That title is a mouth full...and so is the recipe. Its Kentucky Derby time and here in the Bluegrass, that's a big deal. Bourbon is a big deal all the time and I think Kentucky Pie is too although this time of year they are in high demand at our local bakeries.
I'm all about ice cream so anytime I can make our dessert an ice cream, I do it. The bourbon ice cream is good and strong. This is no ice cream for sissies. I made a Kentucky Pie and chopped it up. I considered the option to just swirl in the elements of the pie (nuts, chocolate, pie crust) but the ooey gooey center of the pie-similar to pecan pie- just needed a presence.
The result is pretty incredible. I cut the pie in dime sized chunks. Some of them stayed together, some of them broke apart more while stirring. There's a nice balance of both.
I'm sure you could go all out with an expensive bourbon. This was my first attempt at an alcohol based ice cream so I stuck with a cheap brand. I had anticipated that the ice cream might be a little "ice crystally" but it maintained its smooth, creamy, thick texture.
Ok...enough of my blabbing ~ onto the recipe.
Click below for the full recipe. Happy Derby day!
Kentucky Pie (from the book Dining at the Whistle Stop)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup light brown sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 whole eggs, slightly beaten
1 heaping cup pecans or walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips
9 inch pie crust, unbaked
Combine the syrup, sugar, salt, butter and vanilla; mix well. Add the eggs. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Sprinkle the nuts and chips over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 45 minutes.
Bourbon Ice Cream (adapted from the Jeni's vanilla ice cream recipe here.)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup bourbon
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 tablespoons)
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch. In another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese until smooth.
- In a large saucepan, combine the remaining milk with the bourbon, heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla bean and seeds. Bring the milk mixture to a boil and cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves and the vanilla flavors the milk, about 4 minutes. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Whisk in the salt. Set the bowl in the ice water bath and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.
- Strain the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pack the ice cream into a plastic container.
- Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze the vanilla ice cream until firm, about 4 hours.
