You know that saying about not missing something until it’s gone? Well, my ice cream maker sat sad & unused in my deep freeze for a long time. One day I finally made a quick & simple recipe I never even blogged (but should have). After the freezer bowl thawed, I decided since I don’t make ice cream often I shouldn’t keep the bowl frozen all the time, as it takes up space. So I moved it to the pantry where it sat for another long amount of time. Fast forward to fall (maybe even summer??) when a coworker mentioned they got a new KitchenAid stand mixer, so I offered up my ice cream maker attachment on loan. OF COURSE all I could think about after that was making ice cream.

When I got it back, I didn’t wait too long to finally make a new batch! While I have a ton of recipes I already know & love (but haven’t added to since 2012!) I knew I wanted to try something different. I decided to go with a Jeni’s Ice Cream recipe for pistachio ice cream. In the past I’ve also enjoyed Talenti Gelato’s pistachio gelato, but I don’t like that they have pieces of pistachio in the ice cream. I just don’t like nuts in my ice cream. I knew I wanted to bump up the flavor so I decided to chop dark chocolate in my food processor until I had tiny shavings. I love bits of chocolate that don’t crunch, but melt when they hit your mouth.

I gotta say, I think this ice cream really hit it out of the park! The pistachio flavor, which comes from real pistachios really shines through. It was worth getting raw fingers from shelling all the pistachios. (Y’all know I’m too cheap to buy them already shelled.) And just as I had hoped, the chocolate warmed with each bite & melted for the perfect pairing. If you’re a pistachio fan, or are just looking for a sophisticated ice cream to try, look no further.


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Chocolate Flecked Pistachio Ice Cream

Ingredients:

6 ounces dark chocolate finely chopped or shaved
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 tablespoons)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup toasted pistachios, very finely ground
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch. In another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese until smooth.

In a large saucepan, combine the remaining milk with the heavy cream, sugar and corn syrup. Bring the milk mixture to a boil and cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Whisk in the pistachios, almond extract and salt. Set the bowl in the ice water bath and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes. Then transfer to the refrigerator to cool 2 hours or more.

Strain the ice cream base, pressing the pistachios with the back of a spoon to extract all the flavor. Pour base into ice cream maker and churn to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to a freezer safe container, blending in shaved chocolate with a spatula or spoon. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze the pistachio ice cream until firm, about 4 hours.

slightly adapted from Jeni's Ice Cream via Food & Wine

*If you didn’t catch the link at the top, I have this KitchenAid Stand Mixer Ice Cream Attachment. I love it! A must have if you already have the stand mixer, and love ice cream.*