Super Easy No-Churn Black Sesame Ice Cream


Last summer, inspired by Chinatown Ice Cream Factory's Black Sesame flavor, I came home, found an online recipe and made a version for our annual End of Summer Ice Cream party.  Even though a couple of friends said it was one of their favorite flavors, I still felt it could be tweaked and improved.

Fast forward a year.......

Flush with the success of Super Easy No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream, the wheels were turning.  What other flavors could I make using this incredibly simple and quick method?  The key seemed to be using powders as a flavoring agent à la the instant espresso powder for the coffee ice cream.

Well, it just so happens the key flavoring agent in black sesame ice cream is ground up roasted black sesame seeds. Additionally, some recipes have you mix the ground sesame seeds with honey for a sweet jam that's then added to the ice cream base.  I really wanted to taste the sesame flavor so I used both powder and jam!

This version of Black Sesame Ice Cream is chock full of flavor, and so smooth and creamy.  Did I mention it uses only 4 ingredients and doesn't require you to separate eggs or make an ice bath or put a canister in the freezer 24 hours beforehand?  Can't help but love that!


Black Sesame Ice Cream will definitely be back at this year's ice cream extravaganza, new and improved!

Notes:
I found black sesame seeds and black sesame jam at Ranch 99, one of our local Asian grocery stores.  If you can't find the jam, you can make your own.  Just combine equal amounts of ground roasted black sesame seeds and honey.  For example, 1 tablespoon ground roasted black sesame seeds + 1 tablespoon honey.

The jam is fabulous on toast as well!



Super Easy No-Churn Black Sesame Ice Cream
Makes approx. 1 quart (4 cups)

In a small non-stick skillet, toast over medium heat:
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

Keep a close eye on the seeds.  Do not let them burn or you'll have to throw out the whole batch and start again.  Since they're black, it's kinda hard to tell when they've darkened, so go by smell.  Once you smell a nutty aroma, turn off heat and pour seeds into a food processor or coffee grinder.  Pulse a few times just until ground, but don't overdo it or you'll get an oily paste.

Place the ground roasted black sesame seeds into a large mixing bowl and combine with:
1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk (full can is 14 oz, so half can is 7 oz by weight)
2 tablespoons black sesame jam

Set aside while you whip the cream.

In a stand mixer or using a large bowl and hand-mixer, whip into soft peaks:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Don't over beat.  If you whip the cream too much, it will become butter-like and make your ice cream taste too "greasy". Check out Fine Cooking for photos that show the difference between soft, medium and firm peaks.

Add a rubber spatula-full of whipped cream to the condensed milk/black sesame seed mixture.  Stir gently until the two are incorporated.  This will lighten the mixture so you won't deflate the remaining whipped cream.  If the mixture still seems a bit thick and heavy, add another spatula-full of whipped cream and gently fold in.

Now gently scoop out the remaining whipped cream into the condensed milk/black sesame seed mixture and gently fold just until blended.

Pour the soft mixture into an air-tight, freezer-safe, 1-qt container.  Freeze for 6 hours or overnight.




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