Chocolate custard swirl in Icecream - YouLookFab Forum

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Chocolate custard swirl in Icecream

anne

Veteran

I am keen to try to replicate a new icecream out in Australia which is described as

"chocolate ice cream with chewy chocolate brownie pieces and swirled with a rich chocolate custard."

http://www.connoisseuricecream.com.au/tubs/

I can't eat it from the shops since it won't be gluten free.

How would you make a custard swirl?

I think I'm ok to make chocolate icecream (I have an icecream maker), the brownie components and the mechanism of adding everything together, but how to make a custard swirl - since many icecream recipes are custard based anyway and I want it a distinct component?

Current thoughts are to make a rich custard, possibly with a bit of added butter, and to add alcohol of some sort or just in vanilla extract form to try to keep the custard from freezing.

I know there are some amazing cooks on YLF - any ideas?

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15 replies

Latest reply was from anne

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

I was thinking along the lines of vodka/sugar, too, but don't have much experience making ice cream. But what a great idea for this week!

L'Abeille

Veteran

MMM food posts my fave!

For a custard based ice cream you use egg rather than flour/flour substitute as the thickener, but if you are gluten free your base ice cream might be that already. You could try adding more egg to the basic ice cream.

Although what you are looking for is a swirl of something chocolate with a different texture from your base ice cream. We have some similar commercial ice cream flavours in Canada. Often the swirl is of fudge. You could try a ganache, or a mousse, or a fudge; experiment with freezing them to make sure the texture still works that way.

rachylou

Veteran

With high fat (heavy cream should do) and egg, I should think it would work out... or do you want it more liquidy like pudding, not as set as a custard?

Gaylene

Veteran

I had a "fail" when I tried to use up some Christmas cranberry sauce that had a few tablespoons of Grand Marnier added to it.

The cranberry square recipe I was using had a shortbread crust with a topping made from eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and, in my case, the cranberry sauce instead of chopped cranberries. The topping remained liquidy even when frozen. I'd experiment with an eggy custard augmented with a tablespoon of liqueur--and perhaps a drop or two of balsamic vinegar.

My cranberry squares disappeared because they tasted good, but they were extremely messy to eat!

anne

Veteran

Looks like my alcohol stock is only yielding (apart from wine and beer) a few drops of kirsh. Not sure I want to buy a whole bottle just for this, though maybe it is worth it! The idea of balsamic vinegar is worth exploring Gaylene

Glad to make you happy L'Abeille ! Yes I was thinking possibly using an egg based custard as a base. I did think I could just make extra, and not churn it, but add it as a layer.

While I'm not exactly sure of the texture of the product I'm trying to emulate, because I haven't tasted it or even seen it, I guess I was envisaging something that was less solid than the surrounding icecream - but not exactly a fudge swirl sauce (of which recipes abound) or a ganache/mousse. I like chocolate custard, which we had quite often as a simple dessert as kids (that was a cornflour based one though).

anne

Veteran

I have decided to cheat a bit and used bought chocolate icecream this time. It won't be as good, but I'm rather tired because it is hot here (38/39) and also in that heat the icecream maker sometimes doesn't work.

So I am going to make the brownies pieces tomorrow, and the custard on Mon morning, and combine it later on Mon. Will let you know how it goes!

rachylou

Veteran

I'm very interested! Also, I believe in cheating

JAileen

Veteran

I have David Lebovitz' book "The Perfect Scoop". It's excellent. According to him, the two types of ice cream are French style which is custard based with eggs, and Philadelphia style, which is just milk and/or cream and sugar, plus flavorings. So if you wanted a custard swirl, it sounds like the main ice cream would be Philadelphia style, without eggs. I wondered how he did a swirl, and he really doesn't swirl it per se. After making the ice cream, he says to put some of one, and then some of the other, on top of each other, in the storage container, without stirring.

We have a couple of peach trees, and he has a recipe for peach ice cream with sour cream and it is fabulous!!!

anne

Veteran

Dear me, it's nearly 2 weeks since I made the icecream. Time to update you.

Pic 1 is the brownies

Pic 2 is my custard. It was very rich and probably too thick and had too much cocoa.

My ingredients were

300ml double cream

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup sugar

3oz dark chocolate melts

3 small egg yolks

few drops kirsch

3 tsp vanilla extract

I layered the custard and brownie chunks

Pic 3 is the finished result. Generally the family liked eating it.

I bought a tub of the actual inspiration icecream (wow, so expensive! - about $9 for one litre) and guess what, we haven't found any evidence of a custard swirl!! Mind you we've only looked into the top of it so far, as I am wanting my homemade one used up first .

There isn't any evidence from the packet that there were any eggs used at all, and DH who has tried it said the main difference in taste was that the Connessieur one was sweeter.

My interest in this has kind of gone off the boil, as I realised I prefer sweet recipes with an acidic element, which this lacked. So if another one I have my eye one now, rhubarb and custard, isn't GF I may try to make that one - after a little sugar free phrase I have put myself on for the next few weeks.

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rachylou

Veteran

That's so interesting. Because, truth, when I googled, I didn't see any actual custard swirls in any custard swirl ice creams either. I feel a challenge coming on...

anne

Veteran

Yes Rachy, that was my finding too - I googled heaps! No custard swirls.

I don't think the custard I made was really that custardy either. As I said, too much cocoa and not liquid enough. It was really a fudge sauce enriched with egg yolks - but you couldn't really taste the eggs.

I have just remembered that I never took up your offer to do gluten free recipe substitutes for things I missed! And you must have so much expertise in that area. I had a gluten free profiterole that was amazing recently, but I've not yet had a nice gluten free chocolate croissant. How's that for a challenge? (No pressure at all - I just happened to remember)

rachylou

Veteran

Technique is important for croissants. I can't remember - you willing to use xanthan gum? May have a recipe for you...

anne

Veteran

Yes! I have some xanthum gum.

rachylou

Veteran

Ok! I have to do some calculations. You're metric system I trust?

anne

Veteran

Yes. But my scales will handle both.