How to make roasted carrot ice cream

Roasted Carrot Ice Cream With Hazelnut Sesame-Seed Crumble Picture: Deb Lindsey

Roasted Carrot Ice Cream With Hazelnut Sesame-Seed Crumble Picture: Deb Lindsey

Published Nov 18, 2017

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Serves 12

Roasted carrots lend their sweetness and a lovely colour to this ice cream, which is graced with a terrific crumble. 

Equipment

You’ll need an instant-read thermometer and an ice cream maker.

Ingredients

For the ice cream

12 medium carrots, scrubbed well

2tbsp olive oil

¼ cup honey

4 large egg yolks

4 cups heavy cream

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod reserved

Peruvian pink salt, for garnish (optional)

For the crumble

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

2tbsp unsalted butter

½ cup water

½ cup chopped, unsalted skinned hazelnuts

1 cup white sesame seeds

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Toss the carrots with the oil and 1 tablespoon of the honey. Arrange them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast (middle rack) for 20 to 35 minutes, turning once halfway through, until tender and just starting to caramelize. Let cool, then transfer to a food processor and purée until smooth. The yield is 1 cup.

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl, until smooth. 

Combine 3 cups of the heavy cream, the sugar, vanilla bean pod and seeds, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of honey in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the carrot purée until completely incorporated. Cook, whisking, until the mixture reaches 55°C130ºCdegrees, then remove the pan from the heat.

While whisking, slowly drizzle about one-quarter of the cream – carrot mixture into the egg yolks (to temper it), then pour it all back into the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture reaches between 76ºC and 80ºC. Do not go above this range or the egg yolks may scramble. 

Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup of cream. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a glass container, cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Discard the solids.

Churn the chilled ice cream base in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Scrape the ice cream into a jar or pan, cover with a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper pressed directly to the surface of the ice cream, and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

For the crumble: 

Preheat the oven to 180º. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Combine both sugars, the butter and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until the sugars have dissolved and the mixture is bubbling.

Stir in the nuts and sesame seeds, then remove from the heat and pour onto the baking sheet. Use a spatula to spread the nuts and seeds into an even layer.

Bake (middle rack) for about 13 minutes, until the syrup has set and is lightly golden.

Let cool completely.

Even though the cooled slab may still be pliable, break it into pieces and transfer to a food processor; pulse to a coarse-crumb consistency.

To serve, scoop the ice cream into bowls and top with a sprinkling of the crumble and pink salt, if using.

Adapted from Simple Fare: Spring and Summer, by Karen Mordechai (Harry N. Abrams, 2017).

The Washington Post 

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