Peanut Butter: Ice Cream

I finally got all organised before the night before posting, worked out the whole "schedule" thing and was sitting back feeling pretty pleased with myself when I somehow managed to delete the whole content of this post! Aaarrgg. So, armed with a big bowl of peanut butter ice cream I am re-writing this week’s second peanut butter binge recipe the night before posting - a custard based super creamy ice cream with a good dose of peanut butter goodness *AMAZING*.

 

Peanut butter always makes me think of being a kid - celery sticks covered in PB as an afterschool snack, PB sandwiches and PB running down the wall... yes, that's right - the wall.

 

My sister and I have both grown into the 'young ladies' our parents must of prayed, and at times doubted, we would become as they watched us tear around thousands of acres of farm in the middle of nowhere covered in mud, acting more than a little feral on more than one occasion. One particular day we were chasing each other up and down our long hallway as one of us had a spoon of peanut butter and the other wanted it (why not just get another spoon of PB? it's more fun to steal it from your sibling). After several lengths we looked at the spoon and the peanut butter was gone, we were both convinced the other had eaten it mid run, checked the floor but with no trace of peanut butter quickly lost interest and put it down to one of life's mysteries. An hour later we were off doing something else when we heard mum shout, "GIRLS, why is there PEANUT BUTTER running down the wall?" Every time I eat PB now I picture the snail trail of PB down our white wall from eye level to about 2 inches off the floor...

Ice cream is easy to make even without an ice cream maker, so long as you have a freezer and something that can fluff it when semi frozen (hand held electric beaters, kitchenaid, kenwood chef, a blender... it's not fussy) you're set. If you don't like peanut butter this is still a good basic vanilla ice cream with a hint of brown sugar... add the peanut butter though and it is unbelievably creamy and virtually impossible to stop eating, if I saw a spoon of this running down the wall I would lick it... clean.

I always base my recipes on the ingredient that comes at a particular size and that I may not use up in time, in this case the cream. I get so annoyed when a recipe calls for a quantity slightly over the amount the container comes as, making you buy 2 and then have to use up a random quantity of cream (although our cat is thrilled with any leftover).



Ingredients:

• 200g brown sugar
• 200ml cream (pure cream, not thickened with gelatine)
• 4 egg yolks
• 330ml full cream milk
• 7 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

1. over a medium heat, in a heavy based saucepan, combine brown sugar and cream and stir until sugar is completely dissolved, remove from heat
2. in a separate bowl whisk egg yolks and milk until well combined
3. whisking continuously (you don't want scrambled eggs) slowly pour egg mixture into the warm sugar and cream mixture in the saucepan and mix well
4. return to a medium heat and stir continuously until the mixture starts the thicken and coat the back of a wooden spoon (approximately 10 minutes)
5. remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla, keep stirring until peanut butter has dissolved through the mix
6. pour into a container (I used a ceramic loaf pan) and put in freezer, at this stage the mix should go no more than half way up the sides of the dish - any higher and you will need to put it into a larger container later which means more washing up!
7. when the mixture is almost set in the middle (approximately 4 hours in my freezer) remove from the freezer, scrape into a bowl and beat it for around 4 minutes with an electric beater - handheld or bench top both work fine, if using a handheld turn the bowl regularly so it all gets fluffy
8. pour your fluffy mixture back into the container and freeze, it will be light and creamy, if at any point it melts and refreezes or you didn't fluff it up enough the first time, just re-whip it!