More adventures in ice cream

[kerravonsen]

Colesonline, with whom I do much of my supermarket shopping, sometimes tosses free samples of stuff in with the regular groceries. This time they put in two tubs of Ricotta cheese (two different styles). So I made ice cream with them.

Experiment #28: Vanilla ricotta ice cream
Recipe:
* 1 tub Ricotta "extra light"
* 1 tub Ricotta "for sweet" (this had added sugar in it, so this recipe wasn't sugar-free)
* 2 T skim milk powder
* 1 t vanilla powder
* 2 T Splenda granular
In a separate container:
* 250ml boiling water
* 2 T Xylitol
* 2 T Erythritol
* 1 t vanilla powder
* 2 t rose petals
Steep for 5 minutes. Pour into ricotta mixture, straining out the rose petals. Mix. Chill overnight (because it was late). Make in ice cream maker.
Result: This froze quickly, and made a denser ice cream than usual. Creamy, yes, but with an odd sort of mouthfeel, sort of grainy, I think from the extra-light ricotta, which wasn't as smooth as the sweet ricotta. Very vanilla taste, but I couldn't taste the rose, though I had been able to taste it in the "tea" mixture when it was steeping. I shouldn't have put the vanilla in the steeping mixture, it wasn't needed.
Lessons: (a) too much vanilla (b) if you want a rose taste, don't put in any other flavours (c) try again with better quality ricotta and without the skim milk powder

I think this would be worth trying again at some point, because the ricotta doesn't bring a strong flavour to the base, unlike evaporated milk and yoghurt, yet it's still low fat, and gives a very creamy result. I think the proportions of things need to be changed a bit, though I'm not sure how, whether it needs more sugar alcohols, whether the result would be different if there were no sugar at all (since there had been added sugar in one of the ricottas), whether there should be more water and less ricotta, whether it would help or hurt if I added Xanthan gum. But if I want to make lavender or rose ice cream (as distinct from sorbet), this one seems to be the most promising base so far.
Though a rose-flavoured ice-cream based on my favourite lassi recipe might be worth trying, too.

Comments

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

That sounds yummy :) Sis makes a couple of types of ice-cream each year for Christmas (not, I'm afraid, the healthy low-fat ones, our favourite is lemon marscapone made with meringue and double cream. As fabulous as it sounds but oh, the exercise that must be done afterwards...)

And one of my nieces does a chcolate ice-cream pudding... I'm sure the recipe is around here somewhere, I may post it to show those northerner what they're missing :)

[kerravonsen]

Hmmm, I wonder if I could make a low-fat ice-cream pudding. Not chocolate, but more traditional flavours. What a good idea!

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

I know I've had a vanilla one, with the mixed fruit and some sort of liqueur, and it was glorious...

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Igor has put the samples in the cyclotron, Mistress. Was that not correct?

[kerravonsen]

(smiles)

Wait a minute - it's one in the morning where you are!

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Igor has always been a night person, Mistress. Igor does not like to frighten the peasants.

[kerravonsen]

(snorts with laughter)