Grilled Plum Swirl Ice Cream
Smoky, sweet, and swirled to perfection! Juicy grilled plums meet creamy vanilla ice cream in this dreamy summer treat. It’s like a backyard BBQ… but in ice cream form.
Ingredients
For the grilled plums:
- 1 1/4 pounds ripe plums, about 5-6 medium plums
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, for grilling
For the ice cream base:
- 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 3 large Vital Farms Egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare and Grill the Plums
- Prep the plums: Wash and halve the plums. Remove and discard pits.
- Prep for grilling: Preheat a barbecue or grill pan to medium heat. Brush the grates with olive oil to prevent sticking. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, and salt.
- Grill the plums: Brush the plums with the honey mixture. Grill cut-side down for 4-5 minutes, then flip and grill for another 3-4 minutes, or until softened and caramelized with nice grill marks. The plums should be tender but not mushy.
- Cool completely: Remove plums from the grill, and cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Process the Grilled Plums
- Blend: Once cooled, place half of the plums into a food processor or blender, and puree until completely smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
- Chop: Roughly chop the remaining plums into bite-size pieces, and stir into the puree.
Step 3: Make the Custard Base
- 1.Prepare egg mixture: In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.
- Set up a double boiler: Fill a large saucepan with about 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer. Place a heatproof bowl on top, ensuring the bottom doesn’t touch the water.
- 3.Heat milk and cream: In the double boiler bowl, combine milk and ⅔ cup of the heavy cream. Heat, stirring occasionally, until it just begins to simmer. Do not let it boil.
- Temper the eggs: Remove the hot milk mixture from the double boiler, and slowly pour about ⅓ cup into the egg yolk mixture to temper. Continue to whisk and gradually add the rest of the hot milk mixture.
- Cook the custard: Return the combined egg and milk mixture to the double boiler bowl, and cook over the simmering water, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (170-175°F on a thermometer), about 5-8 minutes. Do not boil.
- Strain and cool: Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any lumps. Stir in vanilla extract and salt.
- Chill: Place the bowl inside a larger bowl containing ice water. Beat the custard with an electric mixer until it becomes thick and chilled, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add plum puree: Stir in 1 cup of the plum puree, reserving the remaining 1/4 cup for swirling on top.
Step 4: Finish the Ice Cream
- Whip remaining cream: In a chilled bowl, whip the remaining 2/3 cup of heavy cream to soft peaks.
- Fold together: Gently fold the whipped cream into the chilled custard base until well combined.
- Assemble and Freeze: Add ice cream and swirl.
- Pour all the ice cream mixture into the prepared pan. Drizzle the reserved plum puree over the top surface, then use a knife or skewer to gently swirl the puree through the top to create marble patterns.
- Cover and freeze: Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals. Cover the entire pan with aluminum foil. Freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
