No-Churn Apricot Pistachio Ice Cream
My Apricot Pistachio no-churn ice cream is more of a grown up frozen custard – not too sweet, with a hint of spicy heat from a little candied ginger. First you make a simple ice cream base, then it’s swirled with loads of buttery pistachios and puréed fresh apricots so there’s a bountiful mix of flavors in every creamy spoonful.
Enjoy a full bowl, press a scoop between some ginger snap cookies to make a unique ice cream sandwich, or serve it along side my Mini Apricot Ginger Upside Down Cake. A magical combination.
With a small slice of Apricot Ginger Upside Down Cake (Photo by Daniel Marks)
Two scoops is always best. (Photo by Daniel Marks)
No-Churn Apricot Pistachio Ice Cream Recipe:
Yield:
4 - 6 servings
Difficulty:
Moderate
Special equipment:
Stand mixer or electric hand beaters
Blender or food processor
Hand whisk
Ingredients:
For the apricot puree:
1 ½ cups cubed fresh apricots (from around 4 or 5 apricots depending on size)
2 TBSP granulated sugar
For the ice cream / custard base:
¾ cup (170 grams) heavy cream / heavy whipping cream*
3 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp coarse sea salt, or ⅛ tsp fine table salt
¾ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
For the mix-ins:
¼ cup chopped pistachios, raw or roasted
4 or 5 pieces of candied ginger, diced (optional)
*Don’t substitute heavy cream for other dairy products, this is what gives the ice cream it’s body.
Instructions:
Quarter the apricots. Pulse the flesh from the apricots and sugar with a food processor, blender, or immersion blender until a purée starts to form but there are still small bits of fruit visible. Let sit at room temperature until juices form. Strain the juice into a large bowl. Enjoy a glass or discard. Refrigerate the reserved apricot purée to add in a later step.
Whip the heavy cream with hand electric beaters or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Place in the refrigerator. If using a stand mixer, transfer whipped cream to a separate bowl, then wipe out the mixer bowl to re-use.
In a medium heatproof bowl, hand whisk together the eggs, sugar, and salt. Fill a small or medium size saucepan with water 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer. Set the bowl with eggs on top of the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Whisk the egg mixture constantly until it reaches 160°F.
Tip: Cooking the eggs like this make the ice cream safe to eat since they are no longer raw. The egg/sugar mixture will start off thick, then get lighter and frothy in texture.
Good to know: If you aren’t familiar, this technique is called a Bain Marie. Bain meaning “bath” in French. It lets you heat or melt sensitive ingredients like eggs or chocolate without burning or curdling them. If you need to hold the bowl steady, use a dry dish towel or pot-holder to avoid burns.
Transfer the egg mixture to the clean stand mixer bowl (or a fresh, larger bowl if using electric beaters), add the vanilla and whisk on high speed until it has visibly thickened and the whisk leaves deep trails. Around 5 or 6 minutes using a machine.
Tip: The whisking should also cool the mixture down to room temperature. This is important to avoid melting the whipped cream in the next step.
Gently but thoroughly fold the whip cream into the egg mixture one half at a time, keeping as much volume as possible. Spread into a lidded container and freeze until thickened a bit. 2-3 hours.
Tip: The ice cream needs to thicken to support the mix-ins so they don’t all sink to the bottom.
Remove from freezer dollop apricot puree over top, then sprinkle chopped pistachios and candied ginger if using. With a knife, gently swirl it into the mixture. Cover and put back in the freezer for at least another 4 to 6 hours before serving.
Top with more fresh apricot and chopped with pistachios and enjoy!
