Best Crème Fraîche Ice Cream Recipes

CRèME FRAîCHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Whisk together the milk, sugar, crème fraîche, lemon zest and vanilla. Set aside for 10 mins for the sugar to melt. Churn in an ice-cream machine, following manufacturer's instructions, before freezing. Or freeze for 1 hr, then give a good whisk and return to the freezer for another hour. Repeat 3 or 4 times until it becomes solid.

APPLE CRUMBLE WITH CALVADOS AND CRéME FRAîCHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• 1. To make the crumble, preheat the over to 350°F; position a rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• 2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg until combined. Add the butter and, using a fork, cut it into the mixture until it resembles wet sand. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes, or until chilled. Sprinkle the chilled crumble mixture over the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the crumble cool completely before breaking it into small pieces. Set aside.
• 3. To make the apples, in a saucepan, combine the apples, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and pepper and let the fruit macerate for 30 minutes. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Stir in the calvados; let cool to room temperature.
• 4. To make the ice cream base, pour the milk into a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk in 1/2 cup (100 grams) of the sugar and the salt and stir until they have dissolved. Warm the mixture until you see stream rising from the top.
• 5. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set another bowl over it. Set aside.
• 6. In a medium bowl, with a kitchen towel underneath it to prevent slipping, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar until uniform. While whisking, add a splash of the hot dairy mixture, whisking it in bit by bit, until you've added about half. Add the yolk mixture to the remaining dairy mixture in the double boiler. Set the heat under the double boiler to medium and cook the custard, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon and reducing the heat to medium-low as necessary, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Hold the spoon horizontally and run your finger through the custard. If the trail left by your finger stays separated, the custard is ready to be cooled.
• 7. Strain the custard into a bowl and stir in the crème fraîche. If the mixture seems a bit runny and has lost its thick consistency, return the custard to the double boiler, and cook, stirring, until the custard has thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon. Repeat the finger gap test until the trail left by your finger stays separated. Strain the custard into the bowl sitting over the prepared ice bath, add the vanilla, and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard has cooled. Transfer the custard to a quart-size container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.
• 8. Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Place the container in which you refrigerated the custard in the freezer so you can use it to store the finished ice cream. Churn the ice cream until the texture resembles "soft serve." In the last 30 seconds of churning, add the crumble and the cooked apples. You can also manually fold the crumble and apples into the ice cream. Transfer the ice cream to the chilled storage container and freeze until hardened to your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately-it will be the consistency of gelato. The ice cream will keep, frozen, for up to 7 days.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB NAPOLEONS WITH CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Unfold the pastry sheet on your work surface. If the pastry sticks a bit, dust with some flour. Roll the dough out to about a 10-inch square. Cut the square into 4 (5-inch) squares, then cut these in half diagonally to make 8 triangles. Evenly sprinkle all the triangles with the 2 tablespoons sugar. Put the triangles, sugar-side up, on the baking sheet. Pop in the oven and bake until nicely puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool. Slice in half horizontally (a serrated knife is best for this job).
• Put a halved triangle on your serving plate. Spread some Strawberry-Rhubarb filling on top, stack another halved triangle and more filling on top of that and repeat to make 4 layers total. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with more sauce on the side. Scoop some Creme Fraiche Ice Cream alongside. Serve the napoleons immediately.
• Whisk the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Add the rhubarb, sugar-cornstarch mixture, orange zest and juice and half the strawberries to a saucepan. Give it a good stir. Let this mixture sit about 15 minutes off the heat so it macerates (gets nice and juicy). Then put the pan over medium-high heat and let cook until the rhubarb is tender but still holds its shape, giving it a stir now and then, about 7 minutes. Let it cool for about 15 minutes, and then stir in the rest of the strawberries.
• Pour the milk into a large bowl, add the 2 tablespoons lemon juice and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
• Add the creme fraiche, the remaining 1/3 cup lemon juice and the sugar. Give it a whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn as per the manufacturer's instructions, then pop in the freezer until it's firm.

STRAWBERRY CRèME FRAîCHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Remove the tops from the strawberries and put in a food processor with the sugar. Blitz to make a rough purée - a few chunky bits add texture to the ice cream.
• Tip the crème fraîche into a bowl and stir in the strawberry purée. Put in an ice-cream maker to churn or put the bowl into the freezer until the ice cream is firm 3cm in from the edge - about 1-2 hrs. Remove from the freezer and whisk to break down the ice crystals, return to the freezer for 1 hr longer, then whisk again. Transfer the ice cream to a freezerproof container with a lid and freeze until firm.
• To serve, transfer the ice cream to the fridge for about 20 mins until it is soft enough to scoop.

PECAN TART WITH MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE AND CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• For the pie dough: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and blend until it comes to a pea-size crumble. Dump that mixture out into a bowl and pour 5 tablespoons cold water in. Mix to bind it with your hands just until it comes together, then wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. (Be careful not to overmix your dough to form gluten.)
• Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick on a floured surface, then press into a 10-inch fluted tart pan, being careful to get all the edges pressed into the corners. Using a fork, poke holes in the dough so it doesn't bubble while baking. Gently lay cheesecloth over the top of the tart and pour in 1 cup of pie weights to blind bake the shell. Bake until blond (light golden brown), 18 to 20 minutes.
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla until smooth.
• Combine the cream cheese, orange zest, salt and eggs together in a stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on high speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the mixer once, until smooth and not lumpy, about 3 minutes. On low speed add your hot sugar and butter mixture to your egg and cream cheese mixture. Fold the pecans into the mixture and fill the tart shell.
• Bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Place the Hot Chocolate on the bottom of a plate in a circular puddle. Dust the top of the tart with powdered sugar, then place over the hot chocolate. Quenelle the Creme Fraiche Ice Cream (form into football shapes) and place it on top of the tart. Garnish with the Candied Orange Zest and potato leaves.
• Place the chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
• Combine the cream, granulated sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, coriander, salt, allspice, cloves and chile in a saucepot and bring to 180 degrees F. Remove from the heat, strain all of the solids out of the cream mixture and pour over the chocolate.
• Let sit 1 minute, then whisk until it all comes together.
• Mix together the egg yolks, whole eggs, granulated sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk well.
• Combine the cream, crème fraiche and milk in a pot over medium heat and bring to 180 degrees F.
• Temper the hot cream into your egg mixture by adding a small amount of the hot cream to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then whisking the egg mixture into the hot cream, whisking constantly. Let cool to room temperature, then strain.
• Pour the custard into the ice cream machine.
• Run the machine according to its instructions until thick and creamy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the machine and let it set up the rest of the way in the freezer, about 4 hours.
• Peel zests from the orange with a peeler.
• Roll the zests up and cut them into chiffonade strips.
• Mix the raw sugar together with 1/2 cup granulated sugar on a tray and set aside.
• Stir together the remaining cup granulated sugar with 1/3 cup water in a pot and wipe the sides of the pot down with a wet hand. Bring this solution up to 242 degrees F.
• Throw the orange zests into the pot and swirl the pot a few times. Take off the heat.
• Strain through a sieve to retrieve the orange zests. Immediately throw the orange zests into the sugar mixture and toss quickly so that they separate and crystalize in the sugar.
• Transfer zests to parchment paper and let harden, about 1 hour.

CRèME FRAîCHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a blender, blend together all ingredients, scraping down sides until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Chill until cold and freeze in an ice cream maker.

CHOCOLATE CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Blend the chocolate and milk together in a blender on high until smooth; add the creme fraiche, sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Blend again until the sugar has dissolved.
• Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions until it reaches "soft-serve" consistency. Transfer ice cream to a lidded plastic container; cover surface with plastic wrap and seal. For best results, ice cream should ripen in the freezer at least 2 hours or overnight.

STRAWBERRIES ROMANOFF WITH CRèME FRAîCHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• For ice cream:
• Place fine strainer over large glass bowl. Fill another bowl (larger than bowl with strainer) halfway with ice and water. Whisk sugar and egg yolks in third large bowl to blend. Combine crème fraîche, buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in heavy large saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat just until hot (do not allow mixture to boil), about 4 minutes. Gradually whisk crème fraîche mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat just until instant-read thermometer inserted into custard registers 170&Deg;F and custard thickens very slightly, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Pour custard through strainer set over bowl. Set bowl with custard in bowl filled with ice water; whisk occasionally until custard is cold. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
• Transfer custard to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to container; cover and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours. DO AHEAD: Ice cream can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.
• For berries:
• Toss quartered berries, orange juice, powdered sugar, Grand Marnier, and orange peel in medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
• Scoop ice cream into 6 dessert glasses or bowls. Top with berry mixture. Garnish each serving with 1 whole berry and serve.
• Available at most supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB NAPOLEONS WITH CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Unfold the pastry sheet on your work surface. If the pastry sticks a bit, dust with some flour. Roll the dough out to about a 10-inch square. Cut the square into 4 (5-inch) squares, then cut these in half diagonally to make 8 triangles. Evenly sprinkle all the triangles with the 2 tablespoons sugar. Put the triangles, sugar-side up, on the baking sheet. Pop in the oven and bake until nicely puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool. Slice in half horizontally (a serrated knife is best for this job).Put a halved triangle on your serving plate. Spread some Strawberry-Rhubarb filling on top, stack another halved triangle and more filling on top of that and repeat to make 4 layers total. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with more sauce on the side. Scoop some Creme Fraiche Ice Cream alongside. Serve the napoleons immediately.Cook's Note: Both the pastries and filling can be prepared 1 day ahead and stored separately. Put the pastries in an airtight container at room temperature, and cover and refrigerate the filling. Heat up the filling before using.
• Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling:
• Whisk the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Add the rhubarb, sugar-cornstarch mixture, orange zest and juice and half the strawberries to a saucepan. Give it a good stir. Let this mixture sit about 15 minutes off the heat so it macerates (gets nice and juicy). Then put the pan over medium-high heat and let cook until the rhubarb is tender but still holds its shape, giving it a stir now and then, about 7 minutes. Let it cool for about 15 minutes, and then stir in the rest of the strawberries.
• Creme Fraiche Ice Cream:
• Pour the milk into a large bowl, add the 2 tablespoons lemon juice and let it sit for a couple of minutes.Add the creme fraiche, the remaining 1/3 cup lemon juice and the sugar. Give it a whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn as per the manufacturer's instructions, then pop in the freezer until it's firm. Yield: about 1 quart

CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil; remove from heat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chilled.
• In a large bowl, whisk together creme fraiche, glucose, vanilla seed scrapings (reserving the bean for another use), and salt. Slowly add chilled syrup; stir to combine. Freeze in an ice-cream maker, following manufacturer's instructions.

STRAWBERRY SUNDAES WITH CRèME FRAîCHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Combine half and half and cream in heavy large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.
• Using electric mixer, beat sugar and yolks in large bowl until thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Gradually beat in warm cream mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on spoon when finger is drawn across, about 6 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat. Cool 15 minutes. Discard vanilla bean. Whisk in crème fraîche. Cover and chill custard until cold, about 3 hours.
• Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to covered container. Freeze until firm. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.)
• Place 2 scoops of crème fraîche ice cream in each of 6 bowls. Top with sliced strawberries and Strawberry Sauce. Serve immediately.

SALTED CARAMEL BANANA TATINS WITH CRèME FRAîCHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• To make the ice cream, split the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Put the pod and seeds in a saucepan with the cream and milk, and bring slowly to the boil. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale. Pour the hot cream mixture over the egg and sugar, whisking continuously. Pour back into the pan, set over a gentle heat and stir with a wooden spoon. Heat gently until the custard mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, then remove from the heat.
• Pour the crème fraîche into a bowl and whisk to loosen. Slowly pour in the hot custard mixture, whisking as you go. Pour the mixture into an ice-cream machine and churn until softly frozen. Transfer to a container, then freeze for 2 hrs to firm.
• To make the Tatins, roll out the pastry on a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using the banana as a guide, cut out 2 pastry lids big enough to fit over the banana, leaving a 1cm border around the edge. Place the pastry on a baking tray and put in the fridge.
• Set an ovenproof, heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sugar, butter and cream, and cook for 5 mins until the sugar has melted and the caramel is bubbling. Add ½ tsp sea salt flakes. Slice the banana in half lengthways and place the 2 halves, cut-side down, into the caramel.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Place a pastry lid on top of each banana half, tucking each in tightly around the edges. This can be done 1 hr ahead. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 20 mins until the pastry is risen and golden. Quickly and carefully turn out the Tatins, sprinkle with a few flakes of sea salt and serve with scoops of crème fraîche ice cream.

CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM WITH PINK PEPPERCORNS AND LEMON THYME

Steps:

• Combine milk, sugar, and lemon thyme in a saucepan. Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it and allow the milk to steep for at least 30 minutes.
• Return the milk to the stove and once again bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat the eggs. Once the milk reaches a simmer, temper the eggs by gradually whisking 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the yolks. Repeat, until half the milk has been added to the yolks. Whisk in the remaining milk then quickly pour the ice cream base through a fine strainer into a bowl set over ice.
• Chill the ice cream base thoroughly; then add the pink peppercorns. Process the ice cream in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is thick, but not yet fully frozen, fold in the creme fraiche, then continue to process the ice cream. Spoon the ice cream into containers and freeze until ready to serve.

STRAWBERRY CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Puree the strawberries with the sugar in a food processor.
• Transfer to a large glass measure or a bowl and whisk in the cream, creme fraiche, lemon juice to taste, vanilla, and salt.
• Refrigerate, covered, until thoroughly chilled.
• Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.
• After churning, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat.
• For a firmer texture, transfer to a freezer container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
• Best served on the day it is made.

APPLE CRUMBLE WITH CALVADOS AND CRéME FRAîCHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preparation 1. To make the crumble, preheat the over to 350°F; position a rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg until combined. Add the butter and, using a fork, cut it into the mixture until it resembles wet sand. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes, or until chilled. Sprinkle the chilled crumble mixture over the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the crumble cool completely before breaking it into small pieces. Set aside.
• To make the apples, in a saucepan, combine the apples, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and pepper and let the fruit macerate for 30 minutes. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Stir in the calvados; let cool to room temperature.
• To make the ice cream base, pour the milk into a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk in 1/2 cup (100 grams) of the sugar and the salt and stir until they have dissolved. Warm the mixture until you see stream rising from the top.
• Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set another bowl over it. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, with a kitchen towel underneath it to prevent slipping, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar until uniform. While whisking, add a splash of the hot dairy mixture, whisking it in bit by bit, until you've added about half. Add the yolk mixture to the remaining dairy mixture in the double boiler. Set the heat under the double boiler to medium and cook the custard, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon and reducing the heat to medium-low as necessary, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Hold the spoon horizontally and run your finger through the custard. If the trail left by your finger stays separated, the custard is ready to be cooled.
• Strain the custard into a bowl and stir in the crème fraîche. If the mixture seems a bit runny and has lost its thick consistency, return the custard to the double boiler, and cook, stirring, until the custard has thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon. Repeat the finger gap test until the trail left by your finger stays separated. Strain the custard into the bowl sitting over the prepared ice bath, add the vanilla, and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard has cooled. Transfer the custard to a quart-size container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.
• Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Place the container in which you refrigerated the custard in the freezer so you can use it to store the finished ice cream. Churn the ice cream until the texture resembles "soft serve." In the last 30 seconds of churning, add the crumble and the cooked apples. You can also manually fold the crumble and apples into the ice cream. Transfer the ice cream to the chilled storage container and freeze until hardened to your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately-it will be the consistency of gelato. The ice cream will keep, frozen, for up to 7 days.
• Cooks' NotesOf course, you can use whatever apples you prefer, but we recommend the Granny Smith variety here. They are excellent at holding their shape during cooking, and will stay intact, which is perfect for ice cream. A varietal like McIntosh is too soft and might fall apart, leaving you with applesauce.
• The crumble pieces will soften as the ice cream sits in the freezer-this is supposed to happen.
• From Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, © 2015 by Laura O'Neill, Benjamin Van Leeuwen, and Peter Van Leeuwen. Reprinted by permission of Ecco.
• Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.

CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM WITH TWO GRANITAS

Steps:

• To make the ice cream: Whisk the egg yolks in a large stainless-steel bowl. Gradually whisk in the sugar and creme fraiche until smooth. Strain. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and proceed as directed.
• To make the granitas: Combine all ingredients for each granita in separate shallow pans, large enough so the mixture is no more than 1/4 inch deep. Freeze and stir each mixture every 15 minutes for 40 minutes, or until it looks like shaved ice.
• Scoop the creme fraiche ice cream into four chilled bowls. Place equal amounts of both granita on each side. Serve immediately.