C’est Magnifique!

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)
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Magic is what happens when impossibilities become reality.

Thus, this new development can only be explained as an act of magic. How else could France’s sole 100% vegan publisher, L’Age d’Homme, have picked my modest tribute to dairy-free ice creams out of a veritable ocean of cookbook options? Of all books, of all things- It’s still hard for me to believe! I don’t speak French and have only visited the country briefly, but this could be the start of a beautiful relationship.

Vegan A La Mode in French

I haven’t yet seen the translated and reformatted rendition, renamed Veganice Glaces Véganes, but I’m already thrilled by the adorable new cover. Should any French-speaking vegans out there get your hands on a copy, please let me know how the the recipes read, since I wouldn’t know the difference whether the instructions ultimately make ice cream or bicycles. Plus, I just got word that Vegan Desserts and Easy as Vegan Pie will also be joining Collection V shortly.

Since I can think of no better way to celebrate than with a big scoop of freshly churned ice cream, my recipe for Beurre Noisette Ice Cream, straight out of Vegan a la Mode, sounds like the perfect flavor to mark the occasion.

Yield: Makes 1 – 1 1/2 Quarts

Beurre Noisette Ice Cream

Beurre Noisette Ice Cream

Otherwise known as browned butter, the French have a much more elegant way of describing this rich nectar as “hazelnut butter,” alluding to the toasty, hazelnut-like flavor derived from a quick flash in the pan. The application of gentle heat transforms this everyday substance into something otherworldly, redolent with both salty and savory notes that heighten the sweetness of baked goods, or in this case, frozen treats. Many chefs would have you believe that this decadent substance can only be made with dairy, but au contraire, I’ve found that the same process works just as well with vegan butter. Taking the French term a bit more literally, a generous handful of hazelnuts cranks up the volume on that naturally nutty essence all the way to 11, so really, who needs the dairy anyway?

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Vegan Butter
  • 3 1/4 Cups Plain, Non-Dairy Milk
  • 2 Tablespoons Arrowroot
  • 2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup Light Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 Cup Toasted Hazelnuts, Finely Chopped

Instructions

  1. Cut the vegan butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and place them in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Wait for all of the butter begins to melt, then begin swirling the pan around to stir, as needed. In a fairly short time it should begin to look somewhat separated, with a foamy white top and yellow oil underneath that will gradually progress to a darker color. Eventually, the solids will settle to the bottom and begin to brown. The best judge of doneness here is to watch and listen to the bubbles; they will start making a more hollow pinging sort of sound near the end, and slow nearly to stopping.
  2. At that point, quickly add in the sugar, whisking slowly but continuously. The mixture will be clumpy initially, but it will smooth out. Cook the sugar to a deep amber color, but do not be alarmed if it’s still not completely dissolved yet.
  3. Add in 1 1/2 cups of the non-dairy milk very carefully to arrest the caramelization process– Stand back, because it will sputter angrily. Things may look like a mess now, with the sugar solidified and clumped at the bottom of the pan, but do not panic! Continue stirring over gentle heat until the sugar melts and becomes smooth again.
  4. Whisk cornstarch and remaining milk together separately before adding it into the pan with the agave or maple syrup and salt. Turn the heat up to medium, bring the mixture to a full boil, then turn off the stove. Stir in the vanilla and let cool to room temperature before moving the cooked custard into your fridge. Chill thoroughly, for at least 3 hours, before churning.
  5. Churn in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s directions. In the last 5 minutes of churning, slowly sprinkle in the chopped hazelnuts so that the blades of the paddle incorporate and distribute the nuts throughout the ice cream.
  6. Transfer the soft ice cream to an air-tight container, and store it in the freezer for at
    least 3 hours before serving.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 237Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 144mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 4g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.

© Hannah Kaminsky
Cuisine: French / Category: Frozen Desserts

 

33 thoughts on “C’est Magnifique!”

  1. I commented over on FB that I love this cover! It’s light and playful and perfect for Summer ice cream experiments. Congratulations and can I say “Yum!” There are going to be a lot of happy people.

    Is there a particular ice cream machine you recommend? Will almond milk work for this recipe?

    1. Thank you, Gina! I actually made a post detailing my ice cream maker preferences right here, for easy reference: http://bittersweetblog.com/2012/08/17/the-right-tool-for-the-job-ice-cream-machines/
      And yes, I love using almond milk in ice cream recipes. It’s probably my first choice, actually, since it has a decent amount of richness and thickness. The only type of non-dairy milk I wouldn’t recommend is rice milk, since it tends to be quite thin and sometimes gritty.

  3. That’s awesome, Hannah!!! I hope this expands your horizons even further and your recipes take all of Europe by storm before long!

  8. Lovely ice-cream, can you tell me the arrowroot function in the ice-cream making? Because I heard about arrowroot but still what is it for? Anyway, congratulation to you! :)

    1. The arrowroot acts as a thickener, and in some ways take the place of egg in a traditional ice cream custard. That gives it the proper viscosity and creaminess once frozen.

      And thank you! :)

      2. It’s not a direct substitute for eggs by itself, but combined with the fats and liquids, arrowroot takes care of the thickener/stabilizer/emulsifying properties. :)

  11. How do you translate “Nomelicious!” into French? I follow a few French vegan blogs and they are most certainly gorgeous places to hang out. Love that they have discovered you and kudos for the coup…not easy to get the French to embrace you and you have just the right je ne sais quoi to intrigue them…I am still intrigued and I have been here for AGES :)

  21. Hannah, what wonderful news! I’ve been traveling and haven’t been online much so I’m sorry to come late to the party, but that’s so exciting!

    janet

  25. Hi. I have a question about the recipes in your book. The honey ice cream uses arrowroot (as does the one above), but the maple-pecan ice cream calls for cornstarch.

    Please tell me how you choose one thickener over the other. Do they each have different properties that make them each preferable for different purposes? Or are they completely interchangeable?

    Lastly, I have only used arrowroot so far, and sometimes I notice a chalky taste. Is that due to the arrowroot?

    Thank you.

    1. Hi Eileen,

      Yes indeed, I have found that the two thickeners have slightly different textures once frozen. While they can technically be used interchangeably and will thicken liquids to the same degree in equal measure, I’ve seen that they interact with different ingredients/bases in different ways. To simplify, arrowroot tends to have a “stretchier” texture while cornstarch has a shorter bite, if that makes any sense.

      I’m not so sure about the chalky flavor. How old is your arrowroot? What about your other ingredients? Starting with the highest quality elements is essential for the best results, of course.

      Hope that might help- Happy Churning!

      1. Thank you so very much for your reply. But, really, don’t know what you mean by “stretchier” and “shorter bite.” I was really refering to two of your recipes: Vanilla Bean Honey on pg 70 (made with arrowroot) and Maple-Pecan on pg 116 (made with cornstarch). So you know the rest of the ingedients. I’m very interested in inderstanding why arrowroot with one and cornstarch in the other. I think I could learn a lot by understanding this distinction.
        Thank you.

      2. I wish I had a better way of explaining it, but since I’m not a professionally trained chef, I really craft recipes according to taste, texture, and intuition; I’m not sure what the proper terminology might be. There are no hard and fast rules, but I’ve often had better experiences with arrowroot when there are more dissolved solids in the base (like nut butter) vs. cornstarch which works beautifully with just a plain non-dairy milk. Sometimes it works best with both, depending on what else goes into the mix.

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