Beet ice cream

I told you my beet obsession was taking me here.. to beet ice cream. And if you love beets, you can go there too. Even if you hate beets, you have to admit there is something mesmerizing about the color. Its like a natural fuschia.. which is probably where half of the obsession comes from.
Anyway... the ice cream was good.. but a little disappointing. It had a REALLY strong orange flavor which in my opinion, doesn't pair well at all with beets. Next time I'll use lemon zest AND maybe a bit more beet puree.. it was lacking in a strong beet flavor. Overall though, it was a good and gorgeous!


The recipe is from Jeni's splendid ice creams at home, which is the best ice cream book out there!

2 cups milk

4 tsp. cornstarch

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp. light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Peel of 1 orange

3 tbsp. mascarpone cheese, softened

1/2 cup puréed roasted beets**

2 tbsp. poppy seeds

1. In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup milk and the cornstarch; set slurry aside. In a 4-qt. saucepan, whisk together remaining milk and the cream, sugar, syrup, and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add orange peel. Cook for 4 minutes; stir in slurry. Return to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes.

2. Place mascarpone cheese in a bowl and pour in 1/4 cup hot milk mixture; whisk until smooth. Then whisk in remaining milk mixture; stir in beets. Pour mixture into a plastic bag; seal, and submerge in a bowl of ice water until chilled.

3. Remove orange peel. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker; process according to manufacturer's instructions, adding poppy seeds during the last minute of churning. Transfer ice cream to a storage container and freeze until set.

**to make pureed roasted beets: roast 2-3 medium beets in the oven on 450 until soft. peel and blend the beets in a food processor. strain through a fine mesh sieve to get a smooth puree.