Recipe 19b: Mango Ice Cream -- The Ice Cream That Finally Was

Monday, April 27, 2015

As you may have seen in last week’s post, “Recipe 19: The Ice Cream That Never Was (Mango Ice Cream),” I just could not make mango ice cream.  I really couldn’t.  That week I tried two separate recipes, and they turned out horribly.  The mango was going really, really bad – either bitter and bland or overripe and bland.  It was incredibly frustrating.

But I didn’t want to give up.  I love mangos.  And I wanted a mango ice cream.  So I kept trying.

And on my fourth try, I finally got it.  Cue the dramatic, ugly crying and falling on the floor.

I am so happy that I kept trying because what I finally got is really, really good.  It’s a little soft, very creamy, and extremely mango-y but not too sweet.  I actually never found a good mango ice cream recipe.  I attempted mango kulfi this week (Kulfi is sometimes called “Indian ice cream,” but it’s really more like flavored, frozen whipped cream.), and it just didn’t turn out.  What I ended up doing was finding a plain custard base (taken from the Coolhaus Ice Cream Book by Natasha Case and Freya Estreller) and then adding canned pureed mango, vanilla, and lemon juice to get the flavor I wanted.  I ended up buying eight cans of mango in my quest to get the correct flavor.

In the end, I used canned pureed Alphonso mango, which is indigenous to India and has a slightly different flavor from South American mangos, which is what we use in the US (Ignore my original ingredients photo where I attempted to use Dole canned mangos.  Ugh.  Horrible idea.  Do not buy Dole.).  Alphonso mangos are extremely sweet and taste ever so slightly like rotten mangos.  I know this sounds horrible, but it’s really not.  Imagine an overripe mango.  Now imagine that instead of the sugars destroying the flavor, they actually enrich it and make it sweeter.  That’s kind of like what an Alphonso mango tastes like.  It takes a little getting used to but makes an amazing ice cream with a mango flavor that won’t turn or get overpowered.  However, you will have to go to your local Indian market (or amazon.com) to find it.

Below is my patented mango ice cream recipe, and I can 100% guarantee that it works and tastes delicious.  Enjoy the fruits of my labor!

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 large egg yolks
• Approximately 16 oz. sweetened pureed mango
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice 

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine milk, cream, and half of the sugar.  Set over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil – about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk yolks and remaining sugar until smooth, heavy, and pale yellow – about 30 seconds.
3. When the cream mixture just comes to a boil, whisk, remove from heat, and begin adding ¼ cup of the cream mixture at a time to the yolk-sugar mixture, whisking constantly until blended.  Mix in approximately 2 cups of the cream mixture.
4. Pour the yolk-sugar-cream mixture back into the pan and cook on low to medium heat.  Whisk constantly.  The mixture should become slightly thickened and coat the back of the spoon (If you blow on the back of the spoon and the mixture ripples, you’ve got the right consistency.).
5. Remove the base from heat and stir occasionally while it cools.  Once it reaches room temperature, pour into a new container, cover, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
6. Once the base is chilled, remove from the fridge and begin adding the pureed mango.  Add the mango ½ cup at a time then add the vanilla extract and lemon juice – feel free to change the quantities to suit your taste.  If using unsweetened pureed mango, add more sugar to taste.
7. Pour the base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
8. Once churned, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm – at least four hours.

And there you have it – a delicious, mango-y treat that tastes delicious with vanilla or coconut ice cream (which you will learn about tomorrow when I post my Triple Coconut Ice Cream recipe).  Personally, I prefer South American mangos, and I’d like to try to make my own puree in the future – making sure that I have the very best and ripest mangos, of course – but that won’t be for a while yet.  After four attempts, I’m a little sick of mangos, but, hey, I made it!  I didn’t give up!  And I created sometime wonderful in the process.  It almost makes the two dozen mangos I wasted in the process worth it.  Sigh.

Enjoy!

Overview

• Base prep time: 30 to 40 minutes
• Base chill time: 12 to 24 hours (the longer the better)
• Ice cream set time: at least 4 hours
• Taste: soft and creamy with a strong mango flavor and hints of cream, vanilla, and lemon juice
• Difficulty level: if you follow this recipe and don’t have to start from scratch like I did, low to medium
• Expense level: see above (low to medium)
• Makes: approximately 8 cups (a lot!)