Donut Ice Cream - Two Ways

ciambellina/donut

Yup! You read correctly. Donut Ice Cream. Not Ice Cream with Donuts. Creamy Sugary sweetness with a surprise.

Having said that, allow me to bring you the next episode of “Project Dinner Service Dessert Test Kitchen”. We are getting closer - I think. Chef liked the Lemon Semifreddo with Lemon Brodo and Blackberry Sauce. Woohoo! The next step is figuring out the dish she wants to use for plating. She also likes the Flourless Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Ice Cream. Again, plating is the next hurdle. Two down, one to go.

Part of the third dessert/plating needs to include a donut ice cream. She has been set on this element from day one. I think it’s a little over the top, but that’s my opinion. I don’t like donuts, nor do I eat ice cream. (Although the Buttermilk Thyme Ice Cream was the bomb.) I also think the menu includes too many “cream" based items and is not well rounded, but it’s not my call. I do what I am told.

Having said that, my latest shift included creating a donut ice cream. Figuring Chef wasn’t going to have any of the Sublime donuts she wants to use for my practice, I grabbed some cheapy Blue Bird's mini donuts on my way in to the kitchen. The pack included three flavors, powdered, crunch, and chocolate. The variety granted me opportunity to try different flavor combinations.

The two recipes/ice creams here have been made differently. With the the vanilla based chocolate donut ice cream, I immersed the powdered donuts in the milk and heated the two ingredients together. Then, I steeped the mixture at room temperature for 1 hour before adding the other ingredients. The brown sugar & cinnamon donut ice cream went right from mixer to maker.

The end result? It was hard to decipher which technique worked better because of the different flavors, but both tasted like donuty ice cream. The two were sweet, but the Brown sugar & cinnamon, with the crunch donut, stood out a little more sugary. Brown sugar will do that.

The kitchen jury liked both flavors. So, why post them here? Both were good, but neither was good enough. Oh well. Back to the drawing board Monday when egg based ice creams are on deck. In the meantime, enjoy these!

Chocolate Donut Ice Cream

1 ½ cups whole milk
1 1/8 cups granulated sugar
3 cups heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

8 mini powdered donuts

8 mini chocolate donuts, cut into small pieces

In a medium sauce pan, combine milk, sugar, and powdered donuts. Bring to a simmer. Do Not Boil! As the milk gets warmer and the donuts become saturated, stir to help incorporate/dissolve the cake into milk. Remove from heat, cover with foil, and let stand for about an hour.

After an hour, strain milk over a medium bowl to remove any soggy, donut remnants. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes for a soft, creamy texture. Add the chocolate donut pieces and continue to “cook”/freeze for another 10-15 minutes.

Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

No machine? Add the donuts to the mixture, in the airtight container, and freeze. The chocolate glaze around the donut will help it from getting too soggy during the freezing process.

Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Donut Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
¾ cup brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups heavy cream
1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

8 mini crunch donuts

In a mixer, whisk the milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cream. Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes for a soft, creamy texture. Add the chocolate donut pieces and continue to “cook”/freeze for another 10-15 minutes.

Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

No machine? Add the donuts to the mixture, in the airtight container, and freeze.