Best Christmas Ice Cream Recipes

Among the hundreds of ice cream flavors available are some unique tastes and ingredients that many ice cream lovers have not yet considered. Watching Iron Chef on the Food Network, one sees salmon ice cream and others made from a light infusion of seafood flavors. Nearly any food item can be transformed into an ice cream or sorbet, but hot peppers are good for winter holiday celebrations.

Edy's brand ice cream produced a flavor some years ago that lasted only a year, but became one of my favorites. This was Red Pepper Ice Cream, a combination of vanilla ice cream and cayenne covered peanuts. It offered a hint of cayenne pepper that complemented the flavor of the vanilla quite well.

Combinations of sweet and hot are becoming increasingly popular. Some restaurants are serving a hot chocolate drink laced light with three types of hot peppers for a unique flavor that patrons enjoy.

An older drink is black pepper coffee, a combination of coffee, cream, sugar or honey, cinnamon and a dash of freshly ground black pepper. All of these concoctions may sound odd, but they are good tasting.

Edy's no longer produces its pepper ice cream, but a good alternative is to make your own by combining French Vanilla Ice Cream, for a richer taste than plain vanilla, and a modest measure of cayenne coverd peanuts.

Cayenne Peanuts

These peanuts make a good snack for Christmas and winter holidays, so this recipe makesmore than is reqired for the pepper ice cream.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Pounds unsalted Peanuts
• 6 TBSP Vegetable Oil
• 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 to 4 tsp red pepperflakes, to taste
• Dash of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
• Heat oil in a heavy skillet on the stove top and add all the spices. Stir until fragrant, about 60 second.
• Add peanuts and stir until peanuts are well covered.
• Pour spiced peanuts onto a baking sheet and toast in the oven about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from oven and drain on paper towels before serving.

Combining French Vanilla Ice Cream and Cayenne Peanuts

• Set a half-gallon of your favorite French Vanilla ice cream on the kitchen counter until slightly softened.
• On a clean surface or in a large mixing bowl, scoop out all the ice cream. Save the container.
• Carefully fold in 1/2 Cup of Cayenne Peanuts to the softened ice cream. You may wish to add more peanuts, depending on how spicy you wish the ice cream to be.
• Place ice cream back into its container and refreeze.

I combine the nuts and ice cream in the same way when I make the ice cream myself. Otherwise, the hot pepper separates from the nuts and gives an unsatisfying flavor overall. The nuts provide small pockets of mild heat, preventing the ice cream from being too hot and the pepper from dissipating into the background of the dish.

These spiced nuts are also good in chocolate ice cream, with a dash or two of cinnamon added to the skillet when preparing the peanuts.

French Vanilla is a richer version of vanilla ice cream that contains more calories from eggs, cream, and whole milk. Half-and-half can be used in place of cream for fewer calories. Substituting 2% milk for whole milk brings the recipe into the ice milk texture and flavor, less rich than actual French Vanilla and Cayenne Peanuts added can overpower the ice milk.

INGREDIENTS for 1/2 Gallon

• 3 Cups Whole Milk
• 6 Large Eggs
• 2 TBSP pure Vanilla
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 6 Cups (1.5 Quarts or a quart and a pint) Heavy Whipping Cream (cut calories by using half-anf-half)
• An ice cream maker

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk all the eggs until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Into the eggs, whisk the sugar a bit at a time. Keep whisking until blended well.
• Pour in the whipping cream, milk, and vanilla and whisk thoroughly to blend completely.
• Pour the blended mixture into an ice cream maker.
• Follow the ice cream maker directions to freeze the French Vanilla Ice Cream.

For Light Cayenne Pepper Ice Cream

• Before the ice cream is completely set, remove from the ice cream maker to a mixing bowl and lightkly fold in 1/2 Cup of Cayenne Peanuts.
• Place ice cream in a freezer container and freeze until time to serve.