Recently, Jack and I got into a serious argument. He stated that Pistachio pudding is the best dessert on the face of the Earth. I told him that he was crazy, asking how he could like some thin, electric-green powdered box-dessert when he can have a cool and creamy, freshly churned ice cream. He told me that Pistachio pudding is the best because it is delicious (great argument). He then hit me with a "It is better than any dessert you've ever made me" jab, saw my stunned face and followed it up with a "Wow, look at your hair, you look like Medusa (it is very humid out!)" cross, and made a final blow with a "You have awful eyebrows. I hope our kids have my eyebrows" punch that was very below the belt.
I was determined to prove Jack wrong (on ALL fronts). I grabbed my straightening iron, plucked my eyebrows, and started churning some ice cream (not at the same time, thankfully).
I tried two different versions of Dorie's ice cream. First, was Dorie's vanilla. Simple to make. Easy. Creamy. Smooth. Rich. Hints of creamy, sweet bourbon vanilla produce a smooth finish to the ice cream. Who ever knew vanilla could taste so good?
I gave Jack a taste.
"It is good, but too cold." He said through bites of ice cream.
I gritted my teeth. How could ice cream be too cold? ICE. cream.
Then I made Dorie's Mint Chocolate Chip Version, knowing Mint Chocolate Chip is his favorite flavor. Bits of intsense 70% dark chocolate studded the minty cool ice cream and was an instant favorite.
"It's not green." he observed.
No, it's all natural. I told him
"It would be better if it was green."
Apparently, this is the movie BIG and I am dating a 12-year old Tom Hanks.
I racked my brain for something that would wow him. I was an avid reader of Michael Laiskonis's, the head Pastry Chef at the famed Le Bernadin restaurant in New York City, Workbook Blog. There, he created a Cinnamon Toast Ice Cream in which he soaked wheat bread in milk overnight, strained it, squeezed out the excess milk, churned it with fancy pastry-chef things like trimoline and glucose powder, and added some cinnamon sugar to the very end of the churning process.
I used Dorie's ice cream as a base for this, and let me tell you something. I forgot to toast the bread before the soak, which I am sure would have imparted even more bread flavor into the ice cream, this ice cream is a winner. Pure culinary genius. The cinnamon-sugar adds a sweet and fragrant finish and wonderfully crunchy texture to the smooth and creamy bread ice cream. I went a step further and made a Hazelnut Coffee Ice Cream that I adapted from The Perfect Scoop.
If this didn't wow him, I don't know what would.
I set both flavors in front of him and told him that it was my version of Breakfast Ice Cream: Coffee and a Donut (I know it is cinnamon toast and not a cinnamon donut, but that is neither here nor there). He looked confused, but took a bite. He looked up at me and smiled. He then got off the couch and did his happy-when-he-likes-my-food-dance.
I win. Pistachio pudding be damned, I win.
A few notes. Jack is never that mean to me seriously, he was joking about the hair and eyebrows thing (which he does all the time with a devilish grin). Also, I didn't take any photos of the vanilla and mint chocolate chip flavors because I didn't keep the ice cream around long enough for me to pick at it over and over. But they were good. Best. Ever. Seriously.
Check out Lynne of Cafe LynneLu for the recipe and check out TWD for some more delicious ice cream variations!
I'm happy to know that Jack wasn't serious. If he were, I would suggest at least a month minimum of only processed food.:)
I'm also glad to know that you don't straighten your hair, pluck your eyebrows, and make ice cream at the same time. DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!!!!!
In closing, your ice cream looks delicious! I would happily eat that for breakfast. Or lunch. Yeah, okay, dinner too.:)
Posted by: Jennifer | July 28, 2009 at 09:00 AM
I love how versatile this ice cream is. But I never would have thought to use toast (or bread) to flavor it. Wow.
Posted by: Di | July 28, 2009 at 09:06 AM
What a great breakfast treat! I think it would send me into sugar overload, but what is wrong with that:) Great one!
Posted by: Maria | July 28, 2009 at 09:16 AM
Looks absolutely AMAZING!
Posted by: Sarah Schoolcraft | July 28, 2009 at 09:21 AM
Coffee and doughnut ice cream really cannot enter my house unless it's a single serving portion. If I made full batches of each, I would finish them off in one sitting!
Posted by: lisaiscooking | July 28, 2009 at 09:55 AM
Of course you won.
Your a woman!
Posted by: chocolatechic | July 28, 2009 at 10:09 AM
I'll bet my 10 year old, who lives for Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, would absolutely die for this.
Posted by: Megan | July 28, 2009 at 10:10 AM
I vote for the ice cream, great sounding breakfast!
Ulrike @ Küchenlatein
Posted by: Ulrike | July 28, 2009 at 10:26 AM
Wife one, husband zero, nice! I had a similar "arguement" with my husband regarding cake once. Perfect party cake shut his ass up real good.
Posted by: Beryl | July 28, 2009 at 10:32 AM
I think Jack just riles you up so that you make him more goodies. And boy, you made a lot of ice cream! I love the coffee and a donut theme. You really need to be on Top Chef!!
Posted by: Jill | July 28, 2009 at 10:41 AM
You made your ice cream into breakfast...I just ate mine at breakfast time ;).
Those sound (and look) amazing!
Posted by: Charli | July 28, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Ha! Glad you won. :) Your ice cream sounds heavenly!
Posted by: Hornedfroggy of My Baking Heart | July 28, 2009 at 12:08 PM
I am glad Jack wasn't serious either because that was a PIMP SLAP waiting to happen.
I am in love with your breakfast combo idea! Look at that . . who wouldn't want it?
Nom nom nom nom nom . ..
Posted by: Sugar B | July 28, 2009 at 01:01 PM
Very entertaining post! Oh yeah, and the breakfast ice cream looks amazing!
Posted by: Cookin' Canuck | July 28, 2009 at 01:23 PM
oh, yum. i can imagine how delicious this might be.
Posted by: dharmagirl | July 28, 2009 at 02:12 PM
Pistachio pudding? GASP! Your ice creams look WAY better (especially that cinnamon toast one! I had tagged that a while back too!).
Posted by: Lynne | July 28, 2009 at 02:25 PM
I saw breakfast and ice cream. What would possess someone to make something so crazy, yet so genius? You've done it again!!! I'd be doing Jack's happy food dance also, if I had some of that.
PS. Glad you won! lol.
Posted by: jenn | July 28, 2009 at 02:31 PM
Oh yes, now you need to make french toast ice cream and we're in business. The hazelnut coffee flavor sounds wonderful too. YUM.
Posted by: Wendy | July 28, 2009 at 03:20 PM
I love where you went with this one. Sounds wonderful.
Posted by: Sara | July 28, 2009 at 03:46 PM
my husband and i get into some good ones every now and again, too, but a little homemade ice cream always shuts him right up! i would gladly have coffee and a donut ice cream for breakfast tomorrow--it sounds fantastic!
Posted by: steph (whisk/spoon) | July 28, 2009 at 03:48 PM