Homemade Gourmet Ice Cream With Exquisite Toppings

Olive oil and vinegar are used for cosmetics, home remedies, cleaning, and medicinal uses. Some readers might be very surprised to read that olive oil and vinegar are frequently used in dessert recipes abroad. Ice cream happens to be one of them.

A couple of years ago I posted an instructable making home made ice cream using olive oil as a ingredient. It was very good. I decided to go a little further and make some interesting toppings using olive oil and vinegar for an ice cream topping.

This instructable will share a homemade ice cream recipe using olive oil, topping recipes using balsamic vinaigrette, and sharing a really good method to improve the flavor of the less expensive balsamic vinaigrette brand.

Step 1: Ingredients and Utensils

Recipe adapted from David Leboviz

Ingredients for Ice Cream:

1 1/2 Cups whole milk

1/2 Cup sugar

Pinch of sea salt

4 Egg yolks

1 Cup of heavy cream

1/2 Cup high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil ( look on label for a fruity flavor)

1 teaspoon good quality Pure Vanilla or a good quality mint ( not in pictures )

Ingredients for better tasting (cheaper brand) Balsamic Vinaigrette:

1 bottle of (cheaper brand ) Balsamic Vinaigrette

You may add Pure Vanilla, sugar, and Chocolate Cacao if desired I will share method later.

Fruit Toppings:

I used strawberries with vinaigrette and a little sugar but you could use any fruit you prefer or something like apricot preserves.

Chocolate mint for garnish

Utinsils:

Basic tools are needed such as wooden spoon, whisk, mixing bowls, electric mixer or mix by hand, measuring cups, wire strainer, freezable container I used a glass bowl with a tight lid, light colored heavy bottomed sauce pan, and a bottle with a cork.

Step 2: Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups whole milk

1/2 Cup sugar

Pinch of sea salt

4 Egg yolks

1 Cup of heavy cream

1/2 Cup high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil ( look on label for a fruity flavor)

1 teaspoon good quality Pure Vanilla or Creme de mint Extract ( not in pictures )

Step 3: Cooking the Ice Cream Custard

Method:

Separate the egg yolks and whisk them

Pour the milk, sugar, and salt into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and bring ingredients to a simmer. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and add a small amount of this mixture in a very slow stream to the egg yolks; not to cook the egg yolks. Stir to combine.

Add the egg mixture to the pan with the leftover milk.

Cook the mixture using a medium low heat; while you continue to stir.

You will know when the mixture is thick enough; when the back side of the spoon is coated with the custard. It may take 20 minutes or a little longer.

Pour the Custard through the metal strainer into the cream. This will remove any egg bits that might be in the mixture. Stir to combine and then add the olive oil and vanilla and whisk.

Place in the refrigerator overnight to chill or until the mixture is completely chilled about 4 hours

At this point you can use an ice cream maker following the manufacturers directions or follow the next few steps of this instructable if you don't have one.

Step 4: Mixer Method for Making Ice Cream

Method:

Chill a glass bowl and the mixer blades in the freezer for about fifteen minutes.

Pour the custard into the chilled glass bowl.

Mix using the lowest setting of your mixer for about two minutes.

Place the custard mixture into the freezer for about 1 hour.

Clean the mixer blades and place them into the freezer as well.

After 1 hour repeat the process of mixing the custard using a mixer and return to the freezer.

When the custard begins to thicken and is a little more difficult to mix, check on it about every half hour and mix with a spoon or the mixer if you choose.

Keep repeating the process until it has the consistency of ice cream.

Step 5: Method to Improve the Flavor of a Cheaper Balsamic Vinaigrette

I had been searching the different qualities of balsamic vinegar and olive oils. I discovered that the less expensive brands are much thinner than the more expensive brands and that they contain a lot of water. The more expensive brands have a thicker consistency kind of like syrup.

I wanted to make a chocolate mint balsamic vinaigrette but was not sure how to do it. I did a quick check online and all I found was some you could purchase online; so I experimented and made one but I am not sure if it is the same as what they sell because I have never tried the store bought kind before. I decided to cook the balsamic to reduce the water content try and achieve a thicker consistency and discovered it tasted richer. Now I have a better idea why the more expensive brands are better.

I made the first batch by adding sugar to the balsamic vinaigrette in the beginning as well as the chocolate mint. It made it a little too thick but I did achieve a nice light flavored balsamic mint vinaigrette. After I removed the mint; I added a couple of chunks of the chocolate and it was good but too thick. So I made it again; this time I did not add the mint; mainly because I was not sure if it would go with the strawberries I just bought so I decided to add the chocolate, vanilla,and sugar after the vinaigrette was heated and reduced. After I made the second recipe it was so good that I decided to heat a whole bottle and use half for the chocolate recipe and the other half for when ever I need it. The recipe and method is in the next step.

Step 6: Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

I did not take a lot of pictures for this process because it was an experiment. It turned out so good I wished I had taken more pictures and by the time I realized it was so tasty I didn't have enough left to make another batch for this instructable. After giving it some thought, this would be a great method to use for a new recipe that calls for the good stuff but you don't want to waste it. If you love it with the less expensive stuff you should love it more with the good stuff. If you happen to have a bottle of balsamic vinegar you do not like, try adding some herbs or fruit to this method and you might like it better.

Method:

It will help to open a window or use the stove vent because heated vinegar is very smelly.

Heat an entire bottle of balsamic vinaigrette in a sauce pan over medium low heat for about twenty minutes or longer if needed; keep a close watch and stir frequently because it can burn easily. You can tell when it is ready when the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon and the color changes.

Remove the pan from heat.

If making the chocolate version:

Remove about 1/2 cup of the warm liquid and immediately whisk in desired amount of sugar ( I used 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 chopped chocolate square and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.This topping will separate after setting a while, just a quick whisk before spooning it over the ice cream is all it takes.

Most of you will probably add more sugar but we have to watch our sugar intake and do not use the fake sugar. This recipe has a mild chocolate flavor. Adding more squares of chocolate will achieve a richer chocolate flavor with a milder twang.

Pour the rest of the mixture into a sterilized bottle with a cork and store in the refrigerator until needed. It should last a long time.

Step 7: Fruit

Method:

I make just enough that will be eaten.

Wash and remove the stems from the strawberries.

Dice into small chunks and add sugar if desired.

Pour just enough of the balsamic vinegar over the fruit to cover it slightly.

Allow to marinate for about one hour.

Step 8: Sunshiine's Final Thoughts

A few more things that I have learned about these condiments. If the label list dates, where it was bottled, how long it was aged and is bottled with a colored glass bottle; you probably have found a good one according to different things I have read. If anyone can contribute to this please leave a comment, I would love to learn more. I did not find a really great quality in my hometown, according to all these things. I did find one bottle that was bottled in a dark green glass bottle and was organic .

My husband and I enjoyed all the toppings. Olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette are really good with ice cream especially homemade versions. I hope you try these recipes with your next scoop of ice cream. It is amazing how it compliments the ice cream. I have heard some people add sea salt. Stay tuned as I am thinking about trying another topping with it for kicks.

I wish to thank contributors for making this placed such a nice place to share. Hope everyone is having a great summer~

sunshiine~