Black Currant Ice Cream
Black Currant ice cream sounds delicious, and it is. It might be my new favorite ice cream this season. The ice cream requires no special equipment. It comes out rich and creamy with only a small amount of effort. What could be better? This is a great ice cream for kids to make, too.
The recipe came about as almost an afterthought. I had an open bottle of the black currant syrup in the fridge and a pint of whipping cream with a fast approaching expiration date. I whipped cream, added the syrup and froze it. This might just be the easiest ice cream I ever made!
The secret is to whip whipping cream until it is pretty stiff, then stir in a fruit flavored syrup. Once it is mixed, pop in the freezer. The result is a surprisingly nice ice cream.
It was inspired by a similar ice cream I make using whipped cream and chocolate syrup. I figured if it worked with chocolate syrup, it should work with other syrups. I was right. It worked out great. The only negative is an almost buttery mouth feel after eating a whole portion. I decided to alter the recipe a bit by adding some half and half to some of it, just before popping in the freezer. That version was also creamy and smooth, but without the mouth feel I didn’t like.
I am probably being too picky. I had several people try both versions and no one saw a big difference. One person said they preferred the half and half version. Here is the recipe, with variation. I also shared the original chocolate ice cream recipe and a recipe for making your own fruit syrup. Enjoy!!
Black Currant Ice Cream
1 pint whipping cream
1/2 c. black currant syrup, or to taste*
Place whipping cream in a bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. With mixer running, add the syrup. Add until mixture is light lavender color. You can also give it a taste, to be sure. Place mixture in a container with a tight fitting lid and place in freezer. Freeze several hours before trying it. Makes a bit over a quart.
* It occurred to me that besides using different fruit syrups, you could also try using maple syrup or perhaps honey. I make honey ice cream. Honey is pretty sweet, so use a lighter hand when adding it.
Variation: After you add the syrup, stir in ½ cup of half and half or milk. Freeze. Makes about 6 cups.
The recipe that inspired me.
Easy Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
1 pint whipping cream
1/2 c. chocolate syrup or to taste
Place whipping cream in a bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. With mixer running, add the syrup. Add until mixture is the color of chocolate ice cream. You can also give it a taste, to be sure. Place mixture in a container with a tight fitting lid and place in freezer. Freeze several hours before trying it. Makes 1 quart.
You can use any number of fruit syrups, if you prefer. I find mine at a local grocery store and at an Italian import store. You could also make your own fruit syrup, if you wanted. Here is my recipe for blueberry syrup. It could be adapted to other fruits.
Blueberry Syrup
4 c. blueberries
1 c. water
1 1/2 c. sugar
In saucepan heat berries and water to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Crush berries with a potato masher as they cook. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer and press to extract all the juices. Return to pan and add sugar. Boil 2 minutes and strain mixture again. Cool, then refrigerate. Keeps a couple of weeks. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.
