- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup half and half
- ¾ cup sugar
- Zest of 1 mandarin
- 7 egg yolks
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup skim milk powder
- 1 cup strained mandarin juice (from approximately 3 mandarins)
- Ice bath
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Ice cream maker
- See “Ice Cream and Sortbet Guidelines” in the Notes section, below
- Infuse the cream and make a crème anglaise (see the Note on cooking a stirred custard and testing for doneness):
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the cream, half-and-half, ¼ cup of the sugar, and the mandarin zest. Once the cream begins to steam, remove the pot from the heat and set it aside for 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, eggs, salt, skim milk powder, and the remaining sugar and briskly whisk for 1 minute. Using a ladle, slowly whisk some of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture to warm it. Gradually pour the warmed egg mixture into the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly as you pour. Whisk in the mandarin juice. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring continuously and scraping the bottom with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and strain the custard through a mesh strainer to remove the tangerine zest.
- Chill the crème anglaise and churn it:
- Place the crème anglaise (ice cream base) in an ice bath to cool. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill a minimum of 2 hours and up to 2 days before churning it in an ice cream machine. Churn the crème anglaise in an ice cream maker according to the machine manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream is finished once it has increased in volume and it holds the lines from the stirring mechanism and mounds like softly whipped cream. Transfer to the freezer for 4 hours to attain a scoopable consistency.
- Serving Suggestions:
- Serve this ice cream by itself or with a crisp cookie; the Crispy Bittersweet Chocolate Wafer and the Hazelnut Shortbread are both great accompaniments. The Meyer Lemon Curd Tart and the Roasted Medjool Dates Stuffed with Cashews, Currants, and Candied Citrus go well with this ice cream too.
- Variation:
- Spiced Mandarin Ice Cream:
- Add 1 cinnamon stick and 3 star anise to infuse the cream. Allow the cream to steep for 15 minutes with the spices and the zest.