Hello my darling internet! I hope that you all are having a lovely Spring, and that you enjoyed your respective Spring holidays. Though I am not personally religiously affiliated, my family comes from a Catholic and Christian background, so they celebrate Easter every year. I participate, happily. Easter has always been a favorite holiday for me. I love the colors, the shapes, and the spirit of joy and renewal that surrounds the festivities. Pastel pinks, greens and yellows make me giddy. It’s an extent of girliness that I never could have imagined enjoying when I was younger. I was always a tom boy or a punk rocker. Then Me would probably cringe to see the state of Current Me, surrounded in white fluffy kittens, pink mermaid quilts, and walls full of butterflies. I’m not exactly sure when the transformation began, but at some point I transformed from embodying Halloween to Easter. Can’t say I’m bummed about it though, there are chocolate bunnies over here.
There are also carrots. Loads of gorgeous, twisty, farm fresh carrots, in a varragated palette of reds, oranges, and yellows. Carrots have been delivered in my CSA for months now, and though I try my best to root out more and more carrot recipes (get it? heh heh) I seem to be perpetually living under the weight of a carrot surplus. Not the worst fate, by far, but it was another reason to welcome the advent of Easter this year.
While chatting with my sister about this year’s an idea occurred to me. “Whoah!”, I said. “I should make carrot ice cream!”
“Duh”, says my sister. “Of course you should make that.”
So I did.
And after I made it, I decided to put it into a pie, then cover it with whipped cream. The ice cream itself was a real wonder, something I was especially proud of nailing on the first shot. I roasted carrots with maple syrup and nutmeg, then pureed them into a smooth paste. That paste was added to a milk custard base that I had infused with cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla bean. The result was a smooth, creamy, gently spiced ice cream with tiny little bits if minced carrot. The texture was toothsome, but not at all gritty, much like carrot cake!
Like my Strawberry Ice Cream Pie, I used a Momofuku Corn Cookie for the crust, and topped the pie with fresh whipped cream. In the center of the pie I placed a baby carrot, soley for the purpose of enhancing its cute factor.
I would whole heartedly reccomend this ice cream to anyone who likes carrot cake. In or out of the pie crust it is totally delicious. It is mildly sweet, and incredibly creamy, just yummy.
Corn Cookie Crust (ala Lucky Peach Magazine)
- 2 – 4 Corn Cookies (recipe)
- 1 – 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 pinch salt
Directions
Crumble the cookies into a food processer, along with a little melted butter. Pulse until the cookies crumb up into mostly even chunks. Spray your pie pan with a little non-stick, or grease it with some butter. Press the cookie mixture into the pan, doing your best to spread the crust evenly. If you need more crust, just pulse some more cookies.
Carrot Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 8 ounces carrots, chopped
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup, separated
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 cup grapefruit or lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups cream, separated
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cubes crystalized ginger
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- pinch salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
Directions
Roast the carrots with 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg in a 375 degree oven for 20 – 40 minutes, or until fork tender. Allow them to cool enough to handle them, then put them into a blender or food processer with the grapefruit juice. Blend until the mixture becomes very smooth, then add 1/4 cup cream and blend again. Store this mixture in the fridge until later.
Combine the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of milk in a small bowl and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the remaining milk and cream with the sugar. Mix together, then add the cinnamon stick, ginger cubes, and vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Allow to simmer for 4 minutes, then remove from heat. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry, then return to the heat. Simmer for one minute. Remove the solids from the milk mixture.
Put the cream cheese and salt into a large, heat proof bowl. Slowly whisk in the hot milk mixture, allowing the cheese to fully blend before adding the rest of the milk. Next, whisk in the cinnamon and ginger powders, then the carrot mixture. Blend the ingredients completely, then transfer them to a ziplock bag. Dip the bag into a bowl of ice water, and agitate until the mixture reaches room temperature. Quickly transfer the mixture to the refigerator, and chill for several hours.
Churn according to your machine’s instructions. When the ice cream has finished churning, you can pack it into a quart container, or into a pie crust! Freeze until hardened (about 2 – 4 hours) before eating. If you’ve made a pie, you can put whipped cream on it at this point, and freeze it for another hour.
In addition to Carrot Ice Cream Pie, we had a huge spread of other Easter treats. My folks brought some chocolates from Switzerland, my sisters made French Toast, Lemon Buns, and Ginger Cookies. I also made a savory hash from eggs, greens, and potatoes. It was a brunch fit for a king!