Ice Cream #16: Peanut Butter

The other night I had dinner with my friend Carolyn at The Meatball Shop in the west village and tried their peanut butter ice cream for dessert. I thought this would be a fun one to recreate at home. Aaron, being a peanut butter addict, was all too pleased with my decision. It runs in the family; his sister Amy loves peanut butter just as much. We once threw her a birthday dinner with peanut butter in every course (Amy, get your toosh over here before this ice cream's gone)! 

Feel free to use any peanut butter you choose. I particularly like the freshly ground honey roasted peanut butter that you can find at Whole Foods or other specialty markets. I like the grainy texture in the ice cream, but use creamy peanut butter if you prefer it perfectly smooth. 

Initially I was going to add chopped Reese's peanut butter cups to the ice cream, but after tasting it, I decided to stick with that unadulterated peanut buttery goodness. I love how this ice cream is nice and salty. It's unbelievably light, creamy, and the perfect ice cream for all you peanut butter lovers out there!

PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. sea salt
4 egg yolks
1 cup peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Fill a large metal bowl with about 2-inches of ice water. Put a slightly smaller metal bowl inside. Place a fine mesh strainer over the two bowls and set aside. 

In a medium size saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and 
bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Very slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (it should register about 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). 

Pour the custard through the fine mesh strainer into the prepared bowls. Whisk in the peanut butter and stir over the ice bath until the custard has cooled. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cover the surface of the custard with a sheet of plastic wrap and place another sheet over the bowl. Refrigerate until cold, preferably overnight. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to a quart container and freeze until ready to serve. 

Yield: 1 quart

Notes:

• After processing the ice cream, feel free to stir in chopped Reese's peanut butter cups or other fillings, if desired.