Pear Star Anise Ice Cream Recipes

STAR ANISE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan combine the milk, the cream, the sugar, and the star anise, bring the mixture just to a boil, and remove the pan from the heat.
• In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, add the cream mixture in a stream, whisking, and pour the mixture back into the pan.
• Cook the custard over moderately low heat, stirring, until it registers 170ºF on a candy thermometer, strain it through a fine sieve set over another bowl, and let it cool completely.
• Stir in the Pernod and freeze the custard in an ice-cream freezer according to the manufacturer's instructions.

GAND'S STAR ANISE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, put half and half, cream, star anise, ground cinnamon, vanilla and cinnamon stick. Heat, whisking occasionally to avoid burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. DO NOT LET BOIL. When the mixture reaches a fast simmer, turn off the heat and let the flavors infuse for 10 minutes.
• Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Still whisking, slowly pour half of the cream mixture in a thin stream to the egg mixture. Then add the egg-cream mixture to the saucepan containing the other half of the cream mixture.
• Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. At 160 degrees, the mixture will give off a puff of steam. When it reaches 180 degrees, it will be thickened and creamy, like eggnog. If you don't have a candy thermometer, test it by dipping a wooden spoon into the mixture. Run your finger down the back of the spoon. If the stripe remains clear, the mixture is ready; if the edges blur, the mixture is not quite thick enough yet.
• When the mixture is ready, quickly remove it from the heat.
• Meanwhile, put 2 handfuls of ice cubes in a large bowl, and add enough cold water to cover. Rest a smaller bowl in the ice water. Pour the cream mixture through a fine sieve into the smaller bowl, removing the vanilla bean pieces and cinnamon stick.
• Chill 3 hours. Then freeze in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer's directions. (Don't have an ice cream freezer? After 3 hours, gently stir ice cream and transfer to desired freezer storage containers. Freeze 2-3 hours, or until desired hardness. High fat ice cream will not get rock hard.).

PEAR-STAR ANISE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Combine the cream, milk, salt, and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the star anise and immediately remove from the heat. Allow the cream mixture to steep for about 30 minutes.
• Stem and core the pears, then pulse in the food processor until you get a chunky purée. Strain the purée by pushing through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids with a spatula or the bottom of a ladle. You should end up with about 2 cups of liquid. Discard the solids. Put the pear liquid in a saucepan and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
• Add the pear syrup to the cream mixture and bring to a boil over high heat.
• While that mixture heats, place the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl. Once the cream mixture has reached a rapid boil, remove from the heat and pour approximately 1 cup of the liquid over the yolks, whisking furiously. After the cream mixture is fully incorporated and the yolks are tempered, pour in the remaining cream mixture, whisking constantly as you do. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Refrigerate until completely cold, then pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.