Pie and Pastry Bible (66 page)

Make the dough (page 61). Roll, shape, and prebake it (see pages 50-54). Let cool, then place in the freezer, covered.

Spread
cup of the ice cream in each of the 8 tartlet shells. Cover them with plastic wrap and return them to the freezer for several hours or until very hard.

Remove the flan rings and return the covered tartlets to the freezer.

MAKE THE TOPPING

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown. Cool and then coarsely chop them.

In the top of a double boiler over hot, not simmering, water, melt the chocolate, stirring often, until fully melted. (Or melt the chocolate in the microwave on high power, stirring every 20 seconds.) Remove from the heat, add the cream, and stir until smooth. Stir in the nuts.

Remove the tartlets, one at a time, from the freezer and, using a small metal spatula, spread about ¼ cup of the chocolate mixture on top of the ice cream so that it is even with the top of the pastry. Working quickly, smooth the surface evenly before the chocolate mixture sets, and return the tartlet, covered, to the freezer.

About 5 minutes before serving time, remove the tartlets from the freezer.

STORE

Frozen, up to 3 weeks.

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

Leave the tartlet shells in the flan rings after cooling to serve as support for the filling.

The nuts should be deeply browned but not too dark, to achieve an intense flavor without being burnt.

UNDERSTANDING

I prefer good-quality commercial coffee ice cream to homemade because manufacturers use freshly roasted coffee beans, which make an enormous difference to the purity and intensity of the coffee flavor.

TRIPLE VANILLA ICE CREAM

(
with Cræme Fraîche Variation
)

T
he secret to having intensely pure vanilla flavor without bitterness is to use vanilla beans in combination with vanilla extract. Since I love the flavor differences contributed by the Madagascar and the Tahitian bean, I use both. The optional vodka is flavorless but keeps the ice cream velvety even after a week in the freezer. If serving the ice cream the same day it is made, it’s fine to omit it. The Cræme Fraîche variation provides a delightful tangy edge that wonderfully complements the acidity of fruit tarts. Because the cræme fraîche is thicker than heavy cream, it also delivers a fuller consistency in the semimelted stage.

MAKES: ABOUT 4 CUPS (DEPENDING ON THE ICE CREAM MAKER)
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
	VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
If Tahitian vanilla beans are unavailable, use a total of 2 regular (Madagascar) vanilla beans.
sugar	½ cup + 1 tablespoon	4 ounces	112 grams
¾ Tahitian vanilla bean, split lengthwise		•	•
¾ Madagascar vanilla bean, split lengthwise		•	•
6 large egg yolks	7 tablespoons	4 ounces	112 grams
salt	a pinch	•	•
heavy cream or Cræme Fraîche (page 558)	2¼ liquid cups	18.3 ounces	522 grams
milk	¾ liquid cup	6.5 ounces	182 grams
pure vanilla extract	1½ teaspoons	•	6 grams
optional: vodka	1½ tablespoons	0.75 ounce	21.5 grams
optional: Cobasan	rounded ½ teaspoon	•	•

Have a fine strainer suspended over a medium mixing bowl ready near the range.

In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, place the sugar and vanilla beans and, using your fingers, rub the seeds into the sugar. Remove and reserve the pods. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the yolks and salt until well blended.

In a small saucepan (or a heatproof glass measure if using a microwave on high power) place the cream, milk, and reserved vanilla pods and scald.
^*
Stir a few tablespoons into the yolk mixture, then gradually add the remainder, stirring constantly. Heat the mixture, stirring constantly, to just below the boiling point (170° to 180°E). Steam will begin to appear and the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. If a finger is run across the back of the spoon, it will leave a well-defined track. Immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into the strainer, scraping up the thickened cream that has settled on the bottom of the pan. Return the vanilla pods to the sauce until you are ready to freeze the ice cream.

Cool by setting the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water or in the refrigerator until cold, at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Stir in the vanilla extract and the optional vodka and Cobasan. Remove the vanilla pods (rinse and dry them for future use) and freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker. Allow the ice cream to ripen for at least 2 hours in the freezer before serving. If it has been held longer and is very hard, allow it to sit refrigerated or at room temperature until softened and creamy.

STORE

Frozen, up to 1 week. The ice cream has the best texture within 3 days of freezing but with the vodka will maintains its texture for up to a week.

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

See page 223.

BUTTERMILK ICE CREAM

M
y friend Andreas Galliker, executive chef for Albert Uster Imports, created this fantastic ice cream. Cobasan, the same flavorless emulsifier that stabilizes whipping cream, works its magic with ice cream! Without it, you will have the slightly icy consistency of ice milk instead of creamy ice cream. The fresh orange juice accentuates the buttermilk flavor without imparting more than a subtle one of its own.

A scoop of this ice cream is refreshing, tangy, and zippy, perfect on top of blueberry pie and all other fruit pies and tarts.

MAKES: ABOUT 4 CUPS (DEPENDING ON THE ICE CREAM MAKER)
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
	VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
* Remove the orange portion of the peel only. Wide strips of zest are fine, as they are used to infuse flavor and are discarded. Taste the zest to be sure it is not bitter; don’t use it if it is. The ice cream will still have a lovely flavor. A few drops of orange oil (see page 638), added just before freezing, can be used in its place.
3 juice oranges, zested* and juiced	1 liquid cup	8.5 ounces	242 grams
heavy cream (not ultrapasteurized)	1 liquid cups	12 ounces	348 grams
4 large egg yolks	scant liquid cup	2.6 ounces	74 grams
sugar	c¾ cup	5.25 ounces	150 grams
buttermilk	1½ liquid cups	12-7 ounces	363 grams
Cobasan	1 teaspoon	•	•
optional: vodka	2½ tablespoons	1.25 ounces	36 grams