Tahini Stracciatella Ice Cream

I think we can all agree tahini is having a bit of a moment. Well, it’s Middle Eastern cooking that’s truly having its moment, but the result is ingredients like tahini, rose water, zatar, and sumac are hitting the mainstream. There are premium tahini companies, like Soom Foods (in Philadelphia) popping up, and a new tahini and halva shop in Chelsea Market in NYC. I can even find three different varieties of tahini alongside the peanut butter and almond butter at my local C-Town, a decidedly un-fancy grocery store.

I grew up in a household that always had tahini around (medjool dates dipped in tahini is one of my dad's favorite snacks), and I am so happy to see it get some love because it is incredibly delicious and versatile - tahini's bitter toasty flavor can play a role in both sweet and savory cooking. In sweet preparations, like this super easy, eggless ice cream, it pairs exceptionally well with bold, bitter chocolate. 

More chocolate and tahini goodness:

Danielle Oron’s Salted Chocolate and Tahini Cookies via Molly Yeh

Marbled Chocolate Tahini Cups from A Cozy Kitchen

Tahini Chocolate Cakes from the NY Times

Tahini Hot Chocolate from Bon Appetit

 

Tahini Stracciatella Ice Cream

This ice cream combines chocolate and tahini to great effect. I made it with an eggless base, considering how oily tahini is, I figured I didn’t need the extra richness from egg yolks. It is rich and super creamy, punctuated by chocolate bits that melt as soon as they hit your tongue (thanks to a bit of coconut oil.) 

Ice Cream Base

1 cup (245g) tahini

1 cup (240ml) whole milk

2/3 cup (135g) sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups (480ml) heavy cream

Stracciatella

1/2 cup (75g) chopped bittersweet chocolate or chips

1 (15g) tablespoon coconut oil

Whisk the tahini, milk, sugar, and salt together in a saucepan. Warm gently while whisking constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is emulsified. Whisk in the vanilla extract and heavy cream until well combined. Chill thoroughly then churn the mixture in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.

While the mixture is churning melt the chocolate and coconut oil together over a double boiler or in the microwave. Whisk until smooth.

In the last minute of churning stream in the chocolate mixture and continue to churn until the chocolate is evenly distributed. Transfer to a freezer safe container, cover and freeze until firm.

Honeycomb Ice Cream & Mini Baked Alaskas

Last week over on my Food52 column, Project Dessert,  I shared a recipe for Mini Baked Alaskas with honeycomb ice cream, brown sugar poundcake, and torched swiss meringue. They were adorable and so tasty, but the real star of the show was the ice cream made from crushed homemade honeycomb candy folded through a simple ice cream base. As the ice cream sits in the freezer, the honeycomb melts a bit, making delicious and beautiful swirls and striations through the mix along with bits of crispy and chewy candy. So good.

Follow the links above to make all of the components for the Mini Baked Alaskas or if you aren't up for the whole project, no worries. The poundcake and ice cream are both stellar stand-alone recipes. The poundcake would be especially nice with some of Spring's first strawberries and fresh cream.

Honeycomb Ice Cream

Makes about 2 pints

Honeycomb candy is also known as sponge toffee, sea foam, hokey pokey, but all you need to know is that it is delicious caramelized sugar candy. If you’ve never made candy before this is a great one to start with, and you don’t even need a thermometer.

Honeycomb Candy

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark corn syrup or golden syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

pinch salt

Ice Cream Base

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1 cup granulated sugar

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch salt

To make the honeycomb: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Combine the sugar and corn syrup in a medium (at least 3 quarts) saucepan. Stir to combine well.

Cook the mixture over medium heat, swirl occasionally but do not stir once the pan is on the heat, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is the color of dark maple syrup about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the baking soda and salt. The mixture will bubble up and foam quite a bit. Quickly pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Let sit at room temperature until cool and set. When cool break the candy into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

To make the ice cream base: In a medium saucepan, whisk the cream, milk and sugar. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl.

Heat the cream mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the cream is just barely simmering. Ladle a bit of the hot cream into the egg yolks and whisk to temper the yolks.

Add the eggs to the saucepan pan and cook the mixture while stirring constantly until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the salt and vanilla extract.

Transfer the mixture to a container and chill the completely, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Just before churning the ice cream, break up about 3/4 cup of the honeycomb candy into rough crumbs.

Churn the ice cream in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions, just before the ice cream is done churning add in the honeycomb crumbs. Transfer the mixture to a freezer safe container, cover, and freeze until very firm.