Sunday, July 6, 2014

Pluot Ice Cream for a Summer Chillin' #SundaySupper

Pluot Ice Cream for a Summer Chillin' #SundaySupper




Last Sunday while you were probably reading my London Broil dish, I was at the Irvington Farmer's Market in Fremont, California. I was there for an upcoming project but I couldn't help but notice some other items while I was there. It was a rare instance of allowing myself to be susceptible to impulse purchases. It was interesting because I had browsed the market a couple of weeks prior to my most recent visit and noticed a few ingredients that were there this time around that weren't there in the past. It's a great measure of what produce is in season and at its peak. One fruit on sale that day by many of the farmers present that had piqued my interest was the pluot. I inquired with one of the vendors selling them and she noted it's sweet flavor so, with this week's #SundaySupper theme in mind, Summer Chillin', (hosted by Alaiyo of Pescetarian Journal) I thought it might make a great ice cream.

The Challenge

Prepare a dish using an ingredient bought spontaneously

The Source

I adapted the pluot pureé from Earthbound Farm's website to the ice cream base from Fine Cooking magazine's website.

Ingredients

1 pound firm pluots (approximately 5), peeled, quartered and pitted
2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
Juice from 1 lemon
5 egg yolks
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup 1% or 2% low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Method

1. Prepare the pureé. Combine 2/3 cup sugar, pluot quarters, and lemon juice in a small skillet over low heat. Stir until the sugar melts and the pluots soften, approximately 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat to allow the mixture to cool. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a blender or food processor and pureé until smooth. Transfer the pureé to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.


2. Prepare the ice cream base: In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup sugar and the egg yolks until just broken up. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, milk and salt over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches a slight simmer, then reduce the heat. Whisk 1 cup of the cream mixture into the egg yolks slowly so the eggs don't scramble. Pour the egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat, stirring continually until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and can hold it's shape when you draw a line on the back with your finger. Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight along with the pureé.


3. Once cool, whisk the pureé into the base and churn according to your ice cream machine manufacturer's instructions. Once finished serve in chilled bowls.


Successful?

This dish will be the first of several dishes I will publish over the course of the next few weeks using the produce I brought home that day from the farmer's market. I was a little concerned that it might be too sweet due to the amount of sugar added to both the pureé and the base but thankfully, that was not the case. There was also another minor challenge of successfully taking photographs of the dessert before it melted. It definitely was one of my faster photo shoots, however what helped was the glass bowl I used which I put in the freezer the night before.

Before you go, check out the other chilled dishes that are offered for this week's #SundaySupper:

Brisk Beverages
Chilled Starters
Snappy Salads and Sides
Refreshing Main Dishes
Cool Confections
Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.





25 comments:

  1. I'm glad your impulse buy led to such a lovely ice cream. Yeah, ice cream photography is a challenge! Your image certainly showcases the creaminess of this sweet treat!

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  2. How interesting, DB! I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for pluots next time I visit the Farmer's Market. I love the delicate pink you achieved for your ice cream. Bet it is fantastic!

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  3. When I saw your title initially, I wondered what your "secret" ingredient could be. Plumcot or Pluot sounds like a dream fruit. I love plums and apricots, so an ice cream made with this fruit must be an ice cream lover's dream. I'm going a couple of outdoor markets in the next few days, and I'll be on the lookout for pluots.

    Alaiyo

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  4. Pluots are eaten all the time in my household. I think my family will LOVE this ice cream version!

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  5. I LOVE pluots! I haven't had them in awhile now, but this makes me want to go out and try to hunt some down. Such a fun treat!

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  6. I wait all year for them to come out and be delicious! Sounds great

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  7. What a great color! I love that you used farmer market fresh fruits!! Mmmm

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  8. I've seen plouts many many times but have never tried one (not sure exactly why...silly me). Beautiful ice cream!

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  9. What a beautiful color!! I bet it tastes great!

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  10. I'm such an impulse buyer when it comes to food. Great looking ice cream… tis the season.

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  11. Ah yes, Farmer's Market Finds are wonderful aren't they. Look at what you made from the visit. Fantabulous.

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  12. I have never had one that I know of. Your ice cream sounds like a great way to use them.

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  13. I bet the sweet and tartness of pluots make a wonderful ice cream!

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  14. Yaaaaay you made dessert! Not just any dessert. My #1 dessert of choice: ice cream. Ugh, taking photos of ice cream is both incredibly fun and incredibly frustrating because of the quick melting time. On the other hand, melty photos look pretty awesome too. I never had a pluot until I visited my cousins in San Fran last summer. They're delicious! We don't get them in Vancouver so I'll have to gorge on them some more the next time I'm in California. I bet this tasted incredible!

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    1. I've seen plots in Vancouver a number of times, often they go my the moniker of dinosaur plums, probably because of their specked appearance.

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  15. For the first time since I've lived up here I'm actually seeing pluots in my regular grocery store, exciting! And now I know what to do with them. Thank you!

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  16. I'd never heard of a pluot until your post but it sounds like and interesting fruit, and it sure makes a lovely color ice cream!
    Renee - Kudos Kitchen

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  17. what a great idea to use pluots. i've never known how to work with them before but definitely will be trying this recipe out. thanks!

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  18. Interesting ice cream! Love that you used the pluot for this. Ice cream is challenging for photography. My friends who have produced PBS documentaries and other commercial products said most ice cream in the movies is dough. I think you did a fabulous job with your quick photo shoot!

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  19. Yum! This is such a creative flavor for ice cream. It's nice to see so many out of the box ideas!

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  20. Love the color, and the ice cream looks so creamy. Now I'm so curious and look forward to trying your recipe!

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  21. pluots are an ancient artifact

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  22. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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