Serves
Makes 2 quarts (2 liters)
Ingredients
2 pounds (900 g) fresh plums, preferably red-fleshed ones like Hollywood or Santa
Rosa
½ teaspoon salt
6 large egg yolks
¾ cup (165 g) brown sugar
2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, scraped, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Goslings dark rum or vodka
Procedure
If you can get your hands on Hollywood or Santa Rosa plums, get ready for an incredibly striking magenta-toned ice cream. It tastes as vivid as it looks with plenty of tang from the sweet-tart plums all cushioned by a rich, eggy French custard. The plush texture and decadence are so nostalgic for me.
Ice cream making has always been almost as rewarding for me as eating it. In long-ago summers, my brother and I would be sent to the back deck on hand-cranked churning duty to help make my mom’s strawberry ice cream, cranking and cranking and shoveling in more ice and rock salt as it melted through the slats of the barrel. These days, my little portable ice cream maker takes considerably less mess and work. This gorgeous ice cream would, of course, be nice with shortbread or a slice of plain almond cake, but I also argue for the ice cream as its own proud dessert. It doesn’t always have to be a condiment for other sweets.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Halve the plums and place them skin side down on the prepared sheetpan. Roast until the plums start to collapse and the juice starts to spill out, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Place the plums and salt in a blender and buzz on high speed until smooth. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the egg yolks and ½ cup (110 g) of the brown sugar until the mixture has doubled in size and is pale yellow and ribbony in texture.
Have ready a large bowl filled halfway with ice water and a second metal bowl of similar size that will fit in the first without sinking into the water. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the cream with the remaining ¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar and the vanilla pod, if using, over medium heat until it gets very steamy (just short of boiling). Pour the cream into a large measuring cup or pitcher. With the stand mixer running on low, slowly—very slowly—drizzle the scalded milk into the egg mixture. Be very careful with this step; do not rush it or the egg yolks will cook and curdle, ruining the custard. Once the egg yolks and cream are mixed, return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, slowly stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until the custard thickens significantly (175°F/80°C max).
Quickly strain the custard through a fine sieve into the metal bowl. Whisk in the plum puree, vanilla extract, if using, and rum. Place the bowl into the ice water bath and stir until the custard reaches room temperature.
Once cool, cover and chill the custard for at least 2 hours in the fridge—overnight is great. Spin the ice cream as your maker suggests; depending on the size of your maker, you may need to freeze the custard in two batches. Serve right away for soft serve, or pack into a chilled container and freeze for a few hours for a firmer texture.
Work in Progress: Playing with Temperature
Temperature is another creative tool in the kitchen that can have a big impact on a dish. Even ice cream can be served well tempered and slightly puddly or balled up in firm scoops. There’s a full range of temperatures beyond hot and cold—you can have piping hot soup to delicately spoon up or a gently warm oyster stew. I usually like my butter room temperature for spreading on toast, but if I am serving a little canape with, say, an anchovy on top of a slice of bread, I like to use a firm platform of cold butter shaved into a little ribbon—it’s the same ingredient but a different effect. As a practical tip, think about the temperature of your serving dish—serving cold salad on a dishwasher warm plate can defeat some of your purposes, as can hot risotto in a chilly bowl.
