Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Caramelized Almond Nougat Mousse Ice Cream




Roxana, from Roxana's Home Baking, got a group of food bloggers together to celebrate a virtual housewarming for our fellow blogger, Ashton. She's the powerhouse behind Something Swanky and because distance prevents us from giving her an actual housewarming party, we got together and made food that we would have brought to celebrate her new house. The links to the other attendees are below, so check out what everyone else brought!

Since even the thought of moving (I've done it a lot) makes me sweat, I made ice cream (I've done that a lot too). There's nothing better than propping up your tired sweaty dogs and digging into a big bowl of ice cream, is there?

Here in Wisconsin, we have frozen custard on almost every corner. It's my downfall! My nemesis! But mostly, my bosom buddy. I'm not as susceptible in the winter because I hate being cold, but summer can be dangerous. There are two places that I frequent on a *regular* basis and between them, they have 3 unique flavors every day! Odds are, one of them will lure me out of the house.

This ice cream base is sweetened with honey and open to an infinite amount of mix-ins and flavors. I can guarantee that I'll be using this over and over again this summer.

Many homemade ice cream recipes use alcohol to keep it from turning to a brick in the freezer, but this has stayed scoopably soft for days and is alcohol-free! The small chunks of caramelized almonds are a cross between peanut brittle and butter brickle.

This recipe requires at least an overnight rest in the refrigerator so start the day before. Believe me, it's worth the wait.


Caramelized Almond Nougat Mousse Ice Cream
Yield: 2 quarts


Nougat (adapted from Small Plates and Sweet Treats)
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg whites
1/4 cup honey
Ice Cream (adapted from Tartelette)
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup honey
Pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

For the nougat:
Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or piece of lightly greased parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan over medium to medium-high heat, pour 1/4 cup of sugar. Do not stir. Allow it to melt before adding the next 1/4 cup of sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent burning before all the sugar has melted. Finally, add the last 1/4 cup of sugar, continuing to periodically swirl to prevent uneven cooking. When all the sugar has melted and is a deep amber color, stir in the chopped almonds and pour on the lined pan to cool. Chop it into small pieces.

Whip the heavy whipping cream and the vanilla extract with a mixer and whisk until it forms soft peaks. Transfer to the refrigerator.

In another bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Heat the 1/4 cup of honey in a small saucepan over medium heat until it thins. Slowly add the honey to the whites while continuing to stir. Once all the honey is incorporated, increase speed to high. The meringue is done when the bowl is no longer warm and stiff peaks have formed.

Fold the meringue and nut pieces into the whipping cream. Place in an airtight container and freeze.

For the ice cream:
Beat the yolks, honey, and salt for a few minutes in a large bowl until light in color.

Heat the milk and whipping cream over medium heat in a large saucepan until one or two bubbles rise to the surface and pop.

Add the hot milk to the yolks, then return to the saucepan and the heat. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight.

Make your ice cream according to the manufacturer's directions for your machine.

To assemble:
While the ice cream is in the machine, chop up the frozen mousse with a spoon.


Once the ice cream is finished, stir the mousse and ice cream together. Place in an airtight container in the freezer for a few hours to firm up.



Pinit

Julianne at Beyond Frosting - Pound cake with Champagne Glaze
Kate at Food Babbles - Raspberry Lemon Coffee Cake
Anna at Crunchy Creamy Sweet - Glazed Vanilla Donut Muffins
Joanne at Fifteen Spatulas - Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake
Ashley at Kitchen Meets Girl - Blueberry Muffins
Amber at Bluebonnets and Brownies - Lemon Drop Cookies
Dorothy at Crazy for Crust - Reese's Fudge
Joan at Chocolate Chocolate and more - Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Quiche
Roxana at Roxana's Home Baking - Banana Sheet Cake
Julie at White Lights on Wednesday - Mocha Cupcake Milkshake
Tanya at Lemons for Lulu - Lemon Muffins
Natasha at The Cake Merchant - Nutella Layer Cake 
Hayley at The Domestic Rebel - Banana Split Poke Cake
Jocelyn at Inside Brucrew Life - Butterscoth Banana Muffins

Note: This post does NOT contain affiliate links.

I also shared this recipe at The Hopeless Housewife.

38 comments:

  1. Averie @ Averie CooksApr 17, 2013, 6:23:00 AM

    This sounds so good! I love those big brittle pieces on top! I could go crazy with those!

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    Replies
    1. Yup. There's nothing like a little dangerous crunch in all that smooth ice cream!

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  • Ooooh, this looks wonderful...especially the nougat!

    Newly subscribed, found you via Roxana at Roxana's Home Baking,

    ¤´¨)
    ¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
    (¸.·´ (¸.·`¤... Jennifer
    Jenn's Random Scraps

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Jenn! I'm happy to have you here :)

      Delete
  • Something SwankyApr 17, 2013, 10:15:00 AM

    oh. my. gosh. This ice cream looks A-MA-ZING! Like... seriously, I can't even think straight!! You are an ice cream GENIUS! And I am so making this once we buy an ice cream maker this summer! And you're so right-- nothing is better after a day of moving than ice cream!!!! Thanks so much for being a part of this surprise! Seriously, you gals are just the best!!

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    Replies
    1. Wow, genius gives me something to live up to! I'll sure try. Once you get an ice cream maker, you'll wonder why it took so long (at least if you're like me). I hope you're nice and settled and enjoying your new home. I'm so glad we could do this for you. Would have been even better to do it in person, but still. We'll take what we can get, right?

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  • Hayley @ The Domestic RebelApr 17, 2013, 11:26:00 AM

    Hold the phone -- I am obsessing over this brittle! Caramelized almonds? I'm convinced heaven tastes like that.

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    Replies
    1. Haha! Hold the phone?! Are you my sister pretending to be someone else :) I love throwing out some old-school phrases like that sometimes just to see if anyone is on my wavelength.

      Yes to caramelized almonds!

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  • Roxana | Roxana's Home BakingApr 17, 2013, 1:11:00 PM

    it's been getting warmer and warmer in the last couple of days and a bowl of this ice-cream would be right up my alley. LOVE the nougat, have a weakness for it. Yum!!

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    Replies
    1. I never had nougat in ice cream before, but it just makes sense. Kind of lightens the whole thing up (slightly, anyways)!

      Delete
  • Ashley @ Kitchen Meets GirlApr 17, 2013, 7:30:00 PM

    Holy moly, this look amazing! We still have weather in the 30's here where I am (Kansas), but I'd eat a huge bowl of this right now anyway! :-) I had so much fun participating in Ashton's housewarming with you...I just wish we could all try everyone's awesome contributions!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry about the 30's! And I was complaining when it wouldn't get above mid 40's. Oops. I slow down on ice cream consumption during cold weather, but rarely stop completely.

      Yes, it was a great party :)

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  • Heather @ Post RoadApr 17, 2013, 8:18:00 PM

    Perfect timing!! I just got my icecream maker today!!! Any ideas how to use maple syrup in a recipe.. would love to make maple nut with our fresh syrup!

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    Replies
    1. Seriously jealous of your fresh syrup. You'll have to let me know how it turns out...

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  • Kate | Food BabblesApr 17, 2013, 8:26:00 PM

    Oh this is just amazing! I know it would be worth the overnight wait. I don't know if I can wait to make it though! This sounds scrumptious! I seriously need this crunchy smooth creamy goodness in my life!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Kate! Sometimes the foods that require me to wait are even better because the anticipation itself is so fun!

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  • Yuuuum! This recipe sounds so delicious Loretta! Haha... love the name of your blog. My Auntie in Sweden is Finnish, married to a Swede (my Uncle) and I definitely echo your statement about stubbornness! Though, in saying that, the stubbornness (when mellowed out by love) has made her into one of the strongest, most determined, loyal and beautiful women I've ever met. I bet you're exactly the same :) Loving your creativity. So nice to discover your blog through this 'Virtual Housewarming' (such a nice idea!). Definitely will be following you from now on... and trying your ice cream, mmm ;) x

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    Replies
    1. Wow. This is one of the sweetest comments I've ever gotten! You just made my day. I hope I can live up to your assessment, but I probably fail miserably most days. It's so nice to have you here :)

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  • Love this ice cream! I have to buy the machine to try this but nothing can stop me from making the caramelized almond nougat. Thank you for the wonderful idea!

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    Replies
    1. The original recipe used the nougat frozen, so I know that's a fantastic option. Let me know if you try it!

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