Yeah, I know, we haven’t even made it through Thanksgiving and I’m already onto Christmas desserts. I’m like Jingle Bell Rock in September at the mall. I get it, I get it. But I don’t care because Thanksgiving desserts are so…meh. I mean, come on, the signature dish is a pie made out of a vegetable! As if.
No, in my world, after the Halloween candy is all gone, we just skip right over Thanksgiving desserts and go straight to the good stuff: snowball cookies, sticky buns in the shape of Christmas trees, toffee, fudge, iced sugar cookies and peppermint ice cream.
Christmas baking has officially begun, chez moi. Fa la la la la, la la, la, la!
Peppermint ice cream always seems to catch people off guard and make them smile, even if they claim to not like mint ice cream. I’m guessing it’s because it’s pink. Pink food immediately takes us back to the days of pajama-clad cartoon watching and a lot of food made with Cream of Chicken soup. Pink food = happy food. And the fact that this pink food is made with heavy cream and sugar just makes you want to put on your footie pajamas, grab Mr. Snufflekins, and snuggle up with your favorite book, The Westing Game. Oh, wait, sorry. I was having a moment.
Back to the ice cream. This stuff is dynamite plain, but it is out of this world if you add a few semi-sweet chocolate chips to it – kind of like Ande’s Mint ice cream. Trust me on this one. If you don’t want to commit to a whole batch of Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream, just put out a bowl of chocolate morsels and let your guests top off their scoops, if they so choose. Or just serve the ice cream plain and eat all the chocolate morsels yourself after they’ve gone home/gone to bed. I didn’t see anything, I promise.
Peppermint Ice Cream
This is the base recipe that can be used in whatever ice cream maker you have. I use a Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt – Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker which is super easy and QUICK (in fact, it would make a great Christmas present – and I have no financial interest in this product or company, I just love my ice cream maker! There. I gave you a recipe AND helped you with your Christmas shopping! Merry ThanksChristmas!).
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (Be careful with this, it is very strong. You can always add more if you want to.)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 drops red food coloring
15 peppermint candies, crushed, plus more for garnish
Heat milk and heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it almost boils. Reduce heat to low.
While milk/cream is heating, beat the egg yolks, sugar, mint extract and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
Add 1/4 cup of the hot milk/cream mixture to the egg mixture to temper it. Slowly, pour the egg mixture into the milk/cream mixture, stirring constantly to keep from cooking the eggs (no scrambled eggs, please!). Cook on low for four minutes, until mixture thickens slightly.
Remove from heat and cool completely. I put my saucepan in an ice bath for 30 minutes to speed this process along, but if you’re more patient than I am, just stick the whole pan (covered) into the freezer.
When mixture is cool, churn away! In the last few minutes of churning, add red food coloring and chopped mints.
Start singing Christmas Carols at Thanksgiving dinner just to drive everyone crazy!
Mom, ultrarunner, four-time US 24 Hour National Team member, adventure athlete, food writer. Graduate of the Pro Cooking Program at the New School of Cooking, Los Angeles. Will run for food.
{ 2 comments }
Oh yum. What time should I be over?
I shouldn’t have looked at this. I made a vow to spurn all things Christmassy until the 1st of December and then this deliciousness shows up on my feed. I broke a promise to myself and it’s all your fault.
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