green food dye I mixed these ingredients in a mixing bowl then got my ice cream maker -- stand mixer with freezer bowl and ice cream mixer attachement -- started and poured the mixture in. (I've learned the hard way that if you add your mix to a freezing cold bowl, it freezes on the sides, and then the mixer won't turn, so it's important to start the machine first before adding mix.) Then I left the mixer to its own devices and turned my attention to the pistachio swirl. **pistachio swirl** A little water A goodly amount of sugar 1/4 tspn pistachio extract 4 drops of green food dye About 1/4 cup of very finely chopped pistachios Salt I put the water and sugar and dye in a pan and stirred the sugar in until dissolved, then I let it boil down a little bit so it would be a very thick/ hard consistency when cold. Once it was boiled down I added pistachios, then I took it off the heat. The sickly green syrup was just about enough to cover all the pistachios with a little extra left over. I put this in the freezer and then once it was cooler I added some salt to the goop until it tasted slightly salty -- like maybe 1/2 tspn of salt. Once the ice cream mixture had frozen, I observed it was far from set. Because of the high portion of 1% milk, the high sugar content, and the alcohol from the extract, the consistency was smoothie-like. It had obvious ice crystals but stirred easily and would probably melt if I looked at it too hard. So I popped that in the freezer for like half an hour, barely stirring it now and then just to get it to freeze more evenly. Once I felt like it was ready to handle the swirl, I introduced it and mixed it in. Then I spooned it into my old Talenti jars and popped it back in the freezer to set overnight. **Notes for future improvement** Overall, this recipe **turned out**. It's a fantastic flavor, and the saltiness and crunchiness of the swirl contrast great with the sweetness and smooth texture of the ice cream. Fully set, the consistency is still not overly hard, but your tongue can definitely feel the presence of the tiny ice crystals from the lowfat milk. There are a couple adjustments I would make next time. Firstly, I would up the fat content and slightly reduce the sugar to get a slightly creamier texture, but still get a hard set. (For whatever reason I want pistachio ice cream to be hard.) So switching the 1% out to whole milk, or perhaps changing the milk:cream ratio to 2.5cups:1.5cups. Another alternative is to bite the bullet and make a custard base. Upping the fat content makes the ice cream softer, so reducing the sugar (maybe to 2/3 cup) would ensure it maintains that hardness. Secondly, I would make maybe 3x the amount of swirl that I thought I needed this time around. The swirl bits are so good, but there aren't nearly enough. So like a cup of finely chopped pistachios and however much sickly green syrup would be needed to absorb that much. That's all.

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