Ice Cream Happy Hour Review, Giveaway, and a Recipe

Eggnog with Brandy and Rum

The holiday entertainment season is upon us, which means lots of excuses for drinking and desserts. What better way to impress your guests at the end of a dinner party or holiday festivity than with boozy ice cream.

“Ice Cream Happy Hour” is the first book of its kind, with 50-plus ice cream recipes based on your favorite classic shots, cocktails and blended beverages – Coffee with Kahlúa, Chocolate Martini, and Strawberry Daiquiri. These 21-and-over homemade frozen delights not only taste amazing, they also serve up a surprising kick – there’s a shot of alcohol in each cup!

I had the opportunity to review this book, and I think it will make an excellent addition to your library of cookbooks!  It has a variety of Ice Creams, Sherbets, Sundaes, Floats, and more to add flavor and fun to your holiday parties.

You'll find everything from the ever popular Pina Colada to Margarita Ice Cream, as well as Irish Coffee, Mint Chip with Creme de Menthe, Mudslide Sundaes, and even Bar Brawl Ice Cream Sandwiches!

And if the names of the recipes don't tempt you, the photos will!  Just take a look at this Chocolate Martini, and you'll see what I mean!

Today along with a giveaway of this book, I'm pleased to bring you an exclusive recipe from the book!  The Recipe is for Butter Pecan with Brandy!  Whenever I think of fall and the Thanksgiving holiday, I always think of Pecan Pie and other Pecan Recipes, so this ice cream seemed like the perfect one to share this week!

Recipe for Butter Pecan with Brandy:

This recipe calls for candied pecans; however, toasted pecan halves can be substituted if you don’t have the time. We recommend going the extra mile though. It gives the pecans a great texture along with the flavor.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream

½ vanilla bean

4 egg yolks

⅔ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 packet (1 tablespoon) gelatin

⅓ cup cold water

¼ cup cold (refrigerated) brandy

2 cups Candied Pecans (recipe follows)

Makes about 1½ quarts

Directions:

1. Mix the milk and heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. While the milk mixture is heating, split the vanilla bean down the center lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Whisk the seeds into the milk mixture, then add the empty pod to the pan.

2. Steep the milk mixture and vanilla. Once the milk mixture is scalding, remove the pan from the heat and cover it. After about 15 minutes, remove the vanilla bean pod.

3. Reheat the milk mixture back up to scalding.

4. While the milk mixture heats to scalding, whisk together the egg yolks with the brown sugar and cornstarch in a medium bowl until slightly fluffy. Gently stream about one-third of the hot milk mixture into the eggs while whisking continuously. This is called tempering. It’s important to whisk while streaming the hot milk. If you just pour in the hot milk and then whisk, you may get scrambled eggs.

5. Thicken the custard over low heat. The custard should thicken rather quickly because of the cornstarch. Pour the egg and milk mixture into the rest of the milk mixture in the sauce pan and stir continuously on low heat with a heatproof spatula. Make sure you scrape the bottom evenly while you continuously stir. The custard is thick enough when you can draw a line on the back of the spoon with your finger and the line retains its shape. 

6. Strain, cover, and chill the custard for at least 8 hours. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof container. Cover with plastic wrap so that it’s directly touching the entire surface of the custard and none of it is exposed to air. This prevents a skin from developing. Transfer the container to an ice bath and let it cool for about 30 minutes to stop the cooking process. Transfer the container to the refrigerator. Chill until the custard is completely cold, at least 8 hours. Once the custard is completely cold…

7. Dissolve the gelatin in the cold water. Pour the water into a small saucepan or microwave-safe container and evenly sprinkle the gelatin on top. Allow to sit until the gelatin appears to have absorbed as much water as it can, about 2 minutes. This is called blooming. Gently warm over low heat and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved into the liquid, about 3 minutes.

8. Spike the custard with the cold brandy and gelatin mixture. Refrigerate the alcohol until completely cold. Do not speed up the process by putting it in the freezer, which may make the gelatin set up too much before it is added to the custard. Pour the gelatin into a medium bowl and whisk in the cold alcohol until combined. Do not attempt to skip this step by pouring the alcohol directly into the saucepan or microwave-safe container with the gelatin. There might be enough residual heat to heat up the custard and prevent it from thickening in the ice cream maker. Pour the cold custard into a large bowl. Stream the alcohol and gelatin mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the custard and whisk until thoroughly blended.

9. Churn the ice cream for at least 20 minutes. Pour the cold custard immediately into the ice cream maker and churn for at least 20 minutes, or as directed. Due to the alcohol content, you may wish to churn it longer to get the desired thickness. If you don’t want to serve the ice cream immediately or you want a firmer texture, transfer it to a freezer proof container and freeze for several hours before serving.

10. Add the candied pecans. Scoop about one-third of the ice cream into a freezer-proof container and sprinkle about one-third of the candied pecans on top. Repeat the layers twice more with the remaining ice cream and pecans, then gently fold it all together. Be sure to work quickly—if the ice cream melts too much, it will just get icy once it’s in the freezer.

Buy It! Check out Ulysses Press to find out how to order your copy of Ice Cream Happy Hour.

Win it!  One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a copy of Ice Cream Happy Hour.

How to Enter: Please use the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway will be open through Nov 19.

I'm linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.