To cap off a multi-course Indian meal I cooked for some guests last Thursday night, I decided to try making a new ice cream flavor. Unfortunately, I did not follow my recent rule of trying recipes in my cookbooks and cooking magazines, and instead went straight to the Internet to try to find something new. I was hoping for something Indian-inspired like mango, but couldn't find a recipe that wouldn't require a ripe mango (which given that I was doing this search the morning of my dinner might have been too difficult to procure). So I continued searching for something new — and to clarify, that means a first-time, homemade recipe for me, not the first time I would try that flavor of ice cream. Most of what I could find on Epicurious.com though required an instant thermometer, which I don't have, so I went to Allrecipes.com where I thought the recipes would be a little less precise. Thankfully, I was able to quickly find a recipe that I thought would work — the recipe was a cinnamon flavored ice cream that I thought would have the right flavor and feel to cap off my Indian dinner.
True to my initial impression, the recipe was fairly easy to make though I admit that I overcooked the custard a bit as I was trying to multi-task and wash the dishes while it came to a simmer. I was able to separate the more thick/cooked parts from the majority of the custard though, and the result was incredibly smooth and really flavorful — almost spicy given the amount of cinnamon called for in the recipe. The contrast between the texture and flavor was pretty distinct, and it was not only a big hit at the conclusion of my dinner, but also when I served some of the leftovers on the 4th of July.
I think my next ice cream for an Indian dinner will be grinding up some cardamom for a cardamom-spiced ice cream — I had the best cardamom gelato last night, and it definitely made me kick myself for not thinking of that last week!
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