Look what Mama gave me for my birthday! So shiny, and pretty and puuuurple. And, obviously, it makes ice cream. I gave it a whirl for the first time last night, using Smitten Kitchen’s Buttermilk Ice Cream. I followed the recipe pretty precisely, so I won’t bother reprinting. But here are some photos and a few tips.
This was actually my first time separating eggs. I absolutely loathe baking, so I’d never really had a need for yolks alone. I found separating yolk from white to be an incredibly satisfying activity. When you get it just right, the white just sort of slurps off all at once.
The most difficult thing when dealing with eggs is not breaking the yolk. I tend to crack eggs a little too hard if I do it by hand, which often results in my yolk spilling all over the place. To avoid this, I lay my egg on its side on the counter. Then, with a large knife, I tap a line along the center of the egg where I want it to break, and my results are much cleaner.
In a happy accident, I also discovered a new technique. When it works right, it’s a little cleaner and faster than juggling the egg matter between the halves, and you run less risk of popping the yolk. Gently crack the egg so that the break is small and localized, then break off some pieces of shell to create a little hole, slightly smaller than a quarter. Then just pour the white out! The yolk should be too big to fit through the hole, so once you’ve drained the whites just pop off the top part of the shell and plop your yolk into a separate bowl. Here’s another handy trick I learned: if your whites won’t go anywhere, no matter how much you shake or jiggle, try cutting them away from the yolk with a piece of shell. This recipe calls for twelve egg yolks, and you should definitely disregard the little disclaimer that you don’t really need all twelve. It is so worth it.
By this point, both boys were so excited they started backseat cooking. They were standing about two inches away from me on either side, breathing down my neck and trying to convince me that the custard mixture was ready to come off the stove and into the ice cream maker. Boys.
A word of warning: this ice cream is not for the faint of heart. It has some serious tang. But also oh so luscious. Those twelve egg yolks really pay off. Happy Birthday to me! Up next: Malted Chocolate Guinness Ice Cream in a Stout Float.