Jill Colonna is a Scottish woman living in Paris; she writes the blog
Mad About Macarons, as well as having written several books. I do hope to meet her in person one day... I know we will have fun!
Her recipe for the ice cream uses a Scottish liqueur which I happen to love - Drambuie. However, the day I wanted to make this recipe, I had none in the house. I did have some Absente La Crème (a creamy version of Absinthe) that Susan and Towny brought back from Provence. Why not give it a try?
The recipe is easy, gives you a nice upper body workout (hint: lots of whisking!), and tastes great.
Setting the scene for the miracle... You may or may not recall that Mark does not really like desserts. It’s a personality defect. That said, it leaves more for me! Beyond not liking desserts, he has a special dislike for ice cream. He is always too cold. (Mind you, we live in the desert where 105°F/40.5°C is not unusual.)
I am still recovering a bit from the shock when I served this ice cream for the first time. It was for guests, and Mark politely accepted his bowl while giving me a sideways glance that said, “You’ll pay for this...”
As we were cleaning up after our friends left, I notice that his ice cream bowl was empty. He couldn’t have given it to the dog - we don’t have one. So I asked...
“I loved it,” he said, “in fact, I would love it if you made it again!” It was a modern day miracle, I tell you.
And I have made it again... and again... Thanks, Jill!
~ David
Absinthe Ice Cream
Based on the recipe by Jill Colonna
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons water
6 egg yolks (reserve whites for another use)
1 cup lightly whipped heavy cream
3 tablespoons Absente La Crème, Absinthe, or other liqueur
Put the sugar in a small saucepan and add the 6 tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil for a few seconds, then set aside.
Whisk the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (bain-Marie). When they are light in color, add the hot sugar syrup and keep whisking until the mixture thickens and forms a ribbon when you pull the whisk up from the yolk mixture. Remove from the heat and continue to whisk until it’s cool.
Add the liqueur (don’t add more than the 3 tablespoons called for – it’s plenty!) and use a good flexible spatula to fold in the lightly whipped cream.
Freeze for six hours, or overnight.
Serves 4-6. (Jill says 8 servings, but I am piggier than she!)
