Cranberry Ice Cream with Cinnamon and Brandy

For the custard:
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, heat 2 cups of whole milk, 1/2 cup of cream and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Heat slowly and do not let the milk boil.

While this mixture is heating, cream together, in a large bowl, the egg yolks, 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 cup of cream. When the milk mixture is hot, with tiny bubbles popping on the top surface, remove it from the heat. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, stirring as you go. Transfer the combined mixture into the same pan and begin to heat the custard over medium heat.

Heating the custard is of utmost importance. You want to heat the custard as much as possible without cooking the eggs. Stir constantly in a figure eight motion with a wooden spoon. You will be able to feel the custard thicken and press against the spoon as you stir. It is done when the custard coats the back of the spoon and when you run a finger along the surface you can see the trail left behind. This should take roughly 10 minutes over medium heat. Although it sometimes takes longer if the heat is irregular.

Once the custard is finished, pour it into a chilled bowl through a fine mesh sieve. Don’t forget to filter out any cooked egg within the mixture or your ice cream will taste very eggy! I usually pour the custard into a medium-sized bowl and have the bowl sitting in an ice bath (fill a larger bowl with ice and put the medium sized bowl inside). It is important to cool the custard immediately to stop the eggs from cooking.

For the cranberry sauce:
Fresh or frozen cranberries can be used, but fresh cranberries will enhance the flavor and aroma of the ice cream.

Combine the cranberries and sugar in a medium pot over medium to high heat. Every 5 minutes add about an 1/8 of a cup of brandy. Stir and squish the cranberries until all the cranberries have burst. Then pour the cranberry mixture into a food processor or blender and pulse to turn the mixture to liquid.

Stir the cranberry sauce into the custard as it continues to sit in the ice bath. Once the two mixtures are combined you can transfer it to an ice cream maker.

There are a variety of methods to turn your cranberry custard into ice cream. I used a 2 quart Cuisinart ice cream maker which will turn the ice cream into custard within a half an hour. Follow the directions on your individual ice cream maker.

This recipe yields 2 quarts of the final ice cream product. So you want to make sure your ice cream maker can hold the final quantity, not just the custard. The custard expands as it freezes.

Place your ice cream in the freezer for several hours before serving if you wish to harden it. If you don’t freeze it, the ice cream will be soft serve consistency.

Note:
Prep time is roughly 40 minutes and includes everything prior to placing your custard mixture into the ice cream maker. Cook time will depend on your method of turning the custard into ice cream. Follow the directions for your ice cream maker.

This is an original homemade recipe.