Ice Cream Class

Matthew Woolen

High-precision digital scale

Liquid measuring cup(s)

2-quart Saucepan

Breville Super Q™

Fine-mesh strainer

Digital instant-read thermometer

Ice cream–making equipment

Breville All in One™ Immersion Blender

Sugar

Kosher salt

Locust bean gum

Whole milk

Water

Glucose syrup

Crème fraîche

In a small bowl, combine sugar, salt, and locust bean gum, and whisk until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Set aside.

Combine dry ingredients

If you prefer a more savory crème fraîche ice cream, reduce the amount of sugar by half (30 g) and proceed with the recipe as written. Don’t reduce the amount of glucose in the next step—doing so will alter the final texture of the ice cream. Top with caviar for a fun celebratory snack.

Put a savory spin on ice cream!

In a 2-quart saucepan, add milk, water, and glucose, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to help disperse glucose, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Heat milk and glucose

Transfer hot milk mixture to jar of a countertop blender. Add crème fraîche. Blend, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high speed once a vortex has formed. With blender running on high speed, add sugar mixture into center of vortex, and continue blending until well combined and sugar is fully dissolved, about 30 seconds.

Strain ice cream base through a fine-mesh strainer into a large wide-bottomed bowl or baking dish.

Blend and strain ice cream base

You can also blend the ice cream base using an immersion blender.

Transfer hot milk mixture to a tall-sided, narrow container that’s just wide enough to fit the head of your immersion blender. Submerge immersion blender head in the milk mixture and begin blending on high speed. Once a vortex forms, add sugar mixture and blend until well combined and sugar is fully dissolved, about 30 seconds. Add crème fraîche, and continue blending until homogenous, about 30 seconds. Strain and chill before churning into ice cream.

Using an immersion blender

Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set container with ice cream base over it. Chill base, stirring occasionally to help speed up cooling process, until it registers [f 40] on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

For best results, cover chilled base and refrigerate overnight, which <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/tips-tricks-the-secret-to-super-smooth-scoopable-ice-cream">“cures”</a> the ice cream base, before churning.

Chill ice cream base

Once base is fully chilled, transfer to ice cream maker and churn following manufacturer’s instructions until mixture resembles thick, soft serve ice cream and registers [f 21] on an instant-read thermometer.

Serve immediately, while ice cream is still soft (our favorite texture for this ice cream). If you’re making the ice cream in advance and don’t plan on serving it right away, transfer churned ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Alternatively, you can churn ice cream in a stand mixer using <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/liquid-nitrogen-churned-ice-cream">liquid nitrogen</a> or <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/making-ice-cream-with-dry-ice">dry ice</a>.

Churn ice cream

Using liquid nitrogen is fun and visually amazing and yields some great results, but it’s also a very dangerous substance to work with: It can cause burns, asphyxiation, explosions, and, yes, death.

If you’re new to using liquid nitrogen or you just need a reminder about how careful you need to be when using it, please read <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/frozen-cryogenic-poaching-with-liquid-nitrogen">our guide to using liquid nitrogen thoroughly</a>!

CAUTION: How to safely use liquid nitrogen

Ice cream base can be made in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Churned ice cream can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Make-ahead and storage

Crème fraîche is delicious and <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/creme-fraiche">simple to make at home</a>, and there are countless ways to use it: dollop it on soups, stir it into pan sauces, scoop some onto pancakes and waffles, etc. You know what else you can use it for? Ice cream!Think of it like a richer, creamier version of milk ice cream, with intense dairy flavor and a slight tang that makes it way more interesting. Add in a little vanilla and you’ve got a vanilla ice cream that’s all grown up: more character, more complexity, more flavor.This recipe started out as a crème fraîche riff on our <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/fromage-blanc-sorbet">fromage blanc sorbet</a>, but I had to cut some of the dairy with water to account for the higher amount of fat in crème fraîche.And just as crème fraîche can be used in both savory and sweet applications, this recipe can be adjusted to produce an ice cream that’s perfect for savory applications. Just cut the sugar amount in half and follow the recipe as written. You can then use it in a playful riff on a traditional caviar spread or serve it alongside some smoked salmon with all the fixings.NOTE: You can churn this base with whatever ice cream-making equipment you have. If you want to use a Ninja Creami (one of our favorite <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/gadget-lover-gifts">kitchen gadgets</a>) to spin the ice cream, you’ll have to spin it two or more times to get the right texture. Doing it just once will yield a crumbly mixture; spin it a couple more times and it’ll be smooth as silk.

Crème Fraîche Ice Cream